Museums in Beirut

Beirut Museums serve as an excellent resource to understand the glorious history of Lebanon. Located along the serene Mediterranean coastline, Beirut is the national capital and the commercial and cultural epicenter of Lebanon. Beirut is truly a historical city. It was first mentioned in some scripts that are believed to have been written in 15th century B.C. Due to its vast historical background, Beirut has been able to preserve and present many significant relics and other historical discoveries among its museums.

Beirut National Museum

This museum is Lebanon’s most respected authority on the nation’s history and its cultural evolution. Some of the scriptures found here are more than 3000 years old, forming the most credible source of Lebanese history. The building of the museum itself tells a story that is hard-to-believe. Having witnessed many revolutions and bloody civil wars, the building once served as a checkpoint and the remnants of that troublesome past are still recorded on its walls. One part of the museum is dedicated to exhibiting columns and mosaics dating back to the glory days of the Byzantine Empire of the third century B.C.

• Location: Rue de Damas, Beirut
• Hours: Daily, except Mondays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sursock Museum

The Sursock Museum should be visited for understanding the progress of Islamic visual arts, particularly in the Middle East. The museum’s building can be bit confusing for those who understand basic, architectural styles. The building’s design seems to have fused some Italian concepts with Oriental and Persian styles of architecture to create a unique configuration. Built during the 19th century, the Sursock was once a royal, private villa. More surprisingly, the exhibits inside include Japanese etchings engraved around some rare samples of Islamic art.

• Location: Sursock Street, Achrafieh
• Hours: Every day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.