Beirut district

Nejmeh Square

Archaeological Crypt of Saint George Orthodox Cathedral of Beirut

St. George's Orthodox Cathedral is one of the high places of Beirut's spiritual life. In the 5th century, Beirut became a bishopric of the Church of Constantinople: the Church of the Resurrection was built to serve as a diocese for Metropolitan Quartus. A century later, an earthquake destroyed this first building. It was not until the 12th century that the Church of the Resurrection was built again. Sacred place, the Seingneur champenois of Anglure said in 1395, after a pilgrimage in the Holy Land, that "In the city of Baruth is the Church of Monseigneur Saint Georges... still in the dictated Church Saint-Georges, is the fountain of Monseigneur Saint Georges, which he made of his spear of which he killed the snake. This fountain is very good and is drunk by devotion ". But, in 1759, the church was destroyed again after an earthquake. It was gradually rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries and the metropolitans of Beirut decided to formally dedicate it to its patron saint, George of Lydda, Christian martyr and patron saint of European chivalry.&nbsp;The last architectural modifications and enlargement of the structure date from 1910. During the Civil War, the church was vandalized and most of the icons and iconostasis disappeared during the looting or in the flames that set the cathedral ablaze. At the end of the conflict, during the restoration work, a crypt was discovered which revealed many vestiges of this tumultuous history. Inaugurated on January 3rd, 2011, this crypt is a journey through time. Located in the basement of the church, it was cleared during excavations from 1994 to 1995. In total, 316sqm have been explored, a quarter of the church's footprint.&nbsp;Brand new, the museum is perfectly maintained and is very interesting. One can fly over the eras thanks to footbridges that overlook the remains. Explanatory panels are very useful and clear. A 9-minute film allows to understand the architectural evolution of the church and the evolution of the altars. The crypt gathers six periods whose vestiges are superimposed. One can observe the objects of the excavations and the ruins: Mamluk tomb, Byzantine mosaic, Ottoman canalisation, traces of the medieval church. After your visit, you can take a welcome break in the Garden of Pardon, south of the cathedral, with its fragrant orange trees and laurels, and from where the view of the Al Amine mosque is superb.&nbsp;- Opening hours Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm

Ras Beirut

AUB Archaeological Museum

​​​​The AUB Archaeological Museum, founded in 1868, is the third oldest museum in the Near East, after Cairo and Constantinople. It is a regional museum with collections from 7 countries: Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus, Egypt, Palestine, ​Iraq, and Iran. The museum was renovated in 1999 and reopened to the public in 2006. ​The museum collections are organized according to two parallel concepts: c​hronological and thematic. The chronological displays are set along the peripheral walls of the gallery showing the evolution mostly of pottery from the Chalcolithic Age (4,000 BC) to the Islamic Period (19th century AD).-&nbsp;

AUB Geology Museum

The Geology Museum at AUB is considered to be the only major geology museum in Lebanon, as the national museum contains mainly archeological materials. The AUB Geology Museum contains a large mineralogy collection, rock collection, and fossil collection. The mineralogy collection includes over 1,000 mineral specimens from various parts around the globe. The rock collection contains a larger number of rock specimens representing the three main rock groups of Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic rocks.&nbsp;These collections contain examples from all the main mineral and rock groups on earth and contain some specimens that are somewhat rare and otherwise hard to find. The impressive fossil collection includes specimens from the various fossil species across the wide spectrum of the animal fossil and plant fossil kingdoms, and across the vast Geological eras. The most impressive is the Mesozoic Lebanese fossil fish collection that represents one of the best-preserved fossil fish collections in the world, containing some rare fossil fish species (nearly 100 million years old) and some of which represent extinct fish species.- &nbsp;

AUB Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum at American University of Beirut holds scientifically priceless collections of specimens of animals and plants of Lebanon and the region. For several decades, these collections have been under the care of the Biology Department which has managed to curate and maintain them. These unique resources for scientific research and education are the only collections that represent the biodiverse history of our area. They are working to make these more accessible for research and teaching, and to expand on a regular basis in order to accurately reflect the region's faunal and floral life.&nbsp;The collections contain more than 15,000 vertebrate and invertebrate specimens of over 1,200 species from many parts of the world (Europe, Africa and North America), although the majority of specimens are from Lebanon and the region (the Arab Middle East, Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus). Some of these are valuable type specimens, i.e., particular specimens that define the characteristics of a species and which are designated in the scientific literature as taxonomic reference specimens.&nbsp;- Opening hours Monday-Friday 8am-7pm

Sanayeh

Banque du Liban Museum

The Museum of Banque du Liban (BDL) opened to the public in November 2013, joining the growing number of new institutions that dot the country’s cultural, educational, historical and financial landscape.&nbsp;- Opening hours Tuesday-Thursday 8:30am-1pm Friday-Saturday 8:30am-12pm

Damascus road

Beirut National Museum

Inaugurated in 1942, the National Museum is home to an extraordinary collection of important archaeological objects. Reopened after extensive renovation, the ground floor displays about seventy large objects. The undoubted star of the collection is the Sarcophagus of Ahiram, King of Byblos, which is inscribed with the earliest known example of the Phoenician alphabet. On this floor is also a colossal statue in the Egyptian style, discovered at Byblos. Look out for statues of children used as ex-voto offerings to the healing god of Eshmoun. These were found at the temple of Eshmoun near Sidon (Saida). Other outstanding objects include a capital of bulls' heads and various mosaics representing scenes from mythology.&nbsp;- Opening hours Tuesday-Sunday 10am-2pm

