After 'recovering' from the Beirut Blast, the iconic Sursock Museum reopens in May

Beirut is slowly recovering from the 2020 explosion. 

In a long-awaited announcement, UNESCO has revealed the completion of the project to rehabilitate the famous Sursock Museum, which was damaged by the Beirut Port explosion, after funding of one million euros from Italy, and its doors are scheduled to reopen on May 26, 2023. 

In a statement, the organization stated through the Li Beirut Initiative, UNESCO placed education, culture, and heritage at the center of international recovery efforts, bringing this iconic cultural institution "back to life," said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO

The Sursock Museum, according to the statement, is the jewel of Lebanese architecture and cultural life and a powerful symbol of the pride and resilience of the Beiruti community.

In turn, Italian Ambassador to Lebanon Nicoletta Bombardiere said that the Sursock Museum, the first rehabilitation project launched by Italy and UNESCO in the cultural heritage field after the explosion, represents a major demonstration of the commitment to Beirut's recovery.  

"We hope that the reopening of the Sursock Museum will give a new impetus to cultural life in Lebanon," said former Minister Tarek Mitri, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sursock Museum. 

Rising from the ashes of the August 4, 2020 explosion, the Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum, located in the heart of Beirut, is a modern and contemporary art museum that opened in 1961 with a central mission to showcase local and international art. 

With more than ten exhibitions a year, the Museum became a staple in Beirut's cultural heritage, providing a platform for art and ideas.