After more than a decade of planning and preparation, the new Mediterranean civilisations museum (Mucem) is preparing open its doors to the public.

The €191m (£163.3m, US$249.7m) project will be the worlds first museum to be dedicated to Mediterranean civilisations and culture.

With an expected 300,000 visitors a year, Mucem will be the first standalone French national museum ever to be located outside of Paris.

Developed in partnership with the State, the city of Marseille, the General Council of Bouches-du-Rhone and the Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azur, the museum will be split over three buildings, covering an area of 40,000sq metres (430,556sq feet).

The J4, which covers 15,000sq m (161,458sq ft), is built on the former J4 port pier and was designed by architect Rudy Ricciotti.

The Fort-Saint-Jean, which also covers the same area, is located within the walls of a 12th century historic monument.

Finally the Centre for Conservations and Resources, which covers an area of 10,000sq m (107,639sq ft), is located near the Saint-Charles railway station and was designed by architect Corinne Vezzoni.

The museum is opening as part of Marseille's 2013 stint as the European capital of culture.