From Preservation to Recovery: Assessing the Impact of the Beirut Port Explosion on Two Museums in Beirut

This article explores the effects of disasters, particularly explosions on information institutions such as libraries,, archives, and museums. It uses a qualitative approach based on interviews with professionals in the sector and on documentary analysis of reports and case studies.
The August 4, 2020 explosion at the Port of Beirut constitutes the core of the study, as an event that profoundly affected the Lebanese cultural and information landscape. The article analyzes the physical and symbolic damage suffered by the affected institutions, specially the Sursock Museum, ans the national musuem, and highlights the restoration efforts, collection preservation, and resilience mechanisms implemented in the short and long term.
This study highlights two major archival institutions in Beirut, whose importance extends beyond the local context: the public archive of Lebanon, a pillar of national memory, and a large-scale private archive that plays a crucial role in preserving Lebanese cultural heritage. Comparing them allows us to measure the impact of risk management policies on the sustainability of documentary collections in the face of disasters. These two archives constitute essential references, both nationally and internationally, in terms of preserving collective memory and adapting to heritage emergencies.