Byblos Exhibition in Paris Opens with Missing Artifacts Due to Lebanese Conflict

An exhibition about the ancient city of Byblos has opened at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, but key artifacts are absent due to the ongoing conflict in Lebanon. Originally scheduled for 2024, the show was delayed by geopolitical instability. While some pieces arrived in France in February 2026, a shipment of approximately 28 stone sculptures was canceled following renewed violence. Additionally, highly valuable items, including a third-millennium BCE obelisk, were retained in Lebanon for security reasons. The empty display cases have become part of the exhibition's narrative, highlighting cultural losses and heritage preservation during crises. The exhibition features nearly 400 objects tracing Byblos's history as one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities and its role in Phoenician alphabet dissemination.