Embassy of the United Arab Emirates
Diplomatic history and full roster
Embassy of the United Arab Emirates
3522 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
Pale Mount Airy granite, turquoise glazing and patterned mosaic domes distinguish this chancery in the International Chancery Center. A deep arched portico faces the paved forecourt; the narrower garden wing steps back beneath a planted terrace.
| Fact | Value | Basis and sources |
|---|---|---|
| Constructed | 2001 | documented Construction period November 1999 to March 2001, International Masonry Institute case study, March/April 2003. |
| Site-use / lease date | Not Verified | unverified ICC Lot 19; CFA lists the U.S. Department of State as owner. Final plans were approved on 6 November 1997. The lease or acquisition date remains unresolved. The mission opened in 1974; acquisition of this site remains undated. |
| Neighborhood | North Cleveland Park | documented |
| Architect | Angelos Demetriou & Associates | documented |
| Rooms | 70–165 est. | estimated; Planning estimate: rooms = building area × room-area fraction ÷ average room size. For this office property, assume 45%–65% of the recorded 63,131 sq ft is enclosed usable room area, with an average 250–400 sq ft per room. The range combines the low fraction with the larger room size and the high fraction with the smaller size, rounded outward to five rooms. Room allocation and average size are assumptions. Covers the recorded building area; the interior has not been independently measured. Estimated room range. |
| Floor area | 63,100 sq ft | estimated; Estimate from the NCPC project-site area of 48,562 sq ft multiplied by the published approximate current floor-area ratio 1.3:63,130.6 sq ft. Uses the site area defined in the FAR calculation. The tax parcel has a different area of 48,262 sq ft. This is FAR-counted building floor area; open terraces and any parking excluded by the FAR rules are not added. The contractor’s 96,000 sq ft stone/project quantity is not treated as a measured floor area. |
| Site area | 48,300 sq ft | verified; Parcel total: 1964/0808. DC ITSPE LANDAREA, recorded square feet. Roads and unrelated neighboring parcels excluded. Uses the assessed parcel boundary, consistent with the valuation. The 2018 NCPC project site area of 48,562 sq ft covers a slightly different boundary and is retained as source context. |
| 2026 Value | $14.5M | verified; Parcel total: 1964/0808. Active 2026 DC ITSPE ASSESSMENT; land plus improvements. Not proposed value, tax owed, sale price or leasehold value. The assessed parcel may be federally owned; this figure does not assert ownership by the occupying mission. |
| Diplomatic use | 2002 | verified; Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi’s first-person November 2009 account states that the embassy in Washington’s diplomatic quarter was inaugurated in 2002. The 2002 CIA World Factbook also records the new address, 3522 International Court NW. Construction completion remains March 2001, as the construction case study specifies. |
United Arab Emirates Chancery Annex
2406 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Built in 1911–12, Nathan Wyeth’s house became a chancery annex in 2015 after serving as an ambassadorial residence. ACG Architects designed the rear office extension.
| Fact | Value | Basis and sources |
|---|---|---|
| Constructed | 1912 | documented CFA dates the original house to 1911; DC Office of Planning and property records give 1912. |
| Acquired by UAE | 1973 | documented DC Office of Planning’s 2010 report states purchase by the UAE in 1973. This differs from an unassigned earlier sale in syndicated listing data. |
| Neighborhood | Sheridan-Kalorama | verified; 2406 Massachusetts Avenue NW is within the Sheridan-Kalorama neighborhood and Massachusetts Avenue Historic District. Use the same neighborhood label as the adjacent Japanese compound. |
| Architect | Nathan Wyeth; ACG Architects | documented Nathan Wyeth designed the original residence; ACG designed the completed renovation and extension. |
| Rooms | 20–55 est. | estimated; Planning estimate: rooms = building area × room-area fraction ÷ average room size. For this office with below-grade parking property, assume 30%–50% of the recorded 27,000 sq ft is enclosed usable room area, with an average 250–400 sq ft per room. The range combines the low fraction with the larger room size and the high fraction with the smaller size, rounded outward to five rooms. Room allocation and average size are assumptions. Covers the recorded building area; the interior has not been independently measured. Estimated room range. |
| Floor area | 27,000 sq ft | verified; Forrester Construction reports 27,000 SF for its completed renovation and expansion of the existing 2406 Massachusetts Avenue chancery annex, including new annex and below-grade parking garage. Completed contractor project area. The adjacent 2400 Massachusetts development is a separate proposal; the historical residential CAMA record gives 12,888 sq ft. |
| Site area | 6,900 sq ft | verified; Parcel total: 2507/0052. DC ITSPE LANDAREA, recorded square feet. Roads and unrelated neighboring parcels excluded. |
| 2026 Value | $9.5M | verified; Parcel total: 2507/0052. Active 2026 DC ITSPE ASSESSMENT; land plus improvements. Not proposed value, tax owed, sale price or leasehold value. |
| Diplomatic use | 1976 | verified; The State Department Employees of Diplomatic Missions, January 1976, p. 88, identifies a UAE gardener at 2406 Massachusetts Avenue. The DC Office of Planning report of November 2010 confirms the property’s former role as the ambassador’s residence and its 1973 purchase; purchase alone is not used as proof of occupation. January 1976 is the earliest located address-specific report of institutional use. |
Emirati Ambassador’s Residence
1003–1005 Crest Lane, McLean, VA
Two connected houses occupy a riverside estate in McLean. The UAE acquired 1005 Crest Lane in 2006 and Hugh Newell Jacobsen’s White Residence at 1003 in 2012.
