National Museum of Beirut, Archaeological museum in Beirut, Lebanon.
The National Museum of Beirut occupies a pale yellow stone building in the Egyptian Revival style, its facade marked by four tall fluted columns with block-like capitals above a stepped base. Inside, a hall of tall pale stone columns and a coffered cream ceiling holds carved sarcophagi with reclining figures, a seated statue on a central base, and rows of dark metal stanchions.
The institution opened in 1942 under President Alfred Georges Naccache and later endured severe damage during the Lebanese Civil War. Restoration work ran from 1992 to 1999, bringing the building and collections back to public view.
The museum's name in Arabic is Matḥaf Bayrūt al-waṭanī. Its entrance hall on the ground floor is flanked by a small theatre and a gift shop. The displayed objects, about 1,300 of them, follow a chronological circuit from prehistory to the Ottoman era.
The building stands near the Beirut Hippodrome and welcomes visitors every day except Monday. Guided tours in several languages help international guests follow the layout and understand the displays.
During the civil war, staff wrapped large statues in concrete to shield them from shelling and looting. Smaller pieces were moved to secured basement rooms, where they remained until peace returned and reopening became possible.
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