An exhibition depicting the construction and features of the new Acropolis Museum opened at Athens international airport Tuesday.

Titled "The New Museum of the Acropolis - Soon a new destination," the exhibition gives visitors from around the world a foretaste of the new museum, expected to open to the public later this year.

Open 24-hours and accessible to everyone at the airport, the show will run until February 2009, providing up-to-date information on preparation work for the museum, as well as its exhibits and services.

In his address during the inauguration ceremony for the exhibition, Greek Culture Minister Mihalis Liapis said the new Acropolis Museum, as a thematic museum built within the Acropolis archaeological area and on the remains of ancient Athens, will be a rare landmark on the map of world museums.

The museum would be an added attraction for visitors to Athens, said Liapis, as the government wants the city to become more than a transit destination by presenting its cultural heritage and modern artistic endeavors.

The overall budget for the construction of the new Acropolis Museum, which began in November 2004, was 13 million euros (20.64 million U.S. dollars), including the cost of expropriations.

(Xinhua/Agencies May 28, 2008)