Our Monstrous War
Construction of the museum as well as the reparation and exhibition of antiquities were completed in 1973. Arrangements were under way to hold an international glass history exhibition at the beginning of the year 1976. However, the war broke out in Lebanon and left its brutal impact on this highly significant edifice.

Hiding of Antiquities
Dr. Hareth Bustani, head of the Museums Department at the time, recounts how he worked hand in hand with Mir Maurice and his wife, an Rinata Ortali Tarazi to hide antiquities and evade robbery and damage caused by shelling. They took out all the exhibited antiquities including Jbeil collections, took photos of them and put them in boxes after having made lists of them. Afterwards, they moved them to underground storage areas and covered them with earth for camouflage. All antiquities that they had no room for in those stores were transmitted to the Department's stores in Jbeil and Saida. The valuables were taken to the Central Bank.

Restoration
The museum had to be restored at the onset of the 90s with the return of peace to Lebanon.
The Development and Construction Council launched its restoration of the museum project.
On the 19th of November, 1993, it started removing all traces of destruction from its walls and facades. By the end of 1991, Friends of the Museum Committee resumed contracting with foreign associations to restore the antiquities, and secure funds necessary for the rehabilitation and restoration plan. It obtained an amount of $ 125.000 to repair the building, of which $100.000 was donated by Audi Bank. Along the same line, art historian, Nina Gidijian participated in tidying up the library and Mr. Ghassan Tweiny donated the iron door on the ground floor
of the museum. UNESCO assigned a large team to work in the museum equipped with
a number of PCs.

First Opening
With the ceremonies celebrating the golden jubilee of the Independence in the year 1995, the museum was inaugurated in the presence of former President Elias Hrawi. A painting exhibition was held and the public stepped into the museum for the first time after 18 years of civil war.

Complete Plan
The Ministry of Culture together with the Antiquities Department prepared a complete plan composed of four phases. The first phase includes restoring the external facades. It began in February, 1995 and ended in November of the same year. The Antiquities Department financed this phase the cost of which was approximately equivalent to an amount of $800.000.
During the second phase the cement blocks covering the large antiquities in the museum were removed. It was concluded in November 1995 and financed by the Department as well. Its costs amounted to $20.000.
In the third phase the storehouses in which the antiquities were kept were opened. The assigned teams started making lists of the small-sized antiquities. The implementation of this phase was launched during mid 1996 and is ongoing. A team of five archeologists from the Museums Department is handling this phase with the assistance of British specialists. The lists so far include 70.000 pieces of antiquities that were cleaned, restored, filmed, and entered as new computer databases in order to be kept in safes in preparation for their exhibition in the museum.
The fourth phase includes designing the exhibition halls. The French architect Jean Michelle Filmot prepared interior designs and came up with concepts for exhibiting antiquities in the halls that are to be executed during this year.

A major problem faced by assigned teams during the process of restoration of the museum lies in the accumulation of underground water whose height reaches 1m at times and causes a 98% humidity and infiltrates inside the stores overflowing the antiquities and causing vast damages. The Development and Construction Council made contracts to extract this water and drain it permanently. Sukleen s.a.l. was given concession to remove the ruins from the ground and first floor of the museum and clean them.

Second Opening
On 11/24/1997, and during the Independence celebrations, a huge inauguration of the National Museum was held in the presence of former President Elias Hrawi and Premier Rafic Hariri and their wives and a large number of officials, intellectuals, and media representatives. International communication media covered the event. Hence, the museum remained open for a period of seven months and a half after being closed for 21 years. The visitors were received in the four halls of the ground floor only which are: Ashmoun, Aheeram, The Seven Wise Men, and The Giant of Jbeil in which large and middle-sized antiquities were exhibited such as tombs, statues, crowns and columns and more.

On the 15th of July, 1998, Mrs. Muna Hrawi announced closing the Museum for restoration reasons. Implementation of the second phase was about to begin, and lasts for 5 months. At the time, the Ministry of Finance undertook that institutions that take part in the restoration process would be exempted from taxes.

How did the work progress at the National museum? Sources declare that work is in progress. The process of installing air conditioners and electrical supplies, and equipment maintenance is being completed. Show windows are ready. Making lists of small antiquities is ongoing. Two of the storehouses have not been opened yet because the work teams are still waiting for tidy stores to move the restored pieces to. The museum will be ready for reopening within 5 months.