Qatar's desert rose national museum finally blooms

This handout picture provided by the National Museum of Qatar shows a general view of the museum building designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. Photo: AFP

Almost a decade in the making, three years late and at an estimated cost of US$434mil (RM1.7bil), Qatar's vast national museum, built in the shape of a desert rose, opens this week.

A glittering ceremony, expected to include Qatar's ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, takes place on Wednesday, with the doors opening to the public the next day.