 wealthy Beirut resident and art collector Nicholas Sursock, this massive mansion was converted to a museum after Sursock’s death. The structure is considered an excellent example of Lebanese architecture, which features Venetian and Ottoman influences. Since opening in 1961, the museum has held over 100 exhibitions featuring artwork from both local and international artists.
6. Albert Hall Museum, India
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia user chetan
Opened to the public in 1887, this lovely museum was named after King Edward VII (Albert Edward), who visited the city when the foundation stone was laid in 1876. The building was originally intended to be a town hall, but when Maharaja Madho Singh II succeeded Ram Singh, he decided it should be a museum. The architecture is done in an Indo-Saracenic Revival style, which combines elements of Indio-Islamic, Indian, Gothic and Neo-Classical styles into one unique and eye-catching package.
7. ArtScience Museum, Singapore
Photo courtesy of William Cho
What does the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas have in common with this museum in Singapore? They’re both owned and operated by the Las Vegas Sands company. The lotus-shaped building, opened in 2011, is part of the chain’s Marina Bay Sands resort. The museum features 21 gallery spaces, most of which are filled with a rotating selection of touring exhibits from around the globe.
8. Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, China
There are so many wonderful architectural details in the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum that it is actually hard to find a picture that can do it any justice, but this night image by Greg Peterson does a decent job at capturing some of the larger design aspects. The massive museum, opened in 2001, is one of the most popular in China and with good reason—it really is impressive. Designed by Creative Star Digital, the museum stretches over almost 700,000 square feet of space and has 14 interactive multimedia exhibits running at any given time.
9. Macao Science Center, Macau
Photo courtesy of Sherilyn Shaine Ocampo-Palisoc
This stunning science museum was only opened five years ago, but it is already considered a landmark of Macau thanks to the unique, asymmetrical and conical shape designed by Pei Partnership Architects. Inside the center, guests enter a large atrium before entering assorted galleries and exhibits off the main walkway, including a planetarium that also plays Omnimax films.
10. Virasat-e-Khalsa, India
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia user Sanyambahga
This museum, dedicated to the history of Sikhism, only opened about two years ago, but its unique, modern design earns it a place on this list. The complex consists of two buildings on each side of a ravine that are connected by a ceremonial bridge. The buildings, designed by Moshe Safdie and Associates, have stainless steel roves and are made from concrete with intentionally exposed columns and beams.
11. Design Museum Holon, Israel
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
The first Israeli museum dedicated to design, the Design Museum Holon was the first work planned and designed by architect Ron Arad. It’s even more amazing that the building was created as someone’s first design when you consider that since its construction in 2010, Conde Nast Traveler already named it as one of the new world wonders.
12. Science City, India
Photo courtesy of Biswarup Ganguly
As much an amusement park as it is a science museum, Science City teaches everything from marine biology and space travel to numerals and illusions. The outdoor gardens feature a musical fountain, a gravity coaster, a monorail cycle, a butterfly nursery and a walk-through exhibit on evolution. The complex was first opened in 1997 and it only continues to grow larger as time passes.
13. Meiji-mura, Japan
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia user danirubioperez
Most museums are housed inside one building, but the Meiji-mura is different since it is an open-air museum dedicated to preserving historic buildings from across Japan. The park includes over 60 historical buildings scattered along 250 acres of rolling hillsi