The Soap Museum (also called the Audi Soap Museum) is a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...
in
Sidon
Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...
specialized in Levantine soaps. It is open since 2000 and managed by the Audi Foundation.
[The Soap Museum ( Audi Foundation](_blank)
''Visitsaida.com''
History
The soap workshop was originally built in Sidon by the Hammoud family in the 17th century. During the 19th century (around 1880
[Celebrating local craftsmanship](_blank)
''Mindthegap.com''), the Audi family became the owner of the soap workshop and turned it into a family residence. It was abandoned in the 1980s when the
Lebanon War broke out
and the ground floor was occupied by refugees.
[Eric Calderwood]
Soaping up
''Aramcoworld.com'', July/August 2010 In 1996, the Audi Foundation started to restore the edifice. The Soap Museum opened in November 2000.
In November 2019, the museum opened a gift shop in
Beyrouth
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of ...
.
Description
The Soap Museum traces the history of soap making in the region, its development and manufacturing techniques.
Visitors can see a demonstration of how traditional olive oil soaps are made and learn about the history of the "hammam" (bath) traditions.
A historical section of the museum introduces artifacts which were found during onsite excavation and which include remains of clay pipe heads dating from the 17th to 19th century as well as pottery fragments. The Museum building is an old soap factory built in the 17th century, although containing parts thought to date back to the 13th century.
The Audi Foundation is headquartered at the Soap Museum.
Audi Foundation
''Arab.org'' The foundation works with the Mahmud al-Sharkass and his family to craft luxury soaps sold in the museum's gift shop.
Bibliography
*''The Olive Oil Soap - The Soap Museum'', ''Fondation Audi'', 2003
References
External links
Audi Foundation website
Museums in Lebanon
Industry museums
History museums in Lebanon
Sidon District
Tourism in Lebanon
Tourist attractions in Lebanon
Soaps
{{Lebanon-museum-stub