The front facing facade of Nabu Museum

Nabu Museum is an art museum located in El Heri near Chekka, Lebanon. Its collection primarily consists of Bronze and Iron Age artifacts representing Roman, Greek, Byzantine, Phoenician, Mesopotamian, and contemporary Lebanese cultures, as well as manuscripts and ethnographic material. The museum’s collections also include local, regional, modern and contemporary art by Lebanese artists.^[1][2][3] The museum gets its name from the Mesopotamian Patron God of literacy, Nabu.

The museum's collection of contemporary Lebanese art consist of work by artists including Shafic Abboud, Amin al-Bacha, Helen Khal, Dia Azzawi, Shakir al-Said, Omar Onsi, Mustapha Farroukh, Ismail Fattah, Adam Henein, Khalil Gibran, Paul Guiragossian, and Mahmoud Obaidi.

The structure housing Nabu Museum was built in collaboration with Dia Azzawi, an Iraqi artist and Mahmoud Obaidi, an Iraqi-Canadian artist.^[4][2] The façade that envelopes the entire structure is made of weathering steel. The interior of the building was designed by Obaidi. The museum was licensed by the Lebanese ministry of culture under decree number 16/2018 on the 8th of March 2018.

The interior of Nabu Museum showcasing some artwork from previous exhibitions across two floors

Statues on display at Nabu Museum

Mosaic discovered in Al-Rastan, Syria

Nabu Museum and the Al-Rastan discovery

Al-Rastan is a city in central Syria where a Roman era mosaic^[5] depicting the Trojan wars was uncovered. The mosaic is approximately 20 meters in length and six meters in width, dating back to around 400CE. The property was purchased by Nabu Museum and was donated, along with the expenses of excavation and preservation of the mosaic, to the Syrian directorate of Antiquities and Museums. Dr. Humam Saad, who led the excavation and archaeological research at the General Directorate of Antiques and Museums in Syria stated “it is not the oldest of its kind, but it is the most complete and rarest”.^[6][7] Nabu Museum is hoping to purchase other properties in the area in an effort to preserve the surrounding heritage sites and continue excavating the mosaic. Following this initial discovery, further excavation in 2023 supported by Nabu Museum uncovered more of the mosaic structure that depicts The Battle Of The Centaurs, a mythical battle between the Lapiths and the centaurs at the wedding feast of Pirithous.

Nabu Museum and the Agha Khan Award

In 2022, Nabu Museum was nominated for the Agha Khan Award for Architecture. The Agha Khan Award for Architecture is given on a triennial basis to projects that “set the standards of excellence in architecture, planning practices, historical preservation and landscape architecture.^[8]

Nabu Museum repatriating artefacts to Syria & Iraq

The Syrian directorate of Artefacts and Museums sent a letter in 2019 expressing its thanks and appreciation to all entities that participated in protecting Syria’s historical artefacts and assisting in their repatriation. This included the Lebanese Ministry of Culture and Nabu Museum.

Archeological objects from Mesopotamia, including 337 cuneiform tablets were returned to Iraq in early 2022 after Nabu Museum recovered them from various countries around the world. The handover took place at the National Museum of Beirut, Lebanon, in the presence of Nabu Museum representatives, the Iraqi Ambassador to Lebanon, Haydar Chaiyāh Barāk, and the Lebanese Minister of Culture, Abbas Murtada^[9] The Iraqi ambassador stated that “this handover would not have been possible without the good intentions and complete cooperation of the Lebanese government and the director of Nabu Museum”.^{[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]}

The director of the Iraqi council of antiquities and heritage, Layth Majīd Husayn, thanked Lebanon and the Director of Nabu Museum for their cooperation in facilitating the restoration and repatriation of Iraqi artifacts.

Exhibitions and other cultural events at Nabu museum

• Millenia of Creativity which ran from September 22, 2018, until June 7, 2019. This exhibition presented archaeological pieces from Nabu Museum's collection. An important body of work by Saliba Douaihy was also displayed.^[18]
• Traces of Drawings was an exhibition held between June 15, 2019, until September 12, 2019, that showcased a selection of Lebanese artwork. This exhibition displays works by 35 Lebanese artists from Dawud Corm to Greta Nawfal.^[19]

A painting by Khalil Gibran

• Modern and contemporary sculptures from Lebanon: This exhibition ran from September 14, 2019, until September 6, 2020, and it showcased a selection of works by 10 prominent sculptures Zaven Hadichian, Hussein Madi, Naim Doumit, Antoine Berberi, Raffi Tokatlian, Pierre Karam, Rudy Rahme, Anachar Basbous, Nabil Helu and Bassam Kyrillos.

Cellist by Antoine Berberi (2017)

• Hope and despair was an exhibition that was held between Jun 20th and September 20, 2020. This exhibition reflected various forms of expression that occurred during wartime in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine.^[20]
• The Art Scene exhibition was held between February 5 and November 13, 2022, and exhibited a Lebanon that was divided in its identity between its Phoenician past and the Arabic heritage.
• Batroun: Photo and memory" was an exhibition held between February 5 and November 13, 2022, and it showcased the works of Emile Bulus.
• Beirut (1840-1918): Photographs and Maps: An exhibition held from November 26, 2022 until May 26, 2023.This was a photographic exhibition of Beirut from 1840, the day the first photograph of the city was taken, until 1918, the day the Turkish forces withdrew from the city.
• The Early Arab Press is an exhibition of some of the earliest Arabic language news papers and magazines from around the world. The exhibition is showcasing from 10 June 2023 until 16, September 2023.

Nabu Museum also holds regular classical concerts by local and international classically trained artists.

An ongoing competition that Nabu Museum holds is called "Victims of Migrant Boats". This is an international competition where artists submit sculptures symbolizing and honoring the victims of migrant boats - a tragedy that Lebanon has been witness too for several years now.

References

External links

• Official website