Byblos, the Eternal City

© PHILIPPE MAILLARD / COURTESY INSTITUT DU MONDE ARABE

Through August 23, 2026
Arab World Institute
Paris, France
imarabe.org

In an opportunity of a lifetime, summer visitors to Paris can marvel at the long and rich history of Byblos, an ancient city 25 miles north of present-day Beirut on the coast of Lebanon. Titled Byblos: Cité Millénaire du Liban, or Byblos: Lebanon’s Millennial City, an exhibition at the Arab World Institute tells an unparalleled story of this great archaeological and historical site. Developed in collaboration with Lebanon’s Directorate General of Antiquities, it was originally scheduled to open in 2024 but had to be postponed due to the volatile geopolitical situation.

Some 9,000 years ago, Byblos emerged as a small fishing settlement, before it transformed into one of the first urban centers of the eastern Mediterranean and then a powerful Phoenician city-state. Linking the Levantine coast with Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the broader Mediterranean, Byblos became a crucial hub for maritime trade and cultural exchange. In the Greco-Roman period, the city was so famous for the trade in papyrus that sheets of this writing material were called biblia and, in turn, it even gave the Bible its name.

The wealth of Bronze and Iron Age Byblos is reflected in the splendid artifacts uncovered during the past century of archaeological exploration. Among the more than 400 artifacts on display is this figurine representing a god seated on a throne, with his right hand raised in a gesture of blessing. It is made of bronze and dates to the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550–1200 BCE).