Sodeco

Beit Beirut

Built in 1924 by the Lebanese architect Youssef Afandi Aftimos and then raised by two further floors by the architect Fouad Kozah in 1932, the neo-ottoman style building known as the "Yellow House" or the "Barakat Building" stands on the crossroad of Damascus Street and Independence Street. The name of the Yellow House comes from the ochre-coloured sandstone used for its construction. The Yellow House comprises two bourgeois style houses, four-stories high plus a roof terrace. The central axis of the building is completely open to the sky. It leads to the main entrance and a front courtyard giving access to the staircases up to the properties and a passageway under the building that leads to the leafy rear courtyard.&nbsp;The facades of the two buildings are joined by raised columns, decorated with fine ironwork which overlook the city. Located on the former "Green Line", the Yellow House was a forward control post and sniper base during the civil war. In addition to its strategic location, the airy architecture of the Yellow House, with its transparency and varied shooting angles, was used for military purposes to control the surrounding area, known as the "Sodeco Crossroads". Today, this building is therefore an unusual structure due to this combination of domestic architecture and "war architecture", created by the snipers that occupied the building during the civil war.&nbsp;- Opening hours Monday-Saturday 11am-8pm Sunday 12pm-6pm

Ain el Mreiseh

Souffleur Museum - Ibrahim Najem's House of Collectibles

On John Kennedy Street, take the renovated Ain El Mreiseh Stairway down to Arsalan Sinno Street. There you will notice a yellow washed 2-floor house with a lovely terrace filled with jasmine and gardenia trees. Former fire fighter and diver, Ibrahim Najem has been collecting knick-knacks for over 25 years, and he has them all on display in his home. Wonders from the sea and land decorate his walls and shelves in a delightfully disordered style. Listening to Mr. Najem's stories are half the fun of any visit to this eclectic museum.- Opening hours Winter: Monday-Sunday 10am-5pm Summer: Monday-Sunday 10am-7pm

Mim Museum

Mim is a museum which exhibits more than 1400 minerals representing around 300 different species from over 60 countries. All the minerals are part of the collection of Salim Eddé who founded the museum with the help of the USJ. All the minerals are wonders of nature that have formed without human intervention but, rather, under the sole influence of temperature, pressure and the incredibly complex work of water, and especially time.&nbsp;- Opening hours Tuesday-Sunday 10am-1pm; 2pm-6pm

Monnot

Lebanese Prehistory Museum

Inaugurated in 2000, the Lebanese Prehistory Museum is a small specialized museum that presents to the public the results of the archaeological investigations conducted by Jesuit scholars between the end of the 19th century and 1975. It is a permanent exhibition established on a scientific basis and at the same time didactic, telling the story of the human adventure which, in Lebanon, goes back to a million years.Visitors are led to go back in time and discover the evolution of Man and his way of life, his inventions, his techniques, his traditions, etc., through the exhibits, models, experimental reconstructions, iconographies and the explanatory texts. While being thematic, the course integrates the chronology, namely the four periods of our Prehistory: the Paleolithic, the Epipaleolithic, the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic.- Opening hours Tuesday-Friday 8:30am-4pm Saturday's large groups : Booking only

Sursock

Sursock Museum

The Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum is a modern and contemporary art museum in the center of Beirut first opened in 1961, with a mission to collect, preserve, and exhibit local and international art. With over ten exhibitions a year ranging from thematic group shows to solo shows by emerging artists, and a diverse public program of talks, screenings, and family workshops, the Museum aims to provide a platform for encounter and experimentation with art and ideas, and to inform and challenge different audiences and communities in new and unexpected ways.&nbsp;- Opening hours Closed due to Beirut Blast&nbsp;

Achrafieh

Villa Audi Mosaic Museum

Located on a leafy street in Sursock, the beautiful Villa Audi houses a unique collection of mosaics from all four corners of the world. In addition to the extraordinary mosaics, visitors can see a number of sculptures as they explore both floors of the villa.- Opening hours Booking only&nbsp;

Baalbak district

Baalbak

Baalbak Museum

Inaugurated in 1998 to commemorate the centennial of Emperor Wilhelm II's visit to Baalbak, the museum displays various archeological finds (statues, mosaics, sarcophagi, ceramics, etc.) in addition to panels relating the history of Baalbak's sites and excavations. The museum also showcases a collection of German photographer Herman Burckhardt's pictures of the ancient city. There is a second museum at the site's South Tower, next to the Temple of Bacchus, which visitors can climb for a 360-degree view of the city. Its ground floor is called the "Cities of the Dead," which describes the Romans' ancient burial traditions.&nbsp;- Opening hours Summer: Monday-Sunday 8:30am-7:30pm&nbsp; Winter: Monday-Sunday 8:30am-4pm

Ras Baalbak

Convent of the Miraculous Virgin Museum

The monastery contains a small museum exhibiting religious objects, old stones and pottery, crosses engraved on stone, agricultural tools and a nice collection of icons.&nbsp;- Opening hours Summer: Monday-Sunday 6am-1pm and 3pm-8pm&nbsp; Winter: Monday-Sunday 6am-1pm and 3pm-7pm

Zahleh district

Taaneyel

Emile Hannouche Museum

It is a museum of the Lebanese plastic art and Melkite oriental icons. This site was established in 1918 by a French family at the beginning of the mandate period. In 1948, it was transformed into a park and a restaurant. It is now a museum of the art of drawing and painting. It contains about 700 paintings by distinguished Lebanese artists and 250 Melkite oriental icons.
Opening time: Wed-Sun, 11am-6pm

Zahleh

Fayrouz Chamoun Center for Arts & Culture

Fayrouz Chamoun Center for Arts &amp; Culture includes a wide collection of ancient armaments; pistols, bows, arrows, spears, shields, swords, etc. Visitors can also view stone crowns, in addition to an amazing collection of carved wood and ancient pieces of pottery and glassware.- &nbsp;

