Macron inaugurated the exhibition “Byblos, an Ancient Lebanese City” in Paris
3/23/2026 7:45:40 PM
French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the exhibition “Byblos, an Ancient Lebanese City,” dedicated by the Arab World Institute in Paris to Byblos, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The event was attended by French Culture Minister Anne-Claire Legrand, Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh, MPs Ziad Hawat and Simon Abi Ramia, Lebanon’s Ambassador to France Rabih El Chaer, Byblos Mayor Dr. Joseph Chami, and municipal council member Chadi Khoury.
Byblos has played a central role in the history of the Mediterranean, connecting the Lebanese coast with Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Aegean world since ancient times. It had distinguished relations with the Pharaohs and was instrumental in spreading the Phoenician alphabet.
The exhibition is organized by the Arab World Institute and the Lebanese Ministry of Culture and Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA), in collaboration with the Louvre Museum, and is based on an original concept from the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden and the Directorate General of Antiquities.
The exhibition features artifacts from the “City of Crafts” and is particularly significant for highlighting Byblos’s history, thereby attracting French and European tourists.
Byblos has played a central role in the history of the Mediterranean, connecting the Lebanese coast with Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Aegean world since ancient times. It had distinguished relations with the Pharaohs and was instrumental in spreading the Phoenician alphabet.
The exhibition is organized by the Arab World Institute and the Lebanese Ministry of Culture and Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA), in collaboration with the Louvre Museum, and is based on an original concept from the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden and the Directorate General of Antiquities.
The exhibition features artifacts from the “City of Crafts” and is particularly significant for highlighting Byblos’s history, thereby attracting French and European tourists.