 The museum was officially inaugurated on November 25, 1997 by then president Elias Hrawi but only parts of the ground floor and basement were made accessible since the remainder of the building was still under repair and important modifications were needed to meet the requirements of modern museology standards.The museum was again closed to the public in July 1998 to achieve restoration works.On October 8, 1999, the museum re-opened its doors to the public under the patronage of president Emile Lahoud.