The World's Second Largest House

By Yasmin Oplado
19 January 2009 @ 06:42 pm EDT

Taken from the Arabic name, means Palace of the Faith Light; is the largest residential palace in the world and the world's largest residence of any type.

The World`s Largest House of Istana Nurul Iman palace. (Photo: Flickr)

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This is the home of Sultan of Brunei's istana nurul iman.

It contains 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, and a floor area of 2,152,782 square feet (200,000 m²). Amenities include 5 swimming pools, and an air conditioned stable for the Sultan's 200 polo ponies, a 110-car garage, a banquet hall that can be expanded to accommodate up to 4,000 guests, and a mosque accommodating 1,500 people.

The palace was built in 1984 at a cost of around $1.4 billion USD and has 564 chandeliers, 51,000 light bulbs, 44 stairwells, and 18 elevators. It is also a home to a car collection that includes custom-made Ferraris and Bentleys as well as 165 Rolls-Royces.

It was designed by the National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture, Leandro V. Locsin and built by the Filipino firm, Ayala International.

The Sultan's palace is only open three days a year for the Islamic festival of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, marking the end of Ramadan. However, in 2009, Indian multi-billionaire Mukesh Ambani is scheduled to complete construction on the world's largest house.