National Museum of Beirut
Established | 1937 |
---|---|
Location | Beirut, Lebanon |
Coordinates | 33°52′42″N 35°30′54″E / 33.878384°N 35.514959°E |
Type | Archaeological |
Visitors | 40,211 (2009)[1] |
Director | Anne-Marie Ofeish[2] |
The National Museum of Beirut (
During the 1975 Lebanese Civil War, the museum stood on the front line that separated the warring factions. The museum's Egyptian Revival building and its collection suffered extensive damage in the war, but most of the artifacts were saved by last-minute preemptive measures.
Today, after a major renovation, the National Museum of Beirut has regained its former position, with about 1300 artifacts exhibited ranging in date from
History
Origin
In 1919, a small group of ancient artifacts collected by Raymond Weill, a
Foundation
In 1923, the "Friends of the Museum Committee",[8] headed by Bechara El Khoury, then Prime Minister and minister of education and fine arts, was created to raise funds to build a national museum.[3][4] The founding committee included: Alfred Sursok, Marios Hanimoglo, Albert Bassoul, Omar Daouk, Kamil Eddeh, Ali Jumblat, Henry Pharaoun, George Faissy, Assad Younes, Hassan Makhzoumi, Joseph Farahi, George Korom, Jean Debs, Wafik Beydoun and Jack Tabet. The committee accepted the plans presented by architects Antoine Nahas and Pierre Leprince-Ringuet. Construction began in 1930 on a plot of land donated by the municipality near the Beirut Hippodrome, and was completed in 1937.[3][4] The opening of the museum was scheduled for 1938, but was postponed because of the political situation in the lead-up to World War II.[8] The National Museum of Beirut was finally opened on May 27, 1942, by President Alfred Naqqache.[3][4] Until 1928, the conservation of the Lebanese National Museum was put in the hands of Charles Virolleaud, the director of the service of antiquities and Philippe de Tarazzi, the Lebanese conservator of the National Library. The collection continued to grow under the direction of Mir Maurice Chehab, head curator for 33 years,[8][9] until the start of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975.[4]
Closing and devastation
In 1975, with the outbreak of the Lebanese war, Beirut was split into two opposing areas. The national museum and the directorate general of antiquities were on tohe demarcation line known as “Museum alley” which separated the warring militias and armies.
When the final cease-fire was declared in 1991, the museum and the Directorate General of Antiquities were in a state of near-destruction. The museum was flooded with rainwater and the outer facade was badly marked by bullets and craters from shells. Militiamen who occupied the premises had covered the internal walls with graffiti. The state of the museum collection was also very serious: the small objects had been left in the storerooms for more than fifteen years in a totally inappropriate environment. The national museum had been built on a high water table, which caused a dangerous increase in humidity, and collection of water inside the storerooms. The large stone artifacts has been left in their emergency casings without any ventilation and traces of corrosion from salts were visible on the lower edges of the stone monuments. The wing adjacent to the Directorate General of Antiquities was devastated by shells which started a fire, destroying documents such as maps, photographs, and records, as well as 45 boxes containing archaeological objects. All of the laboratory equipment was lost.[3][4] During the war, some items were looted and are now exhibited in Turkish museums, whilst others have been auctioned. Ironically, these had been stolen from external stores, mainly in Byblos and Sidon, in which they were kept to avoid damage and looting.[16][17]
Reopening and renovation
The first plans to restore the national museum came in 1992 from
The rehabilitation of the National Museum was undertaken by the Ministry of Culture, the Directorate General of Antiquities and the National Heritage Foundation,[4][18] to the plans of the French architect, urban planner and designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte.[19] In 1999 the Lebanese government started a massive campaign to recover antiquities that were stolen or traded during the civil war.[20] Many artifacts were recovered from warehouses or private homes since Lebanese law dictates that any item more than 300 years old belongs to the state.[21] In 2011, the ground floor restoration lab was moved and a new exhibition hall, named after prince Maurice Chehab was opened to the public.[22]
Basement reopening
Opening of the underground gallery was scheduled for November 2010,
The basement collection showcases funerary art and practices beginning with articles dating back from prehistory until the Ottoman era. Collection highlights include 31 Phoenician anthropomorphic sarcophagi from the Ford collection, a fresco depicting Mary the mother of Jesus dated to c. 240 CE, and which is believed to be one of the oldest discovered representations of Mary in the world. Other artifacts of note are the naturally preserved Maronite mummies of ‘Assi el Hadath cave in the Qadisha valley and the frescoed tomb of Tyre.[25][26]
Despite issues with political violence and civil upheaval, Lebanon's museums have promoted national identity and cultural heritage.[27]
Architecture
The museum was designed in a French inspired[28] Egyptian Revival architecture by the architects Antoine Nahas and Pierre Leprince-Ringuet, and built with Lebanese ochre limestone. It comprises a basement, a ground floor, a mezzanine floor and a terrace; the central block is covered by a glass roof, above the mezzanine, giving natural overhead light.
