FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[MIM Museum]

Hello Tobi
Thank you for the unabated enthusiasm of your comments.
I look forward to meeting you at the mim whenever you want. You will see that in person the minerals are more stunning than their pictures:-)
And Lebanon, as I was telling Chris, is less wild than it sounds like: it is worth a visit, all the more as it is very accessible and you don't even need a visa to get there.
Bis bald!
Salim

[Jim]

Beyond stunning specimens in size, quality and aesthetics!

Congrats. Salim

[Peter Lemkin]

Salim, Hello. Bonjour, أحر التحيات! I'm new to this forum, but not new to minerals nor collecting them. I started my collection 60 years ago at age six, and have been to many of the best mineral museums worldwide, and seen some of the better private collections – but I am just stunned by what you have managed to amass in your stunning collection! - and in such a relatively short span of time. Many of the rarer species would be unbelievable if they were one cm or so, but often are 'cabinet' sized! Amazing! Some, I've never before seen in aesthetic crystals – and you have them often in amazingly aesthetic ones. The list of specimens I fell in love with is too long to list – I'll just have to come and see them in person. You'll know me by the whimpering noises while transfixed before some of the pieces I've seen in the pictures. I'm very glad you are working on a book of photos of the collection – I'll certainly buy a copy. Please include the chemical formulae, as so many are quite rare. I have the references to find the formulae, but prefer not to have to sit with two books open at the same time. I was very interested in your statement about your fascination with minerals, as it exactly parallels mine – from the thoughts about the number of atoms aligned to the macroscopic manifestation of the molecular and atomic level arrangements of things on this Earth and in the Universe. [These and surely other mineral species exist on many planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and other cooler bodies in the Universe]. Your collection of Earthly minerals is breathtakingly 'celestial', and I can tell you my heart was pounding while looking at some of the specimens. I have duly downgraded my own collection after seeing yours ;-) Making it a public museum is a wonderful idea (and a secret dream I had for my own collection), and I think Beirut is just a fine place for it. Your taste in minerals, your obvious skills in seeking out rare and almost impossible to find species and specimens, your wonderful displays – everything is just superlative; and I can't find the adjectives in English or French that would do it justice. Wonderful! Formidable! Bravo! وإنجاز رائع! شكرا جزيلا! Peter

[MIM Museum]

Hello Peter
And thank you for your flattering comments!
You'd be surprised: Beirut is much more accessible than people think (no visa, less than 4 hours away from major European cities), so don't hesitate to plan a trip there. And please let me know when you plan to do so because I'd be honored to be there to tour you through the collection.
We've also added a room with the best-of of the Lebanese fish fossils...
Salim

[MIM Museum]

Thank you Jim.
Awaiting your visit to Beirut!
Happy new year
Salim

[bob kerr]

Salim - as-salamu alaykum.

I have watched with awe as this thread grew over the last few years and have not responded since others have pretty much expressed similar feelings – specifically, the size of these exquisite specimens is beyond imagination.  Many of us were unaware that there existed specimens of this size and quality.

Please forgive me if I am asking something that is out of bounds, but from what I’ve read, this is your personal, private collection – is this correct?  Was there outside funding for the building design/construction and ongoing upkeep and security costs?

And – is “MIM” an acronym?  If so for what?

So, some of my favorites (so far at least):
-          That blindingly lustrous Denton mine galena on purple fluorite (#1464)
-          A 5.2cm red spinel – WOW! (#1021)
-          That reticulated Tsumeb cerussite “snowflake” – who ever heard of a 24cm snowflake?  (#1082)
-          Red – not pink – fluorite on smokey quartz (#123)
-          That perfect gem of a Mont Blanc gwindel – can they get any better? (#412)
-          The Touissit cerussite (#709) looks like an alien space ship (ala War of the Worlds)
-          The color contrast on that English mimetite on plumbogummite is something to behold (#710)
-          The euclase (#731) is too good to be true
-          The jewel anglesite (#874) – a perfect gem
-          The depth of purple in that Panasqueira fluorapatite (#1533) is truly remarkable
-          9.3 cm gemmy emerald hexagonal crystal – What?? (#1675)

And finally:

-          ALL of the others!!


