Jean Nouvel, the world-renowned French architect who designed the striking National Museum of Qatar, toured his architectural masterpiece with Mansoor bin Ebrahim al- Mahmoud, CEO, Qatar Museums and special adviser to Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Chairperson.

When the museum opens in December 2018, it will offer visitors an opportunity to explore and learn about the life of the Qatari people between the desert and the sea.

The museum will combine historic objects and contemporary influences, showcasing the country’s recent history and telling the entire story of Qatar from its traditional and historical past to the country’s development into a thriving modern state.

The design of the museum is an organically propagating series of interlocking discs that surround the structure, creating a ring of gallery spaces circling a central court. The discs are inspired by the desert rose.

The National Museum of Qatar is built around Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim al-Thani’s original palace, his family home and seat of the government for 25 years, one of Qatar’s most recognisable landmarks and a building that served as a monument to a historic way of life in Qatar.