Museum of Libya
Arabic Islamic writing on a plate on display at the National Museum in Tripoli, Libya. | |
| Location | Tripoli, Libya |
|---|---|
| Type | Islamic art |
The Museum of Libya is a museum located in Tripoli, Libya.[1][2] It was originally built as the Royal Palace, completed in 1939.[3] It was later used by King Idris during his reign. It then became known as the "People's Palace" after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.[1]
In modern times, it is a multimedia museum focused on "Edutainment".[4] Most projection screens are walls of fog being generated from above from tap water, allowing visitors to walk straight through them.[3]
The museum closed in 2011 during the Libyan Civil War, during which its artefacts were removed from display to prevent looting and hidden in sealed rooms. It reopened in 2025 following a six-year renovation program in which the Government of National Unity spent $5 million, with the help of the French archaeological mission to Libya and the ALIPH foundation.[5] Artifacts are in the process of being returned from several countries, including the United States, Spain, and Austria.[6]
The museum's collections include a natural history exhibition, Greek and Roman antiquities and Ottoman-era weapons and jewellery, and an exhibit dedicated to the Roman emperor Septimius Severus, who was born in the ancient Libyan city of Leptis Magna.[5] It also includes several mummies recovered from archaeological sites across the country, including a 5,400-year-old mummified child, found in Uan Muhuggiag.[7] The mummy has suffered under improper conservation and rolling blackouts during the Libyan Civil War, leading to deterioration. Outside professionals previously tried to have the mummy sent to be properly conserved, but lacked funding at the time, though there is renewed hope with the recent re-opening of the museum.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Museum of Libya". Temehu Tourism Services.
- ^ Butler, Declan (2 March 2011). "Libya's 'Extraordinary' Archaeology under Threat – As the Gadaffi Regime Continues To Massacre Citizens, Its Repression Also Puts a Rich Cultural Heritage at Risk". Scientific American. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ a b "The Museum of Libya". MoMAA. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- ^ "Museum of Libya (Tripoli)". www.studiocrachi.com. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- ^ a b "Libyans savour shared heritage at reopened national museum". France 24. 2025-12-31. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
- ^ Thorsberg, Christian. "Fourteen Years After Gaddafi's Fall, Libya Reopens Its National Museum to Much Fanfare". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ "Reopening of Libya's National Museum after 14 years offers hope of return to stability". Africanews. 2025-12-29. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- ^ Fathallah, Amr (10 September 2025). "Africa's Oldest Mummy Is a Toddler Who Died 5,400 Years Ago, Nearly a Millennium Before the Egyptians Started Mummifying Their Dead". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
32°53′16.03″N 13°11′21.87″E / 32.8877861°N 13.1894083°E