Salim Araji Museum

The Salim Araji Museum exhibits an extensive collection of ancient daggers, spears and swords. Visitors will also find an interesting variety of antique stone instruments (mortars, rollers, hand millstones, etc.). Moreover, the museum has copper metal wear, ancient coins and paper money, as well as pottery from various periods, in addition to a wide collection of beads, stamps and some fossils.&nbsp;- Opening hours Everyday &nbsp;

Hazerta

Lebanon from Center of the Rocks Museum

Opening hours Monday-Sunday 8am-12am

Lebanese Heritage House Of Artist Of Samir Fahed Chamoun

This museum includes a wide distinguished collection of old weapons in all varieties. It also involves ancient stones, pillars and crowns. As well, the museum exhibits wooden works carved with shells and ivory, pottery and precious glassware, along with copper metal ware, rare Persians carpets, old musical instruments and phonographs, in addition to an old collection of Lebanese coins and stamps.- Opening hours Booking only

Terbol

Terbol Museum

This eco-museum in the Bekaa valley is under the direction of the National Heritage Foundation. It is an old Levantine mud-brick farmhouse that belongs to the Rami family, and it displays a wide collection of old tools traditionally used by Lebanese farmers. The poet Nehme Saghbini, who owns most of the tools, provides visitors with information about the display.&nbsp;This house, which is very common in the Bekaa, has a rectangular plan in the Iwan. It is built of mud bricks, dried in the sun, then coated with earth and limed. Its roof is made of a wooden frame covered with reeds and compacted earth that was regularly rolled in winter to ensure its watertightness. Over time, it would have undergone a number of transformations and expansions according to the needs of the family, hence the lack of homogeneity between the frames of each room.In the field were established stables "Istabl" for horses, stables "Mawachi" for cows, sheep and goats and a barn "Hassel" for the crops. Today, a thematic garden is planted with plants specific to this part of the Bekaa.- Opening hours Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm

West Bekaa district

Machghara

Zaki Nassif Museum and Cultural Center

Given to the APSAD in 2016, the house of the composer Zaki Nassif became, on the occasion of the centenary of his house, a museum and a music school, aimed at promoting culture as well as social cohesion between different social and religious groups. Its museum takes a look behind the scenes in the life of the renowned artist, exhibiting his main personal items. It includes a multimedia room, three classrooms and a studio.&nbsp;- Opening hours Monday-Sunday 8am-5pm

Matn district

Baskinta

Abdallah Ghanem Museum

Opening hours Monday-Sunday 8am-5pm

Keserwan district

Zouk Mikael

Nawl Museum

Weaving is considered one of the oldest craft in human history, and wool the first material used in weaving and spinning. Phoenician fabrics surpassed any other fabric in matters of the quality and perfection of their weaving. Thus, the Nawl accompanied the social life in Lebanon, becoming a vital and inevitable necessity due to the living conditions and needs, where families wove their clothes by hand using sheep’s wool and goat hairs. Emir Fakhreddine II Maan the Great engendered a significant revival in the Lebanese silk industry. Emir Bachir Chebab promoted this reviving sector by recruiting Catholic families from Syria to strengthen this production. Hence, Mount-Lebanon became the “Silk Mount” at the beginning of the twentieth century. The Zoukiotes excelled in the production of quality weaving and in the dexterity of Nawl design, from which comes the famous saying of their works of art: “the color is a painting, the thread is a miracle and the production steps into immortality.” Thus, the Nawl of Zouk was characterized by a particular and unique artistic mark, giving it its identity, singularity and intrinsic characteristics.&nbsp;The Zoukiotes developed the Nawl coming from Syria and improved its production capacity. They learned how to weave abayas, to then innovate in their production by drawing patterns on the Nawl using the shuttle, and introducing new ways of weaving by producing types of clothing such as abayas, capes and scarves, all of which ornamented and embroidered with silver or gold threads, or speckled with different colors and designs.- Opening hours Monday-Friday 9am-4pm Saturday 9am-1pm

Freikeh

Ameen Rihani Museum

The Ameen Rihani Museum is a biographical museum in Freike, Lebanon. It is dedicated to the Lebanese-American writer and thinker Ameen Rihani and was established in 1953 by his brother Albert Rihani, even though the collection itself started in1897. It occupies the lower level of the Rihani home. Among a variety of things found in the museum are his English and Arabic writings, his manuscripts, letters, his own works of art and those presented to him by artist friends, busts sculpted of him, personal belongings, newspaper clippings, and personal gifts from World Leaders.&nbsp;-Opening hours Booking only

Antoun Kazan Museum

Lawyer, writer and man of thought, Kazan produced criticism and creative studies reflecting his scientific and thoughtful approach and his vivid style. He organized literature festivals at the UNESCO Palace, where he was a lecturer, literary critic and innovator, and where he presented the biography and works of several writers and poets. Kazan dated a historical period of Lebanese innovation and originality, he gave valuable conferences at the “Cénacle Libanais”, the American University of Beirut, the Saint Joseph University, and the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, from which the most important conference was the one about Al Imâm Al Ouwzâ’î and his influence on the foundation of the Lebanese nationalism.&nbsp;On the legal side, Kazan produced a large number of studies and delivered conferences, particularly those given at the French Institute of Law where he elaborated his vision on the establishment of a “Supreme Council to try Presidents and Ministers”. His style was imprinted by a solid intrigue and a unique ability of choosing the right words and contextualizing them. His speeches were disguised by a seductive music which preserves its splendor when written on paper, whereas in his critic writings, Kazan remained the lawyer who defends from one side, and attacks from the other, measuring his words in the balance of justice and equity.&nbsp;- Opening hours Monday-Friday 9am-4pm Saturday 9am-1pm

