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Lebanon's National Library reopens after port blast repairs

Lebanon's National Library reopens after port blast repairs

Prime Minister Najib Mikati browses through books during the reopening ceremony of the National Library in Beirut, February 10, 2022, upon completion of restoration work in the aftermath of the summer 2020 port explosion. (AFP / Anwar Amro)

BEIRUT — The National Library was formally reopened today following the completion of restoration works necessary due to the Beirut port explosion.

The National Library building in Sanayeh was damaged in the explosion, along with its fixtures and equipment, according to Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada. The books themselves were not damaged, he said, since they were transferred to the library’s lower warehouses in line with the library’s “preventive preservation plan.”

The opening was marked by a formal ceremony presided over by Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Murtada, and the ministers of defense, energy, public health, economy, tourism, labor, and administrative development. A large cross section of the foreign diplomatic corps was also present.

In his address Mikati spoke about the necessity of economic reforms in order to unlock international aid and a deal with the IMF. He also called for the National Archives to be incorporated into the National Library.

"Reforms are not only requested by the International Monetary Fund (IMF); they are also necessary in Lebanon's interest," said Mikati, "unfortunately, these reforms will be painful, but we are forced to go through it to see the light and get out of the tunnel.”

The National Library, then located in the Parliament building, shut down in 1979. In 1999 its current premises in Sanayeh were acquired, and renovations to the building took place over nearly two decades until it reopened in December 2018 in a ceremony presided over by President Michel Aoun. Shortly thereafter it closed once more for maintenance, only to then suffer more damage in August 2020.

In a tweet Wednesday, ahead of today’s ceremony, Mortada vowed that “the pulse of life will return to the heart of the National Library.”

BEIRUT — The National Library was formally reopened today following the completion of restoration works necessary due to the Beirut port explosion.The National Library building in Sanayeh was damaged in the explosion, along with its fixtures and equipment, according to Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada. The books themselves were not damaged, he said, since they were transferred to the...