A museum in Mount Lebanon unlike any other. It combines art and nature, where breathtaking landscapes interact with rocks to make them speak of art and creativity.
The Assaf Museum studio in Al-Warhaniyeh is one of the most beautiful museums the eye can see, and one of the most distinctive one can visit, for it is completely different. This museum is located in Lebanon, more specifically in the valley of Al-Warhaniyeh, located in the Chouf District.
The museum cares deeply about the ecosystem, as much as it does about art. The museum is dedicated to integrating itself into the local environment by reintroducing a variety of local trees and plants that had suddenly stopped growing. This in turn relates to their programs full of artistic sculpture and the creation of sustainable architecture that illustrates how the environment and its products are inherently creative and artistic. The museum's interest is not limited to the environment; the studio also offers guided tours to introduce visitors to art within the ecological environment, as well as a small botanical garden, a sculpture garden, and a country house with a café.
While the museum supports its ecological environment, it also supports the work of artists within the Lebanese art scene by primarily showcasing Arab art and celebrating past art creators. For example, outside the museum, there is a tribute to the great Farid al-Atrash.
3 Creators
This remarkable work is carried out by 3 creators: Assaf, Mansour, and Aref, the three brothers who occupy the space. All of them are sculptors from the local area belonging to the Druze community, and they manage this museum that reflects their roots. They inherited the profession from their father, and their family takes pride in its rich artistic heritage through stone carving across generations. The brothers say that at a time when our ecological world is changing significantly, so is the art carved within it, ensuring an ever-evolving legacy for the art of sculpture alongside a long tradition of Arab art and craftsmanship.
Each sculpture takes immense work. Perhaps one of the most important figures immortalized outside the studio is the statue of the writer Mikhail Naimy. Also appearing is the massive statue of the martyr teacher Kamal Jumblatt on the shoulder of the outdoor studio, which consists of 7 large pieces that formed a huge mural. In addition to these sculptures, there are others, including: Prince Fakhreddine, the writer and philosopher Gibran Khalil Gibran, the world-renowned Lebanese surgeon Michael DeBakey, the actor Hassan Al-Alaeddine (Chouchou), the musician and singer Farid al-Atrash, the musician Philemon Wehbe, the artist Nabih Abu Al-Hassan, the poet Said Akl, the journalist Ghassan Tueni, the poet Tali' Hamdan, the painter Wajih Nahle, and others.
Finally, the Minister of Culture in the Lebanese caretaker government, Mohammad Wissam Al-Murtada, announced the inclusion of the museum on the list of Lebanese national museums, pointing out that "all of Lebanon is concerned with this beauty in which nature sleeps on the hope of holiness, the holiness of history in its becoming, which froze in places and was liberated in times."
In this museum, description is no substitute for seeing.
