Four new galleries are to open at the Sheikh Faisal Museum in Doha, Qatar.

The galleries - which open this Wednesday (20 October) - will feature more than 3,000 paintings by local artists, as well as vintage cars and pre-Islamic currency.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal Al Thani, speaking on behalf of Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, said at a press conference yesterday: "The purpose of the museum is to preserve the history of Qatar in particular and Islamic art in general.

"When foreigners visit a country, it is the people's culture that they want to discover and Sheikh Faisal wants to give foreigners an idea of Qatari culture through the museum.

"The Qatar heritage is considered one of the key displays in the museum reflecting the continuing evolution of Qatar and gives a very good understanding of where we have all come from and how we have arrived at where we are today."

The museum opened in 2002 and the museum became a member of the International Council of Museums.