The whole site is approximately 5,500 square metres (59,000 sq ft), and the exhibition floor space totals 6,000 square metres (65,000 sq ft). The immediately adjoining museum annexes and administrative offices occupy about 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft).[5]
The preservation of cultural heritage sites was greatly assisted by landscape architects, who worked to incorporate historical sites into the planning of public areas and provide fresh ways for residents to interact with one other , also essential for preserving its identity especially in museums.[29]
Collections
The National Museum of Beirut currently exhibits 1300 artifacts from its collection of approximately 100,000 objects.[30] The museum displays follow a chronological circuit beginning in Prehistory and ending in the Ottoman era. The circuit begins on the ground floor where 83 large objects are displayed, these include sarcophagi, mosaics statues and reliefs. The upper floor displays 1243 small and medium-sized artifacts arranged by chronological order and by theme in modern showcases with soft lighting and magnifying glasses that emphasize the aesthetic aspect of the artifacts.[3]
Prehistory
The collection has prehistoric artifacts from early hunter-gatherer societies[7] ranging from the Lower Paleolithic (1M–150,000 BC) to the Neolithic (9000–3200 BC), typically spearheads, flints, hooks and pottery.[31] These were found in caves and rock shelters all over Lebanese territory.[31] Around five hundred prehistoric sites have been surveyed in Lebanon as a whole, and around fifty sites in Beirut itself.[7]
Bronze age
The
Collection highlights:
- From the Temple of the Obelisks in Byblos:
- The Byblos figurines: gilded bronze, Obelisk temple – Byblos, 19-18th century BC.
- Decorated knife:gold and ivory, Obelisk temple – Byblos, 19-18th century BC.
- Fenestrated axes: gold, Obelisk temple – Byblos, 19-18th century BC.
- Statuette of Reshep: gilded bronze, Obelisk temple – Byblos, 19-18th century BC.
- Abishemu obelisk:
- From the Byblos royal cemetery:
- Ahiram sarcophagus: limestone, Byblos royal cemetery, 10th century BC.[10]
- King Ip Shemu Abi's crown and scepter: gold and bronze, Royal cemetery, Byblos, 18th century BC.
- King Abi Shemu's jewelry collection: gold and precious stones, Royal cemetery, Byblos, 18th century BC.
- Duck shaped cosmetic box: ivory, Sidon, 14th century BC.[31][33]
Iron age
The
Key highlights of the collections include:
- the Ford Collection sarcophagi: marble, 4th century BC.
- votive statues from the Temple of Eshmun: marble, Bustan esh Sheikh, 4th century BC.
- capital with bull protomes,: marble, Sidon, 5th century BC.
Hellenistic period
The
After Alexander's death, Phoenicia first came under
Greek influence, which had made its way to Phoenicia during the
Collection highlights:
- Sanctuary of Eshmun tribune: marble, Bustan esh Sheikh (near Sidon), ca. 350 BCE.
- Statue of Aphrodite: marble, Beirut.
- Greek gods figurines: terracotta, Kharayeb.[31]
- Multiple Thrones of Astarte from around Lebanon.
Roman period
In 64 BC, the military expedition of the Roman general
Roman Period (64 BC–395 CE) section collection highlights include:
- Achilles sarcophagus: marble, Tyre, 2nd century CE.
- Drunken Cupids sarcophagus: marble, Tyre, 2nd century CE.
- Abduction of Europe mosaic: Byblos, 3rd century CE.
- Statue of Hygieia: marble, Byblos.
- Baalbeck, 3rd century CE.
- Dionysus bust: marble, Tyre, 3rd century CE.
Byzantine period
After the death of
Artifacts from the
- The "Jealousy" mosaic: Beirut.
- Elements of a church chancel: marble, Beirut.
- Coins and jewelry collection.
Arab conquest, Mamluk period
The
Lebanon was directly affected by the various dynastic changes which brought to power successively the Umayyads,
Publications
Maurice Chehab initiated in 1936 the museum's first publication, the Bulletin du Musée de Beyrouth ("Beirut Museum Bulletin"), which reached 36 volumes before publication was stopped in 1986 by the civil war.