Kaslik

Archaeological Museum of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik

The Archaeological Museum is home to some of the most important artifacts from numerous archeological locations around Lebanon.-Opening hours Monday-Friday 8am-4pm

Jbeil district

Jbeil / Byblos

Armenian Genocide Orphans "Aram Bezikian Museum"

Located at the heart of the ancient site of Jbeil (Byblos), not far from the 12th century citadel, the Armenian Genocide Orphans’ “Aram Bezikian” Museum is a place of memory, promoting the common values and principles of humanity: concern for others, friendship and tolerance, peaceful coexistence and respect for human rights and human dignity.&nbsp;The Museum features three exhibits. The first presents the life of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire on the eve of the First World War and the genocide perpetrated against the Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish government in 1915 and 1916. The second dramatizes the role of the various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and western missionaries that helped resettle the surviving orphans in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon. The third exhibit shows the rehabilitation and settlement of the orphans into their new home in Lebanon. A specific scene is dedicated to the story of Maria Jacobsen, the "Mama," who devoted her whole life to the thousands of orphans in the “Birds’ Nest.”-Opening hours Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4:30pm

Ghosta

Armenian Monastery of Bzommar

Dominating the heart of Keserwan, the monastery of Bzommar built in 1749 includes a building dedicated to Armenian culture with a spiritual and cultural center comprising a museum, reading and exhibition rooms, archives, documents and photographs. The monastery museum gives a general view of eastern profane and religious art, particularly Armenian. There are souvenirs of Emir Bashir, who, whenever he traveled, entrusted all his possessions and fortune to the monastery. On the monastery lands, there are well-tended vines which give an excellent and famous wine. There is also a special wing for Byzantine mosaics.-

Chouf district

Warhaniyeh

Atelier Assaf

Atelier Assaf is a cultural, artistic and eco-touristic project that sits quietly in the fertile valley of Al Warhaniyeh, in Shouf Caza, and embodies the harmony that exists between nature, culture and art. The sculptures and statues displayed in the museum and on the atelier grounds are a silent tribute to the people they represent (artists, scientists and cultural personalities), to the positive influence that have left, and still do, to the intellectual, cultural and social heritage of Lebanon and the world.&nbsp;- Opening hours Everyday 10am-6pm

Beiteddine

Beiteddine Palace Museum

The Beiteddine Palace Museum is installed in the old stables, which once housed riders and horses of the Beiteddine Palace in Beiteddine, Lebanon. The museum displays a significant collection of Byzantine mosaics. The majority of them come from the site of the coastal city of Jieh, the ancient Porphyreon. The Byzantine-Greek inscriptions appearing on the mosaics date them back to the 5th and 6th centuries A.D. Further mosaics from different Lebanese sites are displayed in the adjacent palace gardens.&nbsp;-

Zouk Mosbeh

Billy Karam Museum

Founded by a former Lebanese rally and hill-climber champion Billy Karam, the museum was mentioned six times in the Guinness Book of Records for its largest number of model cars (37,777). The museum, which extends over a space of 1,500 meters, is made up of two floors and has thousands of mini sports and classical cars, as well as civil and military models.&nbsp;- Opening hours Booking only

Boutros Farhat Museum

Boutros Farhat's life as a sculptor began in 1991 without any artistic study. He studied art in the Russian center in Beirut. His first exhibition took place in Jaj in 2005, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture. His works are present in Lebanon and in various countries. He participated in several group exhibitions and symposiums. He received several awards of encouragement and consideration.His museum in Jaj encompasses two internal and external sections, containing nearly 185 sculptures varying in size, from around a meter to 3 meters. The carved stone - Boutros' favorite material - is of local or foreign origin, the statues on display involve various themes such as the Phoenicians, women, duality and general culture. In 2016, he was awarded the prize of sculptor in the exhibition organized by the association of the Lebanese artists and sculptors in the Palace of the UNESCO in Beirut. Since then he has been active and completing new works.-Opening hours Booking only

Jahlieh

Cave of Art

Cave of Art (Kahf el Founoun in Arabic) is a unique museum in the heart of the Lebanese village of Jahlieh. Housed in Ottoman-era cellars, the museum aims to preserve the village’s cultural heritage. For over 25 years, Ghandi Bou Diab has been collecting everything that is relevant to the Lebanese and Druze heritage in particular. The collectibles from the village people’s heritage include mosaics, mud brick walls and roofs made of old rugs and brooms. Also on display are oil paintings that tell nostalgic stories, painted by Bou Diab himself and other artists, which remind visitors of Lebanon’s beautiful history.&nbsp;The cellars were used in the Ottoman-era as chambers for secret meetings. During the Lebanese Civil War [1975-1990], they were turned into bunkers where villagers would hide from the shelling. After the end of the war, Bou Diab immediately started to turn these cellars into a touristic cultural and heritage museum. The cellars are divided into three sections: the first holds paintings and tools, particularly of Druze heritage, the second specializes in farming and plowing tools and the basis of an ancient house, and the third is called “Beit Sitti” or “My Grandmother’s House”, which contains another old house.- Opening hours Booking only

Antelias

Cilicia Museum

The Christian-Armenian culture in Cilicia came to its end by the genocide of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the times of World War I. During the deportations, the monastic brotherhood of the Catholikosate of Cilicia was expelled from Sis (Turkish Kozan). By inexpressible efforts, they were able to save to Aleppo the treasures of St. Sophia's Cathedral, including liturgical instruments, precious vestments and holy relics which have been guarded for centuries. The dramatic rescue operation became famous as Vankin Karawane - the monastery caravan. When the Catholikosate of Cilicia was relocated to the Lebanon in 1930, the treasure accompanied it. Since 1918, it has found its home in the Cilicia Museum in Antelias.&nbsp;The explanations of the monastery treasure are supplemented by unknown contemporary photos and documents from the Johannes Lepsius Archives in Halle about the fate of the Cilician Armenians at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as by the eye-witness report of the monastery caravan, which has been translated from the Armenian language for the first time.&nbsp;- Opening hours Summer: Monday-Friday 8am-2pm; Saturday 8am-12pm&nbsp; Winter: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 10am-1pm

