Image Description

Beirut Arab University Museum

History of civilization and cultures

Open for public · Free of charge

The museum includes around 200 rare books and manuscripts. This collection addresses civilizations that have existed in the world throughout history especially: The Egyptian-Pharaonic, Assyrian, Phoenician, Byzantine, Persian, Roman, Babylonian, Aramaic, and Islamic eras.

This rare collection refers back to the 8th century AD through to the 19th century. Some are unique copies not available anywhere else in the world.

Museum Interior

Museum Archives

Prominent Museum Collections

Timeline: ~3150 BC Onwards

“Description of Egypt” Collection: A rare 24-volume original set documenting the social, economic, and agricultural life of ancient Egypt.

  • Masterpieces of inscriptions published during Napoleon’s conquests.
  • Comprehensive study of Egyptian temples and tombs (1798-1799).
Timeline: 1500 BC - 300 BC

“Corpus” Collection: A 24-volume series detailing Phoenician, Aramaic, Semitic, and Hebrew inscriptions from the 18th century.

Timeline: 530 BC - 600 BC

Muhammad Kafafi Manuscript: A profound collection of Persian poems by the legendary poet Jalal al-Din Rumi.

Timeline: 275 BC Onwards

“Baalbek Ergebnisse Der Ausgrabungen”: An essential collection describing the archaeological remains, temples, and tombs of Baalbek during the Roman era.

Timeline: 8th - 15th Century AD

The Alhambra (1238)

Rare two-volume study featuring Kufic script and intricate drawings of Islamic architecture in Granada.

Muslim Architecture of Egypt

Documents Fatimid, Mamluk, and Ayyubid periods, focusing on the Sultan Hassan Mosque (1356).

Timeline: 1299 AD – 1923 AD

“Beirut Velayati”: consists of two volumes that refer to the geographical borders of the Ottoman Empire (Lebanon - Palestine - Syria) in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It also refers to monuments, religions and sects.

The Rare Book
Legacy

Preserving 170 volumes of priceless heritage, documenting the intellectual evolution of the ancient world.

62
Egyptian Civilization
21

Persian

28

Phoenician

45

Ancient

7

Islamic

Visual Archive

Photo Gallery

Address

BAU, Beirut Campus
Tarik El Jadida, Lebanon

Phone

+961 1 300 110
Ext: 2492