National Museum of Qatar

Jean Nouvel took the desert rose - the crystal formation that grows in Qatari sand - and built it at architectural scale, giving the country a museum of vast interlocking discs that appear to have grown out of the ground. Inside, there are almost no straight walls: galleries curve and slope through eleven chapters covering geology, Bedouin life, pearling, and the arrival of oil, told largely through immersive film projected across the angled surfaces alongside objects. The restored nineteenth-century Emiri palace sits within the complex, and the whole thing surrounds a lagoon on the corniche.

What you actually see

• The desert rose exterior - the interlocking disc structure, best at golden hour.
• The immersive galleries - film projected across curved and sloping walls.
• The Emiri palace - the restored royal residence inside the complex.
• The pearling section - the industry that built Qatar before oil.

When to go

The cool season from November to March makes exterior appreciation comfortable; summer heat in Doha is extreme and best spent indoors. Late afternoon light on the discs is the photographers' hour. Closed on some public holidays and Friday mornings.

Honest expectations

The building outshines the collection for some visitors - object numbers are modest and the storytelling leans heavily on film, which is beautifully done but not to everyone's taste. The circuit is long, about a mile and a half of walking, with limited seating. Dress modestly, as across Qatar. Photography without flash is generally permitted.

Nearby

Souq Waqif, the Museum of Islamic Art and the corniche.