Roumieh

Dorothy Salhab Kazemi Museum

Located in Roumieh, the mountain village of her childhood, the Dorothy Salhab Kazemi Museum is small, no more than one room. But what it lacks in size fades before the impressive quality of its contents and the elegant design of the exhibition space itself. The museum is the labor of a mother’s love. Mrs. Laurice Salhab spent several years planning a showcase worthy of her daughter’s work, wisely enlisting the help of two seasoned professionals ,­Sylvia Ajamian, curator of the Sursock Museum, and Denise Khalifeh, director of Entretemps Art Gallery.&nbsp;The mini-museum that resulted is a light, airy space fitted with handsome display units of glass, chrome and wood, all impeccably finished and designed for the optimum viewing of pottery and ceramics. What is now the museum would have been Dorothy’s new atelier, meant to replace the tiny, dark room in her grandmother’s old village house where she began working in 1970. She had just returned to Lebanon after several years of study in Denmark and teaching in Scotland, with her new husband, Shams, an economist assigned to the UN office in Beirut. Eight years later, in 1978, she had to leave her Roumieh workshop and all that was in it when the UN personnel were evacuated. The Kazemis settled in Geneva and, in a matter of months, Dorothy created a workshop in an abandoned barn in Dordogne, France. Even before she had finished restoring it, she had a new kiln and potter’s wheel installed, stocked up on barrels of clay and spread out her tools. There, between commuting to her husband in Geneva, ­she worked with intense devotion until she died of cancer 12 years later.&nbsp;Dorothy was a born potter who, with distinctive talent and searching intuition, was able to lead a common craft into the higher realm of art. The utter refinement and delicacy of form that mark her functional pieces ­bowls, pots and jugs, large and small ­would have been enough to bring her fame. Many are in stoneware, pottery fired at high temperatures, a technique that was first introduced in Lebanon by Dorothy. Others are porcelain, thin and translucent. All are wheel-thrown. In describing how she experienced the process of producing them, Dorothy once said: “There is something deeply satisfying about working with clay on the wheel. It’s as though my body becomes an extension of the living, moving material."&nbsp;- Opening hours Booking only

Marjeyoun district

Blat

Dr. Zahi Hakim Museum

In the Spring of 2019, Dr. Zahi Hakim generously gifted the Lebanese American University a collection of X-ray tubes and radiology antiques he had painstakingly sought, acquired and maintained over more than 60 years. The collection is now on display at the Chagoury Health Sciences building in Byblos, next to the auditorium, where it can be viewed by visitors and LAU’s medical scholars.Dr. Zahi Hakim has been practicing medicine for decades. He obtained his medical degree from St. Joseph University in 1956 before specializing in diagnostic radiology at the Institut Français de Radiologie, Hôtel-Dieu de France in Beirut. He went on to complete multiple rounds of training in France and Germany, won a fellowship in neuro-radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, and co-founded the School of X-ray Technologists at Notre-Dame du Liban Hospital in Jounieh.- Opening hours Winter: Monday-Friday 10am-4pm Summer: 9am-1pm

Jal el Dib

Edward Nassar Museum

The Edward Nassar Museum houses the largest Roman and Greek coin collection in Lebanon. The art collection includes some of the finest 19th-century European portraiture, landscapes and epic biblical paintings, notably the Crucifixion by Annibale Carracci, Napoleon Bonaparte by court painter Andrea Appiani, George I and William, Duke of Gloucester by Sir Godfrey Kneller, and works by Cipriani, Angas and Rigaud. There are 300 vintage gold and silver timepieces, a worldwide stamp collection and a large assortment of historical books and early illustrated Bibles. Also on view are manuscripts and autographs by luminaries from history like Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery and Charles de Gaulle. Other displays include exquisite Chinese porcelain and African art—ivory and ebony sculptures—as well as Roman and Greek archaeological treasures.&nbsp;-Opening hours Monday-Saturday 8:30am-5pm

Elias Abou Chabakeh Museum


The house of the poet Elias Abou Chabakeh holds a museum and a cultural center in his memory. Elias Abou Chabakeh is one of the most prominent poets of the first half of the 20th century. Despite a short life (died at 43 years of age) he was a prolific writer. He left a wealth of poetry and prose writings and translations as well as hundreds of newspaper articles published in Lebanon and Egypt.These articles spanned multiple subjects from literature and sociology to treating events, social and political issues that his generation was witnessing. His writings reveal a vast knowledge and command of foreign literary writing especially French Literature.-&nbsp; Opening hours Monday-Friday 8am-11am; 1pm-3pm

Aley district

Dahr el Wahch

Emir Faysal Arslan Museum

Built in 1895, the Emir Faisal Arlsan Museum is perched on a hillside near the entrance of Aley, reached by a series of twists and turns along the Damascus road. It is Aley’s first museum, initiated by Hayat Wahab Arslan, wife of the late Emir Faisal, as a tribute not only to her husband, but also to the socio-political history of the Arslan family and Lebanon’s struggle for independence. Indeed, the transformation of the family’s palace into a place of historical significance was the desire of Emir Faisal himself, who insisted that “what the Lebanese achieved is the property of Lebanon”.&nbsp;Inside the beautifully restored 12-room, white and beige stone structure is a combination of Oriental arches and European medieval towers. It houses treasures from old documents, books and manuscripts, to weapons and tokens from important historical periods, such as the creation of Greater Lebanon and then its 1943 independence. One example is the Arslan family registry in Kufic writing, from 800AD. More recently, there are relics from the 1948 war with Israel, including helmets from the Haganah defence forces and a cannon from Nazareth. A French chest from the time of Napoleon Bonaparte shares a space with porcelain washstands dating to 1920. There are 19th-century items from Syria, such as a mother-of-pearl antique bridal chest, and Ottoman antiques, including a tapestry designed as currency.&nbsp;- Opening hours Booking only

