DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 16: The Pearl Carpet of Baroda was commissioned by Khande Rao Gaekwad, the Maharaja of Baroda, in 1865 to adorn Prophet Mohammed's tomb in Medina, but he died in 1870 before the donation could be made and the pearl carpet remained in his family till 2009 when it was bought for $5.5 million at a Sotheby's auction in Doha. On a foundation of silk and fine deer hide, the Pearl Carpet of Baroda, is embellished with over 1.5 million pearls along with table cut and occasional rose cut diamonds, foil backed rubies, emeralds and sapphires set in gold, and is now a part of the permanent collection of the National Museum of Qatar, designed by Jean Nouvel to look like the natural Desert Rose mineral formations found in Qatar, with inward-curving disks, intersections and cantilevered elements. The NMoQ opened on March 28th, 2019, with 1.5 kilometers of gallery space, giving voice to the unique story of Qatar and its people in an immersive and experiential manner in three chapters — Beginnings, Life in Qatar and The Modern History of Qatar on November 16, 2019 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Rubina A. Khan/Getty Images)
