Qatar's National Museum mesmerizes with renowned architect's touch

The National Museum of Qatar, which bears the signature of world-famous architect Jean Nouvel, will host its first visitors in Doha as of March 28.

The 40,000 square-meter museum will house a large collection of rare works, from modern art pieces to archaeological artifacts that shed light on the region's history. Exhibiting Qatar's development and its region from the centuries-old past to the present, the museum will be inaugurated by Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

Spread over 1.5 km, the museum includes the central palace of modern Qatar and the main government building. It will offer interactive learning opportunities to its visitors by bringing documentary materials, works of international artists, rare works, manuscripts, archive videos and jewelry.

The dynamic architectural design of Jean Nouvel recalls the geography of Qatar and reflects the culture and history of the country at the same time. The renowned architect highlights that his inspiration was the desert rose crystal. "The museum building is in harmony with the desert season, vegetation, fauna, nomad societies and archaic traditions. I needed a symbolic element in order to combine these opposite stories. I remembered the desert rose phenomenon at the end. The crystal forms that occur thanks to the help of wind, salt water and sand remind miniature architectural works. Starting from this idea, I designed the museum building," he said.

The museum, which tells the story of the people of Qatar in a holistic way, comprises of three sections and 11 galleries. In "Beginnings," "Life in Qatar" and "Building the Nation" sections, the visitors will take a chronological journey in the nearly three-kilometer area. Starting from the times when people have not settled yet in the Arab Peninsula, this journey reaches to the present. In the museum, audible history narration, archive images, works of art and archaeological findings make visitors experience emotional moments, combining with music and reminding aromas.

Pearl Carpet which Baroda decorated with over 1.5 million high-quality Gulf pearls, emerald, diamond and sapphire, a monumental installation comprising of 114 individual fountains set within the lagoon by French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, "Gates of the Sea," made by Syrian artist Simone Fattal, are among the masterpieces of the museum.