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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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 Posted: Oct 01, 2015 06:03 Post subject: MIM Visitors' Book |
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Last week I went back to the Beirut MIM museum, a year after my first visit.
I had heard that Salim Eddé had added some significant specimens to his amazingly rich collection. This was enough to convince me to take a 4hr plane ride from Paris to Beirut.
Just like last year, I was greeted by two very attentive and helpful ladies, Suzy Hakimian and Carole Atallah, the museum’s curators.
On my first visit, I thought a bit naively that Salim had already got the crème de la crème of almost all mineral species but it turned out I was wrong after seeing his latest trophies.
Salim is convinced there is always something better or more special out there which he can afford to add to his museum.
Useless to say that my biggest shock was when I discovered the new XXL size emerald crystal he added in the treasures room (see the miserable photo I attached).
I think it is time to start a new topic associated to the MIM Museum hoping that many visitors will enrich it with their comments, impressions and photographs.
So please feel free to add your posts to the MIM visitors’ book if you have the privilege to go and visit this very special place in the future.
The photographs which are regularly posted in the sister topic The MIM Museum in Beirut, Lebanon are remarkable and the comments left by the forum members are laudatory. But the specimens are really much better in person!
Incidentally I also enjoyed the extreme quietness of the museum during my tour as I was the … only visitor!
I know I should not complain about my visit conditions but this is very sad actually – the Lebanese people have probably other priorities than going to museums these days.
If you can’t make the trip to Beirut yourself, please spread the news!
But if you plan to go one day and need some tips on what else to do, what to see, where to stay, I will do my best to help (no, I don’t have any stake in a tourism agency!).
Gérard
PS: Apologies about the very poor quality of the photographs.
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| _Part of the main display room. |
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| _A special one for Tobi - There are actually 2 Neudorf galena specimens! |
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| _A small sample of the many, many fluorites on display. |
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| _Fluorite, Calcite, Pyrite. Peru |
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_This Colombian emerald crystal must weight over 1,000 carats.
Considering its quality, it's a miracle that it escaped the slaughter. |
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| _Fishermen on the corniche at sunset. |
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| _A typical old Lebanese-style house in central Beirut. |
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Les Presmyk
Joined: 06 Dec 2007
Posts: 372
Location: Gilbert, AZ
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| Posted: Oct 01, 2015 09:02 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| Thank you for the photos. This is definitely on my list of things to do.
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: Oct 01, 2015 09:08 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| Les Presmyk wrote: | | Thank you for the photos. This is definitely on my list of things to do. |
You are welcome Les - definitely a good resolution!
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Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 5025
Location: Barcelona
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| Posted: Oct 01, 2015 09:10 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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Thanks "Fiebre Verde", very nice initiative...
| Les Presmyk wrote: | | Thank you for the photos. This is definitely on my list of things to do. |
I strongly recommend it. I went there and believe me I was very impressed (and I have visited many Museums! ;-)
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kushmeja
Joined: 28 Jul 2014
Posts: 244
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Oct 01, 2015 09:15 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| Thank you for sharing your photos! Hopefully I'll make it out there someday soon... thinking of ways that I can convince my wife that we should go to Beirut for our honeymoon in a few months, but don't think I'll be able to pull that one off!
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Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 5025
Location: Barcelona
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| Posted: Oct 01, 2015 09:27 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| kushmeja wrote: | | Thank you for sharing your photos! Hopefully I'll make it out there someday soon... thinking of ways that I can convince my wife that we should go to Beirut for our honeymoon in a few months, but don't think I'll be able to pull that one off! |
What some people I know did was go to some more or less touristic country in that hemisphere (Seychelles, Madagascar, Namibia...) and stop in Beirut for several hours to visit the Museum. Beirut has reasonably good connecting flights.
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kushmeja
Joined: 28 Jul 2014
Posts: 244
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Oct 01, 2015 09:49 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| Jordi Fabre wrote: | | kushmeja wrote: | | Thank you for sharing your photos! Hopefully I'll make it out there someday soon... thinking of ways that I can convince my wife that we should go to Beirut for our honeymoon in a few months, but don't think I'll be able to pull that one off! |
What some people that I know did was go to some more or less touristic country in that hemisphere (Seychelles, Madagascar, Namibia...) and stop in Beirut for several hours to visit the Museum. Beirut has reasonably good connecting flights. |
Thanks for the tip Jordi! Thankfully my wife is adventurous as well, and she also enjoys minerals, but not to the obsessive level like most of us!
Seychelles looks beautiful, as do Madagascar and Namibia, so maybe, just maybe, I have a chance of convincing her!
