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Renovated AUB Archaeological Museum Inaugurated
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| PM Siniora giving inaugural speech |
The inauguration ceremony of the renovated AUB Archaeological Museum
took place on June 2 under the patronage of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
The museum, under the keen supervision of its director, Leila Badr, had
undergone a "facelift" as Badr likes to call it. The upgrading
and changes include the addition of a mezzanine and a series of display
cases designed to show small-sized items such as coins, jewelry, amulets,
figurines, seals, and scarabs. The reorganization of the museum is also
new; it is now divided into two sections. In the middle section, artifacts
are arranged according to theme, while on the periphery, the objects are
presented in a chronological order that takes one from the Chalcolithic
Age to the Islamic Period. The themes include objects from the Cesnola
collection, Phoenician civilization, and the Tell el Ghassil collection,
among others. The new museum shop, where one can buy copies of some of
the artifacts on display, is another attractive addition.
Badr acknowledged that without the support of the Joukowsky Family Foundation
and the Society of the Friends of the AUB Archaeological Museum, as well
as the generous assistance of several individuals, the museum's renovation
would not have been possible.
Speakers during the inauguration ceremony included President Waterbury,
Fouad Siniora, Noura Jumblat, president of the Society of the Friends
of the AUB Archaeological Museum; AUB Trustee and donor Martha Joukowsky;
and Leila Badr. In their speeches, all stressed the importance of the
museum's renovation and its significance in the world of archaeology.
After the ceremony, the guests took a guided tour of the renovated museum
and then gathered in the garden for a reception, accompanied by the sounds
of music performed by a chamber orchestra ensemble. That evening, President
and Mrs. Waterbury hosted a private dinner at Marquand House for the museum's
major donors and members of the Society of the Friends of the AUB Archaeological
Museum.