Culture Minister: Antiquities are more than art, they set the record straight
12/10/2025 3:22:00 PM
Minister of Culture Ghassan Salameh inaugurated the “Rise from Ruins” exhibition at the National Museum, showcasing artifacts uncovered at the Tell Fadous–Kfar Abida site. The opening was attended by the Director General of Antiquities, Engineer Sarkis Khoury, the Director of Archaeological Sites in North Lebanon, Samar Karam, Christina Stillfried, the wife of the German Ambassador, Caroline Tiurat from the German Embassy’s Cultural and Economic Section, Hermann Genz, the Scientific Director of the excavation mission, Joseph Kreidi from the UNESCO Regional Office, along with a group of experts and specialists in archaeology.
After touring the exhibition and viewing the 34 archaeological pieces arranged in a chronological sequence, in addition to four recently uncovered items revealed during the damage assessment work, Minister Salameh spoke about the importance of these discoveries. He said that antiquities are not only admired for their beauty, but for their ability to shed new light on history and correct what was previously written about it. He explained that the Tell Fadous site plays a key role in this regard, as settlement there began around 4000 BC and continued until the Middle Bronze Age around 2000 BC, a period that offers precise insight into Lebanon’s earliest eras.
The Minister expressed his appreciation for the Directorate General of Antiquities, which has worked on the site for two decades since its discovery in 2004, and for the American University of Beirut’s cooperation in the excavation mission. He also thanked the German Embassy for its major support in funding the work.
Salameh paid tribute to the residents of Kfar Abida, saying that the words of the Palestinian poet Tawfiq al-Zayyat apply to them, describing how they stood together to defend the Tell Fadous site when an attempt was made to destroy it.
Tell Fadous–Kfar Abida lies in the Batroun District in North Lebanon. The site holds a continuous settlement sequence from the Chalcolithic period to the Middle Bronze Age. It reached its peak during the Early Bronze Age around 3000 BC, where its urban features become clear through fortification systems and large public or administrative buildings. Although the site is too small to have functioned as an independent city, it likely served as an administrative and economic center for Byblos, which is about twelve kilometers to the south.
In 2004, the Ministry of Culture granted the American University of Beirut permission to conduct excavations at the tell. Despite covering only 1.5 hectares, the site preserves an unusually long record of human settlement from the fourth to the second millennium BC. After twelve productive excavation seasons, the Directorate General of Antiquities submitted a proposal to expropriate the land to ensure its protection.
Excavations continued to reveal important structures and features. On August 23, 2025, a bulldozer damaged part of the tell, but rapid action by local activists led the municipality and the Directorate General of Antiquities to halt the work immediately, despite the significant harm already done.
Since October 23, 2025, and at the request of the Directorate General of Antiquities, the archaeological team has been carrying out a rescue operation to assess the damage and document what remains. More than a meter of well-preserved Early Bronze Age III walls was lost, but the deeper foundations uncovered between 2007 and 2016 remain intact.
The “Rise from Ruins” exhibition offers visitors a close look at the significance of Tell Fadous–Kfar Abida. It presents six informational panels about the site along with six display cases containing 34 artifacts that illustrate chronology, daily life, trade, and administrative practices, in addition to four recently discovered items.
The well-preserved architectural remains and everyday objects from the Early Bronze Age provide a clear picture of life at the site. The vessels on display show how people cooked, stored goods, ate, drank, and lit their homes. The importance of the site in the Early Bronze Age is seen not only in its large administrative buildings but also in the smaller objects that reflect commercial and administrative activity.
After touring the exhibition and viewing the 34 archaeological pieces arranged in a chronological sequence, in addition to four recently uncovered items revealed during the damage assessment work, Minister Salameh spoke about the importance of these discoveries. He said that antiquities are not only admired for their beauty, but for their ability to shed new light on history and correct what was previously written about it. He explained that the Tell Fadous site plays a key role in this regard, as settlement there began around 4000 BC and continued until the Middle Bronze Age around 2000 BC, a period that offers precise insight into Lebanon’s earliest eras.
The Minister expressed his appreciation for the Directorate General of Antiquities, which has worked on the site for two decades since its discovery in 2004, and for the American University of Beirut’s cooperation in the excavation mission. He also thanked the German Embassy for its major support in funding the work.
Salameh paid tribute to the residents of Kfar Abida, saying that the words of the Palestinian poet Tawfiq al-Zayyat apply to them, describing how they stood together to defend the Tell Fadous site when an attempt was made to destroy it.
Tell Fadous–Kfar Abida lies in the Batroun District in North Lebanon. The site holds a continuous settlement sequence from the Chalcolithic period to the Middle Bronze Age. It reached its peak during the Early Bronze Age around 3000 BC, where its urban features become clear through fortification systems and large public or administrative buildings. Although the site is too small to have functioned as an independent city, it likely served as an administrative and economic center for Byblos, which is about twelve kilometers to the south.
In 2004, the Ministry of Culture granted the American University of Beirut permission to conduct excavations at the tell. Despite covering only 1.5 hectares, the site preserves an unusually long record of human settlement from the fourth to the second millennium BC. After twelve productive excavation seasons, the Directorate General of Antiquities submitted a proposal to expropriate the land to ensure its protection.
Excavations continued to reveal important structures and features. On August 23, 2025, a bulldozer damaged part of the tell, but rapid action by local activists led the municipality and the Directorate General of Antiquities to halt the work immediately, despite the significant harm already done.
Since October 23, 2025, and at the request of the Directorate General of Antiquities, the archaeological team has been carrying out a rescue operation to assess the damage and document what remains. More than a meter of well-preserved Early Bronze Age III walls was lost, but the deeper foundations uncovered between 2007 and 2016 remain intact.
The “Rise from Ruins” exhibition offers visitors a close look at the significance of Tell Fadous–Kfar Abida. It presents six informational panels about the site along with six display cases containing 34 artifacts that illustrate chronology, daily life, trade, and administrative practices, in addition to four recently discovered items.
The well-preserved architectural remains and everyday objects from the Early Bronze Age provide a clear picture of life at the site. The vessels on display show how people cooked, stored goods, ate, drank, and lit their homes. The importance of the site in the Early Bronze Age is seen not only in its large administrative buildings but also in the smaller objects that reflect commercial and administrative activity.