ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF THE AUB

The Archaeological Museum of the AUB (American University of Beirut) is the third oldest museum in the Near East. In 1868, two years after the foundation of the university, the American consul in Cyprus donated a Cypriot pottery, which was the first piece of the future museum. From 1902 to 1938, the museum acquired pieces from collections in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq and Iran. In 1956, the AUB administration obtained funds to double the museum's space and purchase new equipment. Renovated and expanded, the museum reopened to the public in 1964. During the civil war, the museum remained open. In the early 2000s, the museum undertook a modernization of its premises and inaugurated its new exhibition rooms on June 2, 2006.

Located in a building (Post Hall) built in 1904, this museum houses nearly 4,000 exhibits in 56 showcases. It has collections from the Middle East, ranging from prehistory to the Islamic period: a collection of Sumerian tablets, ceramics, coins from all periods, Phoenician pottery, Roman iridescent glass and lead figurines. In the middle of the war, the AUB museum participated in two international exhibitions on the Phoenicians. Imagine the dose of cunning and tenacity to transport under the bombs, priceless objects to Beirut airport. Fortunately, the collections did not suffer, except when one of the museum's towers was hit hard by a shell. The relatively minor damage - two showcases with their objects - was quickly repaired. When we had to transport pieces," says the curator, "the sleepless nights we spent were so perilous that we could not count the number of sleepless nights. "Today, these adventures are a thing of the past and art can once again be enjoyed in peace. To enter the university grounds: compulsory search carried out by the army and an individual museum access card issued by the security services in exchange for your passport. For groups wishing to visit the museum, it is necessary to make an appointment with the AUB administration.

Below the AUB stood the U.S. Embassy. On April 18, 1983, while political figures and CIA officials were holding a secret meeting on the 7th floor, a suicide truck loaded with explosives hit the facility head-on, killing 63 people.