Mother of Qatari Emir buys palace of ousted Tunisian president

Sheikha Moza bint Naser Al Musnad, mother of the current Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has bought a palace that used to belong to ousted Tunisian President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia, Tunisie-secret.com reported last week.

According to the website, Sheikha Moza, the wife of the former Qatari Emir, would secretly visit Tunisia and stay for a while at her new home in the area of Sidi Dharif.

The website said that Ben Ali bought the land, where the palace was built, 26 years ago and spent 13 years building it. It is known as the Sidi Dharif Palace.

In addition, the website revealed that the Sheikha had bought the palace after it was confiscated in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution in 2011 as it was secretly put up for sale, including its furniture.

The Tunisian website said that the palace was sold to the royal Qatari despite suggestions that it ought to be changed into a museum or a cultural centre.