Jdeideh

Emmanuel Paul Guiragossian Museum

Emmanuel Paul Guiragossian Museum presents a collection of unedited paintings of the artist (1948-1993), as well as art works of Lebanese and international contemporary painters. In addition, the museum offers a meeting place for artists and an Art School.&nbsp;-Opening hours Monday-Sunday 10am-7pm

Hakel

Expo Hakel

In the heart of Hakel, Rizkallah Nohra founded the first fossils museum in Lebanon. The whole adventure began in the 1960's when he was a seven years old boy, when he started to gather some fossils from a land owned by his family. Over the years this hobby turned into a passion, and his dream was to create a museum for his collection, but such project didn’t see the light due to the civil war that ended in 1991. Undeterred by such obstacles, he restored a typical old Lebanese village house on his own where he could gather and display all the fossils he had collected over the past thirty years. 1991 witnessed the opening of Expo Hakel, the first natural history museum for marine fossils in Lebanon.- Opening hours Everyday 9am-5pm

Baabda district

Falougha

Fahed al Andari Barber Museum

Opening hours Tuesday-Saturday 10am-2pm and 3pm-7:30pm&nbsp; Sunday 10am-2pm

Haret Sakher

Fouad Chehab Museum & Library

The main objective of the foundation is, as stated in the founding statutes: “To carry out intellectual and social activities to revive the values and the principles that President Chehab believed in and worked for.”&nbsp;- Opening hours Booking only

Hall of Fame

Lebanon's Hall of Fame Museum, located in Zouk Mosbeh, breaks the standard wax museum mold in a few odd ways. First of all, its figures are made of silicone, not wax, enabling animatronic components that allow figures to move and “speak.” Besides, it’s the closest one can get to brushing shoulders with a slew of current, former, or perhaps soon-to-be-overthrown Arab leaders. Alongside an animatronic Saddam Hussein offering a handshake and the former Iraqi Information Minister Mohamad Said al-Sahhaf denying that U.S. troops had breached Iraqi borders in 2003, the museum features deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak holding court with Saudi King Abdullah and deceased leader of the Palestinian Authority Yasir Arafat.&nbsp;- Opening hours Summer: Monday-Sunday 9am-8pm&nbsp; Winter: Monday-Sunday 9am-6pm

Historic Wax Museum

The Byblos Wax Museum is a wax museum in the heart of Byblos/Jbeil. The museum displays wax statues and life scenes from the Phoenician era to the modern times.&nbsp;- &nbsp;

Semqanieh

Irfan al Tawhidiyah School Museum

Opening hours Monday-Sunday 9am-3pm

Baysour

Jamil Molaeb Museum

Situated in the village of Baysour in Mount Lebanon, the Jamil Molaeb Museum was built between the years 2011 and 2015 by the artist Jamil Molaeb. The museum is near his atelier and traditional house, where he was born and raised. It is the home of his paintings, sculptures and mosaics. The museum also offers an exceptional permanent collection of paintings by other Lebanese masters from the 19th and 20th century.&nbsp;The museum hosts the Molaeb Festival for Chamber Music and Fine Arts. Every&nbsp;year&nbsp;this international festival hosts&nbsp;musicians&nbsp;from around the world&nbsp;to&nbsp;perform&nbsp;chamber music&nbsp;concerts&nbsp;at&nbsp;the museum,&nbsp;and&nbsp;sometimes&nbsp;in&nbsp;different&nbsp;venues&nbsp;in&nbsp;Beirut. Being&nbsp;resident&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;charming Mount Lebanon&nbsp;village, guest artists&nbsp;and&nbsp;musicians&nbsp;will&nbsp;get&nbsp; to&nbsp;learn about&nbsp;Lebanese&nbsp;art,&nbsp;and&nbsp;life&nbsp;culture, likewise&nbsp;exchanging culture with the locals.&nbsp;- Opening hours Booking only

Ghazir

Juliusz Slowacki Museum

A wing of the Saint Antoine Convent, converted into a museum, is dedicated to the memory of the Polish poet Juliusz Slowacki, who visited Lebanon during his trip to the Orient, where he wrote his famous patriotic poem entitled Anhelli.&nbsp;- Opening hours Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm Saturday 8:30am-12pm

LAU Louis Cardahi Foundation

The museum of the foundation contains treasures from the private Louis Cardahi collection, including: - Phoenician artifacts, such as a statuette of Ishtar-Aphrodite taking her ablution. - Oil lamps and small glass vases. - Lithographs by the famous archeologist Ernest Renan. - Reproduction from the Louvre Museum: bust of Osorkon, stone of Yehawmilk, basalt lion of the Persian fortress.The foundation’s Library holds approximately 1500 specialized volumes dedicated mostly to the historic and cultural life of the city of Jbeil and its region. Print periodicals are supplemented by subscriptions to various <a href="http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/databases/">online databases</a> (books, journals, magazines, brochures and CDs).-Opening hours Tuesday-Saturday 9am-4pm

