The National Museum of Qatar in the city of Doha and on the seashore of the Persian Gulf, is the penultimate of the great and avant-garde buildings that are built in this part of the world . A territory where economic potential promotes some of the most fascinating, and also most expensive, architectural projects on the planet.
Doha, the capital of Qatar
The Qatari kingdom is one of the richest in the entire Persian Gulf. Sometimes cities in the United Arab Emirates like Dubai or Abu Dhabi sound like much more to us. However, the capital of Qatar, the beautiful Doha, has many reasons to be visited . And in recent times one more has been added: the incredible building of the National Museum of Qatar.
The National Museum of Qatar is a rose
If we look at the National Museum of Qatar from above, it is easy to see that its design is inspired by desert roses. Some peculiar geological formations that occur after thousands of years of erosion in certain rocks of the most arid territories of the planet , as is the case of the Arabian Desert .
A work so beautiful and at the same time so complex could only come from the mind of one of the most prestigious and courageous architects of today. We refer to the Frenchman Jean Nouvel , author of numerous works in different corners of the globe and with highly varied aesthetics. To cite just one example, we can mention here the iconic Torre Agbar in Barcelona .
Tradition and modernity
In this case, with the design of the National Museum of Qatar, so spectacular and at the same time so recognizable, what the architect wanted to capture is that this building is intended to show the strong links between Qatari traditions and its present day, full of modernity .
And it is that something so characteristic of the culture and landscapes of these territories, such as the beautiful shapes of the desert rose, a sedimentary rock formed by crystals, here becomes a model for avant-garde construction. While in turn, a building as new and as beautiful as the National Museum of Qatar is the best receptacle to show within the best of the culture and history of this country .
The exhibition of the National Museum of Qatar
It is true that in recent times, the Qatari authorities have invested many of their petrodollars in the acquisition of masterpieces of Western painting. A collection that could undoubtedly form an art exhibition worthy of the most interesting museums in the world . However, what is exhibited in the National Museum of Qatar has another philosophy.
In this case, what is intended is to show the best of local culture. And that’s why there are valuable artistic objects ranging from carpets to the most emblematic handicrafts of Qatar . In addition to the modern museography, in which there is no lack of audiovisual resources or the latest technologies, it focuses on the most interesting episodes of Qatar’s distant and near history.
A palace and a museum
The National Museum of Qatar could not have a more prominent location in the Doha cityscape. It is by the sea, on the seaway known as Al Corniche. Precisely in the area where the royal palace and the seat of the Qatari government stood for decades . A palace that today has already been integrated into the museum’s own monumental complex.
In short, a building that has somehow become one of the stars of the Doha architectural scene . The National Museum of Qatar, like other museums, such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao , are meant to be more than just a place to visit. It has the quality and visual power to become the image of the entire city, even of a country.