The story of the National Museum started in 1919 with a small group of ancient artifacts, which had been collected by Raymond Weill, a French officer stationed in Lebanon. These objects were displayed in one of the rooms of the German Deaconesses building in Georges Picot Street in Beirut. This exhibition hall served as a temporary museum.
Today, the National Museum encloses the world best selection of Phoenician art and a treasure trove of art crafts, reflecting 6000 years of civilization and heritage. Pieces are exhibited over two floors and follow a roughly chronological order in clockwise rotation.