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The Palace of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Status: Email hoax (real pictures, fake caption)
Bad: Falling for an email hoax. Worse: Using the hoax as the basis for your presentation to the local city planning commission, thereby displaying your gullibility to the entire public.

As reported by the Muncie Star Press (no link), Don Love gets the award for doing the latter. He received an email containing a series of pictures of an opulent estate (shown below), with the caption:

In case you're wondering where this hotel is, it isn't a hotel at all. IT IS A HOUSE! It's owned by the family of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the former president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu-Dhabi.

Enraged, he made a slide presentation out of the pictures and showed them to the planning commission, as part of his effort to get them to approve construction of an ethanol plant. His point was that they should promote local energy projects, to prevent all the city's money going to greedy, oil-rich sheiks. He told them: "This is the type of thing being done with your petro dollars that I want to re-patriate. Keep in mind the gentleman has more than 20 wives. This is one of 70 baths. Some are bigger than my house. This is his little swimming pool. These are his cars."

Of course, the pictures don't show a sheik's palace. In reality they show a fancy hotel in Abu Dhabi called the Emirates Palace. All the stuff about 20 wives is bogus too. If Love had bothered to do any research, he would have found this out. He probably could also have found some real pictures of a sheik's palace, which would have been a more effective way of making his point. Incidentally, my other house (the one in my daydreams) looks just like the one in the pictures.