Location and facilities
The museum is located in Beirut's Mazra'a district on the intersection of Abdallah al-Yafi avenue and Damascus road; it is flanked by the Beirut hippodrome and the Directorate General of Antiquities building.[38][39][40] A small theater and a gift shop flank the ground floor entry hall.[4]
Gallery
-
Some of the artifacts in the museum
-
Ancient tombs displayed in the museum
-
Side of the museum
-
Statue
-
Main hall
References
- ^ "Central Administration for Statistics". 2006 Statistical monthly bulletin. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ^ Farshakh Bejjani, Uan (June 23, 2010). "المتـــاحف للجميـــع!". al-Akhbar. Beirut. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 978-9953-0-0038-1.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Bienvenue au Musée National de Beyrouth". The Beirut National Museum Official Site. Archived from the original on August 18, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Brigitte Colin. "The Beirut Museum Opens its Doors" (.pdf). UNESCO. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
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- ^ a b c d Helga Seeden. "Lebanon's Archaeological Heritage". Lebanese Center for Policy Studies. Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Where @ Lebanon.com – Museums – National Museum". Archived from the original on March 17, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
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- ^ a b c Young, Penny (October 1995). "Beirut's past comes to life". History Today. 45 (10). London: 4. 0018-2753. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
- ^ a b Viner, Katharine (March 6, 1999). "Rubble rousers". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "Beirut National Museum". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-313-31193-2.
- ^ a b Nina Jedijian. "Saving the Beirut National Museum". The Daily Star. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
- ^ Fabio Maniscalco. "Preventive Measures for the Safeguard of Cultural Heritage in the Event of Armed Conflict" (PDF). Webjournal. Archived from the original (.pdf) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
- ^ Gariné Tcholakian. "Poignant exhibition showcases Debaal artifacts 40 years after discovery". Daily Star. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
- ^ Fisk, Robert (1991). "The biggest supermarket in Lebanon – A Journalist investigates the plundering of Lebanon's heritage". Berytus. XXXIX. Beirut: American University of Beirut. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
- ^ "Beirut's Architecture". Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
- ^ "Biography Jean-Michel WILMOTTE". Retrieved April 16, 2008.
- ^ Erlich, Reese (August 21, 2003). "Lessons from Beirut on bombed-out art". The Christian Science Monitor..
- ^ Christopher Hack (March 24, 1999). "Lebanon recovers ancient treasures". BBC News. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
- ^ "المتحف الوطني | الجهات التابعة | وزارة الثقافة". وزارة الثقافة. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
- ^ Beirut Museum to Open Basement in November – Jad Aoun
- ^ "National Museum's basement rises from the dead". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. May 17, 2014. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
- ^ a b c Bassam, Leila. عرض نواويس ومقتنيات جنائزية ورسم للعذراء في المتحف الوطني اللبناني. ara.reuters.com (in Arabic). Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
- ^ a b "The National Museum's Underground Floor Officially Reopened! | Blog Baladi". blogbaladi.com. October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
- ^ Neil Asher Silberman, “Postcolonial, Neo-Imperial, or a Little Bit of Both? Reflections on Museums in Lebanon,” The University of Chicago Press on Behalf of The American Schools of Oriental Research, Near Eastern Archaeology, 73, no. 2/3 (September 2010): 198–201, https://www.jstor.org/stable/25754050
- ISBN 9780631232681.
- ^ Grace Mansour, “Rebuilding Beirut,” Architecture Media Pty Ltd 27, no. 3 (107) (2005): 28–32
- S2CID 162203085.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bienvenue au Musée National de Beyrouth – Collection". The Beirut National Museum Official Site. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
- ^ UNESCOPRESS. "Twenty-nine new documentary collections inscribed on the Memory of the World Register". UNESCO. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
- ISBN 978-2-07-011897-7.
- ^ Oggiano, Ida (2013). Aliquot, Julien; Bonnet, Corinne (eds.). "Le sanctuaire de Kharayeb et l'évolution de l'imagerie phénicienne dans l'arrière-pays de Tyr". Topoi (Supplément 13 La Phénicie hellénistique - Actes du colloque international de Toulouse): 246.
- ^ "Bulletin Du Musée De Beyrouth". Maisonneuve editions (in French). Retrieved April 17, 2008.
- ^ "Archaeology and History of Lebanon". Archaeology and History of Lebanon-journal. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
- ^ Lebanese Ministry of Culture. "Archeologie/Publications". Ministere de la Culture. Archived from the original (ministerial) on December 26, 2004. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
- ^ "National Museum of Beirut (Lebanon): Address, Phone Number, Tickets & Tours, Attraction Reviews - TripAdvisor". www.tripadvisor.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ "Ministère de la Culture". culture.gov.lb. Archived from the original on November 24, 2004. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ Planet, Lonely. "National Museum of Beirut - Lonely Planet". Lonely Planet. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
External links
- 360 Panorama of the National Museum of Beirut
- The National Museum of Beirut, AnnaharTV, 12 September 2009 (in Arabic)
- The Lebanese British Friends of the National Museum
- The National Museum, Discover Lebanon