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Tobi
Site Admin
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 4235
Location: Germany
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| Posted: Oct 01, 2015 09:57 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| Fiebre Verde wrote: | | A special one for Tobi - There are actually 2 Neudorf galena specimens! (Galena.JPG) |
Thank you, Gérard!!! ... And well, of course two, why not?! Just one world-class Neudorf specimen would be so boring in a mineral collection ;-)
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: Oct 01, 2015 10:09 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| Jordi Fabre wrote: | | kushmeja wrote: | | Thank you for sharing your photos! Hopefully I'll make it out there someday soon... thinking of ways that I can convince my wife that we should go to Beirut for our honeymoon in a few months, but don't think I'll be able to pull that one off! |
What they did some people I know was go to some more or less touristic country in that hemisphere (Seychelles, Madagascar, Namibia...) and do some hours stop in Beirut to visit the Museum. Beirut has reasonably good connecting flights. |
Exactly!
Direct flights are reasonably cheap and short from Europe and decisions are easier to take for those who are based in Europe.
As Jordi pointed out, Beirut has good connecting flights to the Middle-East, Asia and Africa. With a bit of careful itinerary planning, the extra cost involved in adding a stopover in Beirut should be reasonable.
Thank you Kushmeja.
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: Oct 01, 2015 10:15 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| Tobi wrote: | | Fiebre Verde wrote: | | A special one for Tobi - There are actually 2 Neudorf galena specimens! (Galena.JPG) |
Thank you, Gérard!!! ... And well, of course two, why not?! Just one world-class Neudorf specimen would be so boring in a mineral collection ;-) |
You're welcome Tobi!
Gives you 2 good reasons to go there :-)
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Tobi
Site Admin
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 4235
Location: Germany
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| Posted: Oct 01, 2015 11:18 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| Fiebre Verde wrote: | | Tobi wrote: | | Fiebre Verde wrote: | | A special one for Tobi - There are actually 2 Neudorf galena specimens! (Galena.JPG) |
Thank you, Gérard!!! ... And well, of course two, why not?! Just one world-class Neudorf specimen would be so boring in a mineral collection ;-) |
You're welcome Tobi! Gives you 2 good reasons to go there :-) |
Not necessarily, the museum of my hometown (4 km away from me) has 3 or 4 of them ;-)
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ploum
Joined: 12 Nov 2007
Posts: 1395
Location: Near Annecy
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| Posted: Oct 01, 2015 15:00 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| Hmm, that's very interesting for tested photo behind glass :) (my speciality ;) )
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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| Posted: Oct 02, 2015 00:48 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| Fiebre Verde wrote: | ...Incidentally I also enjoyed the extreme quietness of the museum during my tour as I was the … only visitor!
I know I should not complain about my visit conditions but this is very sad actually – the Lebanese people have probably other priorities than going to museums these days... |
Hi Gérard, thank you for taking us with you on this trip. The photos are excellent and the specimens stunning. What a shame that such an outstanding museum sits amongst a people that do not appreciate it.
_________________
Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: Oct 02, 2015 04:58 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| Pierre Joubert wrote: | | Fiebre Verde wrote: | ...Incidentally I also enjoyed the extreme quietness of the museum during my tour as I was the … only visitor!
I know I should not complain about my visit conditions but this is very sad actually – the Lebanese people have probably other priorities than going to museums these days... |
Hi Gérard, thank you for taking us with you on this trip. The photos are excellent and the specimens stunning. What a shame that such an outstanding museum sits amongst a people that do not appreciate it. |
My pleasure Pierre! Thanks for your comments.
Lebanon is a small country with a remarkable past.
It’s the land from where the Phoenicians exported their trading culture across the whole Mediterranean.
The remnants of this glorious past can be seen in the National Museum located 200m away from the MIM museum, in central Beirut.
Lebanese are not known for their museum culture, at least not in Lebanon. But this situation might shift in the future thanks to the younger generation’s openness and their inclination to all forms of local culture.
Gérard
PS: On a different note, I realized that I had significantly underestimated the weight of that emerald prism - it does indeed weigh "over 1,000 carats" as initially stated, but the real figure is actually closer to 1,400 carats.
The only largest gem-quality prism I am aware of is the one belonging to the 'Banco de la República de Colombia'. It used to be on display in the Gold Museum in Bogotá.
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MIM Museum
Joined: 04 Aug 2015
Posts: 242
Location: Beirut
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| Posted: Oct 05, 2015 03:14 Post subject: Re: MIM Visitors' Book |
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| Fiebre Verde wrote: | | Pierre Joubert wrote: | | Fiebre Verde wrote: | ...Incidentally I also enjoyed the extreme quietness of the museum during my tour as I was the … only visitor!
I know I should not complain about my visit conditions but this is very sad actually – the Lebanese people have probably other priorities than going to museums these days... |
Hi Gérard, thank you for taking us with you on this trip. The photos are excellent and the specimens stunning. What a shame that such an outstanding museum sits amongst a people that do not appreciate it.
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Gérard
I wanted to thoroughly thank you for your laudatory account of the MIM museum. I hope we can meet next time you are there to share our passion for rocks!
Shnorhagal-em
Salim
PS: I understand that many people are daunted to come over, and I can perfectly relate to that, Lebanon being in a really doomed place of the world (yet we fare better than most of our neighbors!).
Let me quote my colleague Carole Atallah below:
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