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Categories: Email Hoaxes, Photos/Videos, Places
Posted by Alex on Tue Nov 15, 2005		 Comments (67)
Comments
The funniest thing, I think, is that it LOOKS like a hotel xD
Posted by Mera  on  Tue Nov 15, 2005  at  11:03 PM
I could swear this was covered before, but I can't find any reference to it.
Posted by Charybdis  in  Hell  on  Wed Nov 16, 2005  at  10:36 AM
Why didn't see the reception desks in some of the pictures? It's pretty damn obvious. And if he did, what could he possibly mistake them for, offices?
Just goes to show it pays not to be blinded by jealousy!
Posted by Carmen  in  Vancouver  on  Wed Nov 16, 2005  at  01:18 PM
I know Alex covered this before as a hoax, but this is someone who's supposed to know shit from shingles making an ass of himself in front of everyone, so it deserves another entry.
Posted by Citizen Premier  in  spite of public outcry  on  Wed Nov 16, 2005  at  11:13 PM
It's beautiful, very beautiful:)
Posted by Neri  on  Wed Jan 18, 2006  at  07:05 AM
you know, i honestly thought it was a hotel at first. it seemed too crazy to just be someone's house! but honestly if it were me and it was MY house i'd have to rent it out, or something. because that's just crazy!!!
Posted by adri  in  canada  on  Fri Feb 03, 2006  at  08:08 AM
Follow-up: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan died on February 11, 2004. So even if he did have an opulent palace, he couldn't enjoy it from where he is. Here is link to His Highness's official website: www.sheikhzayed.com
Posted by Atta Boy  in  Massachusetts  on  Tue Mar 07, 2006  at  06:23 PM
It's really a big WOW!! for a house. That's what money can do. Hehehe!!! I really loved viewing it again and again
Posted by Hanah P. Montejo  in  Philippines  on  Mon Mar 13, 2006  at  07:17 PM
This is just a joke right?... I think this is just a mockery... This is not fair, we can see people dying in the streets, in every place of the world, and this people having this kind of house? IS JUST A JOKE...
Instead of building "This type of houses" you should help the people dying in every corner of the world...
Posted by Maria Fernanda  in  Mexico  on  Mon Apr 10, 2006  at  10:45 AM
hmm im from the place and what u guys talking about its 7 stars hotel located in the capital of UAE and its not the palace of shiekh zayed as what u ppl said and regarding helping people i think shiekh zayed helped alot of people around the world .smile
Posted by Ghadeer Almansoori  in  AbuDhabi  on  Wed May 17, 2006  at  04:35 AM
i love this sheikh grin
Posted by Ridzy  in  North Africa  on  Thu May 25, 2006  at  04:43 AM
I think this is just ridiculous for some one to tell lies like that.
Posted by Tshepang  in  Barbados  on  Sat May 27, 2006  at  01:56 PM
Ahora s
Posted by Yanory  in  Costa Rica  on  Mon Jun 12, 2006  at  04:32 PM
Its amazing what gas can buy.
Posted by Kevin  in  Tennessee  on  Sun Jul 30, 2006  at  12:13 PM
well hw old the owner or owner's son is......
Posted by zzzzzzzzzz  in  zzzzz  on  Fri Aug 25, 2006  at  04:31 AM
Its really funny,, am feeling so sorry for those who believed such stupid lie.. Indeed they never have been in a 5 star hotels or above in their life. Sorry guys this is a real hotel in the capital of UAE.
Ooofffff,,,Come on guys stop thinking as you are in the stone age.. We are in the information age
Posted by salem  in  Newcastle upon Tyne UK  on  Thu Aug 31, 2006  at  08:18 PM
Me pudieran mandar los planos de la casa?
Estoy planeando hacer una igual en Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Posted by Corina Galvan  in  Mexico  on  Fri Sep 01, 2006  at  09:49 PM
it's just amazing!!!
Posted by Carol Magalh  in  Brazil  on  Sun Sep 03, 2006  at  08:55 AM
it is really perfect life.
Posted by Abdul Majeed Afzali  in  Sharjah  on  Thu Sep 07, 2006  at  01:05 AM
for all you idiots out there this is not sheikh zayed's palace! this is a 5 star luxury hotel in abu dhabi called emirates palace! and yes it's amazing what people can do with money instead of going BOMBING other countries for BILLIONS of dollars.
Posted by nyxx  on  Wed Oct 04, 2006  at  01:25 AM
5 star hotel? This is seems like a 6 star.
who cares if we were fooled? Wow, I can create something that'll fool you if I wanted to waste my time and what would that prove, really? That you're dumb? NOT!
Posted by esau  in  CDN  on  Mon Oct 23, 2006  at  03:15 PM
blooooooooodcloth the first time i seen dat house or hotel i was like this arab is fucking doing it reaal fucking BIG,only to find out it aint real damn if he did have a house like dat he b a fucked up leader leaving his people to suffer wen he riding around in bentley n a real silver audi damn thank god it aint fucking real
Posted by kippo  in  long island  on  Fri Oct 27, 2006  at  08:32 PM
Are you ppl stupid, or what? One of the richest man in the Middle East, if not the world, couldnt afford a $1million, $2million, or even $150million, you think he cant afford it. People like this family, by whole hotels in London, Paris... just because they like its style or service. He even owns his own airlines, Entihad. How cant he afford this?
Posted by hsda  in  hsdaztan  on  Thu Nov 09, 2006  at  02:42 AM
This is a 7 Star hotel and Kempinski was the hotel group chosen to operate Emirates Palace. Is the oldest European luxury hotel group. The Hotel palace is owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi and it is not a private house. Go to its website.
http://www.emiratespalace.com/
Posted by Alli  in  Abu Dhabi  on  Sun Nov 12, 2006  at  03:22 PM
This is one of the signes of the end of the world. It states "the end will not come until you see the BARE FOOTED BEDOUINS competing with high buildings". So the end of the world is surely near. In 1950, sheikh zayed bin sultan al nahyan was riding a camel in the desert where one of the worlds tallest buildings now stands in dubai...Present day..Burj Al Arab...
GOD BLESS THE ARAB WORLD!!!
Posted by Saif  in  Lebanon  on  Sun Nov 12, 2006  at  06:51 PM
WELL, when i first saw it i was told it was someone's house i almost believed but not until i saw the reception. love just made a mockery of himself and this shows how jealous he is
Posted by atl  in  africa  on  Thu Nov 23, 2006  at  04:41 AM
for all you fools that believe in everything people say and also to sly that told me about this without making research this is not a sheikhs house but rather a seven (7) star hotel in dubai
Posted by fuad(atl)  in  lagos  on  Thu Nov 23, 2006  at  04:47 AM
hmm, and doesnt anyone notice the number signs next to the doors? Its obviosly a hotel holy crap people.
Posted by brandon  on  Wed Nov 29, 2006  at  06:53 PM
Just received this e-mail and for some weird reasons started to search for the real pictures. something told me it was not true.
Dont know why stupid people do things like this, i guess jelousy, instead of spending their free time in something better than confusing people that unfortunatelly are not smart enough to tell the diference.
Posted by Jackie  in  USA  on  Sat Dec 02, 2006  at  02:01 AM
This isnt a house, its a hotel, ive been to it and lived in it, dark from the inside too. Its owned by Sheikh Zayed, true about that.
Posted by Ex  in  UAe  on  Tue Dec 05, 2006  at  06:40 AM
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