| Fact | Value | Basis and sources |
|---|---|---|
| Constructed | 1981 | documented 1003: county construction year 1981; Jacobsen’s design is dated 1978 and an addition to 1988. 1005: construction 2002, remodel 2009. The earliest construction year, 1981, is the compound’s catalogue sort value. |
| Acquired by UAE | 2006 & 2012 | documented 1005: 3 August 2006 for $11,000,000, deed 18662/2032. 1003: 13 September 2012 for $7,000,000, deed 22558/0006. These acquisition prices are separate from the 2026 assessed values. |
| Neighborhood | McLean | documented Both street addresses are in McLean, Fairfax County, Virginia. |
| Architect | Hugh Newell Jacobsen (1003) | documented The Jacobsen attribution applies to the White Residence at 1003 only. USModernist identifies Rodger Speas as project architect for the original house and Ernest Schickler for the 1988 addition. The original architect of 1005 has not been verified. |
| Rooms | 20–45 est. | estimated; Planning estimate: rooms = building area × room-area fraction ÷ average room size. For this residential reception property, assume 55%–70% of the recorded 19,114 sq ft is enclosed usable room area, with an average 300–450 sq ft per room. The range combines the low fraction with the larger room size and the high fraction with the smaller size, rounded outward to five rooms. Room allocation and average size are assumptions. Above-grade rooms only; basement rooms are excluded. Estimated room range. |
| Floor area | 19,100 sq ft | verified; Fairfax County residential SFLA records for the two-property residence estate sum to 16,383 + 2,731 = 19,114 sq ft. This is reported above-grade living area; basements are excluded. Land and valuation retain the two-parcel estate scope. |
| Site area | 204,200 sq ft | verified; Fairfax County recorded land square footage (SF), summed once across estate parcels. Current land working-roll TAXYR is 2027; the valuation is separately fixed to 2026. Uses the recorded area in square feet. |
| 2026 Value | $28.0M | verified; Fairfax County 2026 APRTOT, land plus improvements, summed once across the identified estate parcels. Tax exemption does not imply zero value. |
| Diplomatic use | 2011 | verified; Fairfax County case FPUD-2011-228530, submitted 15 July 2011, explicitly identifies UAE Ambassador Residence at 1005 Crest Lane. Earliest documented diplomatic use at this address. The move-in date remains unresolved. The 1003 property was added in 2012. |
Historic Moments
Recognition for a new federation
1971-12-03
The United States recognizes the UAE the day after its independence. Diplomatic relations follow in 1972, beginning through an American envoy based in Kuwait.
A mission in Washington
1974
The UAE opens its embassy in Washington, establishing a permanent diplomatic presence in the American capital. The International Court building would follow more than two decades later.
A framework for defense cooperation
1994-07-25
A bilateral defense agreement provides a framework for American access to Emirati ports and airfields. It follows cooperation during the Gulf War and supports a continuing military relationship.
A civil nuclear partnership
2009
The United States and UAE conclude their agreement on peaceful nuclear cooperation, a major expansion of the bilateral relationship beyond oil and defense.
The Abraham accords
2020
At the White House, the UAE signs the agreement normalizing relations with Israel, with the United States hosting and facilitating the diplomatic breakthrough.
Hope reaches Mars
2021-02-09
The UAE’s Hope probe enters orbit around Mars after years of joint work with American university teams. The mission combines atmospheric research with training for a new generation of Emirati engineers.
Chiefs of Mission
| Diplomat | Office | Recorded service | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saqr Ghobash | Ambassador | 2006–2008 | Former |
| Al Asri Saeed Ahmed Al Dhahri | Ambassador | 2000–2006 | Former |
| Mohammed Hussein Al Shaali | Ambassador | 1992–1999 | Former |
| Abdullah bin Zayed bin Saqr Al Nahyan | Ambassador | 1989–1991 (documented service) | Former |
| Ahmad Salim al-Mokarrab | Ambassador | 1981–1988 (documented service) | Former |
| Saeed Al-Shamsi | Chargé d’affaires | 1979 | Former |
| Hamad Abdel Rahman Al Madfa | Ambassador | 1977–1979 | Former |
| Saeed Al-Shamsi | Chargé d’affaires | 1977 | Former |
| Saeed Ahmad Ghobash | Ambassador | 1974–1976 (documented service) | Former |
| Hamad Abdul Rahman Al Madfa | Chargé d’affaires | 1974 | Former |
| Yousef Al Otaiba | Ambassador | 2008–Present | Current |