Mayfouq

Lebanese Heritage House

Perched on a hill overlooking the ancient church of Our Lady of Ilige and the Monastery of Mayfouq in Mayfouq, Lebanon, we find one of Lebanon’s hidden national treasures: “the Lebanese Heritage House” of the late Marie Khalife. Over a period of more than 30 years, Khalife amassed hundreds of cultural objects from around Lebanon to create a replica of the characteristic Lebanese home. Her villa and the museum it housed were finished in 1990, at which point she opened it for free to the public. Opening hours Booking only

Beit Mery

Lebanese Heritage Museum

Lebanese Heritage Museum’s vast collection covers the history of Lebanon. Founded in 2003 in Jounieh, it later reopened in 2013 at the General Secretariat of Catholic Schools in Lebanon in Ain Najm, Beit Mery. Its 14 sections cover every era of Lebanese history: the Phoenician times, Romans, the Byzantine and Islamic eras to Lebanon under Ottoman rule. Halls are also dedicated to important figures in Lebanese history, such as Youssef Bey Karam – the Lebanese maronite who fought in the 19th Century civil war and started a rebellion against the Ottomans in Mount Lebanon; the scholar, historian and judge Semaan Khazen Al Ehdeny; statesman and historian Jawad Boulos’ Patriarch Arida and a collection of the works of renowned Lebanese artist Saliba Douaihy.&nbsp;The collection is extensive and includes Roman sarcophagi, ancient drinking vessels, Byzantine columns, decorative Islamic tiles and Ottoman weapons. A walk around the museum leads you down a timeline through Lebanese history, giving insight into the civilizations that have left their impact on the country. The collection started in early 1900 by historian and writer Samer el Khazen; growing in size when his son, Joseph Semaan Khazen, began collecting archeology and antiques. His son, Simon el Khazen, set up the Samer el Khazen Association in 2000 and opened the museum a few years later, with the aim to preserve Lebanese heritage and make it accessible to the public – continuing the work of his father and grandfather before. “I was born in this ambiance so it was attractive to me. I continued the work of my grandfather and father by establishing a museum,” Simon says. “The museum highlights all the cultures that passed through history on Lebanese land.”&nbsp;Though the museum’s collection shows a wider scope of the country’s heritage, it also reflects a more personal history of the El Khazen’s, a prominent aristocratic family in Lebanon. Artist Saliba Douaihy was a family friend, and within the museum’s collection of his works is a charcoal portrait of the young Simon and his brother Fouad. Alongside the museum, El Khazen started the foundation with the aim to reprint books on Lebanese history, particularly the works authored by his grandfather who published three books on Youssef Bey Karam; another nine were never released. “We are re-printing these 12 books in a very modern way,” Simon says. “We also just finished a book on the artist Saliba Douaihy – an active artist in Lebanon who exhibited all over the world.”&nbsp;- &nbsp;

Jeita

Lebanese Marine & Wildlife Museum

Containing more than 2,000 species and over 5,000 specimens of marine and wildlife, the Lebanese Marine and Wildlife Museum contains the largest collection of mummified sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, fossils, birds, reptiles and mammals, in addition to a handful of unknown deep sea creatures from in and around the Mediterranean. The museum is a great destination for kids and families looking to explore the natural wonders of Lebanon.&nbsp;You will first encounter the predators that roam Lebanon's forests from wolves and hyenas to foxes and badgers. Up next, you will enter the forest showcasing all of Lebanon’s birds, and after that the desert exhibit, where numerous reptiles dwell. Going even further, you will witness the most elegant and mesmerizing of corals, starfishes and sea shells. Last but not least, your jaws will drop to the floor as you come face to face with over 40 shark species, dolphins, and hundreds of fish specimens of which you've never seen in your life, all found in the huge marine exhibit. For its distinguishable work, the museum has been Lebanon's most important eco-group and works in collaboration with international and regional such as the Shark Trust, Shark Conservation Society, Oceanography De Monaco, and many others in order to study and protect marine and wildlife. The museum aims to spread knowledge and awareness through introducing visitors to the natural wonders of the Mediterranean basin in one single location.&nbsp;- Opening hours Winter: Monday-Sunday 8am-7pm Summer: Monday-Sunday 8am-8pm

Alita

MACAM

MACAM – Modern And Contemporary Art Museum is a truly unique museum dedicated to preserving and promoting art in Lebanon in an outstanding setting. Located in Alita/Jbeil, the dynamic museum used to be a large factory compound and is nestled on a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the picturesque Adonis Valley. The vast nature around the museum invites for various outdoor activities.MACAM is a creative hub that holds art contests, workshops for kids and adults, and temporary exhibitions. It also has an adjacent art residency program. The permanent exhibition, Panorama of Sculpture in Lebanon, displays over 400 sculptures and installations by renowned artists. The exhibition presents a century of sculpting in Lebanon from Joseph Hoyeik, the Basbous brothers, and Hussein Madi to contemporary installation art by Nada Sehnaoui, Mario Saba, and Ghassan Ghazal.- Opening hours Wednesday-Sunday 10am-4pm

Deir el Qamar

Marie Baz Museum

Wax statues portraying historical Lebanese, Middle-Eastern, and international personalities. Most of them are political or religious figures. You can enjoy the two floors of the museum with a tour guide who explains everything.&nbsp;-

Ain Kfaa

Maroun Abboud Museum

Maroun Abboud designed and built his own house according to the Lebanese architecture. He later transformed it into a museum.&nbsp;- Opening hours Booking only

Memory of Time

The Byblos Fossil Museum (aka Memory of Time) is a museum in Byblos, Lebanon. This museum contains fossil collections of sharks, eels, shrimps, squids, rays, coelacanthes and flying fish. It was opened in 1991 and is in the old souk of Byblos. Most of its collection comes from the nearby villages of Haqel-Byblos, Hjula, and Ennammoura.&nbsp;- Opening hours Winter: Everyday 9am-7pm Summer: Everyday 9am-10pm

