Beirut – The basement of the National Museum of Beirut, where, during the Lebanese civil war were kept the most precious elements of the collection, will be reopened to the public after 40 years thanks to a project funded by the Italian Cooperation. The restoration activities, which will last 18 months and amount to €1 million, began a few days ago during a ceremony with the Minister of Culture of Lebanon, Raymond Araygi, the director general of the Italian Cooperation, Giampaolo Cantini, and the Italian Ambassador to Lebanon, Giuseppe Morabito. Among its main artefacts, the museum holds the largest collection in the world of anthropomorphic sarcophagi and Roman frescoes from the Tomb of Tyre, and a burial chamber with several niches transported from the southern city to the museum in 1939 and recently restored with funding from the Italian Cooperation. (9Colonne)
