Below Beirut’s Saint George Orthodox Cathedral, layers of Lebanon’s history lay inside its hidden Crypt Museum. For a 100,000 L.L. entrance fee, you can dig through centuries of history, finding everything from the Byzantines to the Mamluks hiding under there. With everything under the church exquisitely preserved, this museum provides a truly unique archaeological experience in Lebanon. <\/p>
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Built around the 4th century, the church initially bordered Beirut’s Roman Law School<\/a>, and was destroyed in the great earthquake and tsunami of 551 AD<\/a> alongside it. It was rebuilt in the 12th century, and lasted until another earthquake in 1759 <\/a>caused extensive damage to the structure. Further construction and modifications would occur until 1910, when the church would take its final form.
During the Lebanese Civil War, the church suffered extensive damage with a lot of its artifacts and iconoclasts stolen. It was excavated in 1995, uncovering the layers that appear in today’s Crypt Museum, and the church was fully rebuilt in 2003.<\/p>