Located along the Doha’s waterfront corniche, the vast Qatar National Museum, built in the shape of a ‘Desert Rose’ is all set to open door this week. The pale, futuristic 52,000 sqm structure will be the first notable building that visitors would get to see as they make their way from airport to the city centre.
At an estimated cost of $434million, the structure would be open to a glittering ceremony, involving the presence of Qatar's Ruler, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and French Prime Minister Edouard Phillipe.
The national museum could turn to be the most eye-catching design of all new buildings in Qatar, with the entrance including 114 fountain sculptures in a 900m long lagoon, and the museum’s multi-curved roof resembles a giant jigsaw puzzle, constituting 76,000 panels in 3600 types of shapes and dizes.
Within, there is more than 1500mts of gallery space. Among all the exhibits is a 19th century carpet embroidered with 1.5million Gulf pearls and the oldest Koran yet discovered in Qatar, dating back to the 1800s.
The Museum's Director, Sheikha Amna bint Abdulaziz bin Jassim al-Thani, said that the museum narrates the story of people of Qatar.
The National Museum of Qatar stands in palace of the former palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim al-Thani, son of the founder of modern Qatar. The palace has been restored as part of the massive project.
According to the officials, the museum celebrates Qatar’s Bedouin past and energy-rich present, and reflects the massive wealth and ambition of Qatar.