Zalqa

Michel Abou Jaoudeh Museum

Dedicated to the well-known journalist Michel Abou Jaoudeh, the museum exhibits personal artefacts and documents, and holds over 10,000 articles he published in An-Nahar newspaper. The museum also includes a public library with more than 3,000 political, historical and philosophical books of particular interest.&nbsp;- Opening hours Booking only

Mtayleb

Mikhail Naimy Home-Museum

Mikhail Naimy (1889 – 1988) Home-museum in Mtayleb enfolds all the details of Mikhail Naimy’s Zalka Home where Naimy spent the last twenty years of his life with his niece May Najeeb Naimy, whom he called his ‘guardian angel’, and her daughter Suha, and where Naimy took his last breath on February 28, 1988. The three formed the Mimasuna family (Mikhail, May, Suha, Naimy) and have preserved all the details of those last twenty years of Naimy’s life and many of those before that span of time. Therefore, the Mikhail Naimy Home-museum in Mtayleb focuses on Naimy’s last 20 years of his Zalka home in particular and highlights Naimy’s other life phases in general.Each room of the Mikhail Naimy home-museum in Mtayleb exhibits the daily habits of Naimy and his Mimasuna family, and each room is documented with photos, published and unpublished manuscripts, personal belongings, mementos and more that testify to the life that Naimy lived in his Zalka home, from where six books were issued to the world. The Mikhail Naimy Home-museum in Mtayleb exhibits as well some of what Naimy safekept, in his Zalka Home, that belongs to the previous phases of his life.- Opening hours Booking only

Yarzeh

Military Museum

The Lebanese Military Museum is part of the Lebanese Armed Forces and dedicated for the preservation of old Lebanese military antiques. The museum is currently located at the Ministry of National Defense in Yarzeh.- Opening hours Monday-Friday 7:30am-2:30pm

Moussa Castle

Moussa Castle is a castle between Deir el Qamar and Beiteddine in Lebanon. The castle was built by Moussa Abdel Karim Al Maamari and was opened to the public in 1969. It is the life work of a Lebanese visionary, requiring 60 years of dedicated hard work to finish.&nbsp;- Opening hours Winter: Everyday 9am-4pm Summer: Everyday 9am-6pm

Mtein

Mtein Museum for Arts

Mtein Museum of Arts is located in the municipality building of Mtein, dated from the 18th century and donated by Mr. Roger Sarrouf.It is a common space that gathers paintings, sculptures, photographs of Lebanese and foreign artists. It was launched in September 2013 and since then has been expanding the number of pieces of arts that are within its walls. More than 100 artists have donated pieces of their best work to be placed in this common space, the first of its kind in Lebanon. You can have lunch at <a href="https://www.bamleb.com/guide/lebanese-restaurants/khayrallah-restaurant">Khayrallah Restaurant</a> near the museum.- Opening hours Booking only

Fanar

Natural History Museum

Opening hours Booking only

Archaeological Site of Byblos Museum

The ruins of many successive civilizations are found in Byblos, one of the oldest Phoenician cities. A well-restored Crusader castle dominates Byblos' atmospheric archaeological site, which incorporates Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Greek and Roman ruins – stirring evidence of what is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited towns.&nbsp;Byblos is also directly associated with the history and diffusion of the Phoenician alphabet. Within the site you have its museum where you can discover the vestiges found on the site.- Opening hours Winter: Monday-Sunday 8am-6:30pm Summer: Monday-Sunday 8am-6pm

Traditional Tools Museum

Opening hours June-September: Everyday 10am-7pm

Our Lady of Ilige Convent Museum

The region of Mayfouq is breathtaking, with its stunning mountainous terrain and picture-perfect scenery. It is also a place of great religious significance, offering pilgrims the chance to visit a dozen sacred sites, including the monastery of Our Lady of Ilige (Saydet Ilige), one of the oldest seats of the Maronite patriarchate. It has been the residence of the 18 patriarchs for 320 years, seven of whom were buried there. The historic old church of the monastery was built in 1121 on the ruins of a pagan temple. It is still a place to pray, but also offers a museum to the public.&nbsp;- Opening hours Monday-Sunday 8:30am-5pm

Pepe Abed Museum

Youssef Gergi Abed (1911-2006), also known as Pepe Abed, was a Lebanese adventurer, explorer and entrepreneur. He is considered to be the epitome of Lebanon's golden age. Nicknamed 'The Hugh Hefner of the Middle East', he was frequently linked with a series of beauty icons from around the world. In 1962, he opened the Pépé Abed Museum in Byblos, adjacent to the Fishing Club. This museum gathers Greek, Roman and Phoenician antiquities that Pépé Abed plucked from the bed of the sea during decades of diving. The museum is supervised by UNESCO.&nbsp;- Opening hours Everyday 10am-6pm

Maasser Beiteddine

Princess Shams Museum

Opening hours Winter: Everyday 9am-8pm Summer: Everyday 9am-10pm

Annaya

St. Maron Monastery Museum

This large monastery complex has a pretty church and nice views of the Qadisha Valley. In the monastery, a museum dedicated to St. Maron was founded. The public can see his belonging and his tomb.&nbsp;- Opening hours Winter Monday-Sunday 7am-9:30pm Summer Monday-Sunday 7am-11pm

Joun

St. Savior Monastery Museum

Monastery of the Savior of the Melkite Basilian Salvatorian Order was built in the early 18th century on a hill covered with pine and olive trees, and grape vines, and is located in the east side of Joun. It constitutes a landmark in the Chouf district. It is now transformed into a museum open to the public.&nbsp;- Opening hours Monday-Sunday 8am-8pm

Kataeb Independence Museum