And one final question:
-          Concerning specimen #1712 which is labeled as “Descloizite with Wulfenite” from Iran – I bought one of these when they came out and it was labeled as “Cerussite, Willemite and others after Decloisite with Mimetite, Wulfenite” (although the dealer was not sure about the accuracy of this) – that is, the descloizite has been replaced by numerous other species.  Is your label more accurate as to how best to describe these specimens?  
   
I hope you continue to update this thread – it is a true pleasure to view this
.
Best regards,
Bob Kerr

[Tobi]

Bob, some of your questions may be answered by this article:

https://www.mindat.org/article.php/1807/The+MIM+Museum+opening%2C+Lebanon

(At the bottom, you will find a section where Salim tells the story behind the museum)

[Jordi Fabre]

[Tobi]

[bob kerr]

Thanks for pointing out where, in the deluge of info, that my questions were addressed. for those who also did not read everything and are curious about "MIM":

"MIM, is the 24th letter of the Arabic alphabet. The Arabic MIM is also the equivalent of the letter M of the Latin alphabet, and in Arabic it is the first letter of the words for “museum”, “minerals” and “mines” (and it also works in English and in French). In addition, MIM is easy to pronounce in all languages."

[MIM Museum]

Hello Bob

Thank you for your flattering comments. Indeed, this is my personal collection which I have made publicly available. I have entirely financed this project which cost obviously an eye, which is why I am still working in my software company to keep on financing it :-)

Apart from what my late grandmother used to say (as quoted in the text kindly highlighted by Jordi), I also mused over Tutankhamen's experience (no less!): When he died, he was buried with his jewels, clothes, arms, etc. He obviously disappeared, while his stuff remained in the grave and ended up in museums. I've just tried to skip one step and put everything in a museum before I get myself transformed one day into a mineral...

As regards the minerals, If I dare say: "you ain't seen nothin' yet !". My suggestion: make it to Beirut (it's far easier than you think, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It will be my pleasure to tour you through the museum. For instance, the spinel you mention is still there but has been somewhat superseded by a 8.7 cm perfectly twinned deep red spinel form Vietnam... You know, as I was telling Tobi, I'm shortsighted, which is why I tend to collect big crystals :-)

Hoping to see you soon in Beirut!

Salim

[Tobi]

[Peter]

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone

3 years and soon 3 months have passed since the opening of the MIM Museum.
I am very grateful to have had the chance to attend. I would HIGHLY recommend the most serious collectors NOT TO MISS this museum. I would equally recommend anyone reading this to fly to Beirut and spend a couple of days to visit museum and the city, called "the Pearl of the Orient" in Sweden and I believe elsewhere since centuries.

Just looking at the previous page, many specimens are so good that you may not have expected such to exist. Rare, large, well crystallized and stunning.

Who likes white and black minerals? I do. Look at that Madagascar Phenacite! 20 cm!!! Yes, at Tangen Quarry at Kragerö there were several non-gem ones this size frozen in quartz, but this, a gem pocket, perfectly developed one...

I myself in my more modest collection do have a Tangen, and I have 5 cm gem crystal from Myanmar that I am pleased with, and from other locations, a killer thumbnail gem gem incredible lustrous one, the best from the Urals, the type locality, my most precious one, and the San Miguel do Piracicaba, and large Urals 6 cm in diameter in sludge.... but this none like this, not baseball bat but on its way. Larger would not be too big, but 20 cm is more than enough!

Several black beauties, Gadolinite, the best in the world were found in this Norwegian pegmatite. If you visit today, the chances you will find a small crystal is slim. What a beauty!

I understand from Salim that many new specimens have been acquired since the opening, well, already then many were not out yet. It seems as another trip to the south shall be taken when safety concerns and weather align.

I wish everyone a wonderful year and hopefully rich in mineralogical experiences!
I wish Salim and MIM Museum a continued growth of extraordinary, rare, unique mineral specimens for us to drool over on site or via media.

[MIM Museum]

Hello Peter
All the best to you and your family for 2017, and we hope to see you again in Beirut soon: 370 new rocks have been added since you made us the honor of a visit in 2013...

[Tomasz Praszkier]

I am proud that several of my rocks ended up in the MIM Museum! Only one note, Anglesite #1090 is fake, they were chemically colored unfortunately.