Emirates National Auto Museum – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Atlas Obscura

Emirates National Auto Museum

The opulent car collection of an eccentric Sheikh housed in his own private pyramid. 

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Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan could be the most obnoxious and excessive billionaire on earth. He might tell you that himself, and would likely accept the title proudly. Then he’d likely show you his most prized possession: a museum built in a custom-made pyramid housing a car collection that would put any music video to shame.

After his own personal car collection grew so large and bizarre, he decided to give a little back to the community, and create a museum to house all his famous autos. Known for going over the top, Sheikh Hamad created a massive, white pyramid to display his cars on the island of Al Futaysi, where he has also constructed his name in the sand so that it can be seen from space.

The museum is filled to the brim with vintage cars, convertibles and of course, the custom-made vehicles that Sheikh Hamad is known for. Rounding out his collection is his famous earth-shaped mobile home, and the crowd-pleasing Mercedes monster truck. Arguably the most eccentric of his collection is his other mobile home, that resembles Jabba’s flying palace in Return of the Jedi. It is the largest mobile home on two wheels in the entire world.

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December 2, 2011

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