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Provenance
The collection was donated to the Lebanese Research Center for Migration and Diaspora Studies (LERC) in May 2009 by Nadia Talhouk-Assaf, daughter of Melhem Talhouk, and his son Toufic Talhouk. The collection was delivered to Special Collections Department in May 2018 for preservation. Material added to the collection was donated to the Lebanese Research Center for Migration and Diaspora Studies (LERC) in October 2018 by his daughter Nadia and his daughter in law Amal Talhouk.

Access Restrictions
The collection can be used within the premises of the Special Collections Department, Mariam and Youssef Library, Notre Dame University-Zouk Mosbeh.

Access
The collection is open for research under the supervision of the Special Collections staff members.

Ownership & Copyright
©2018 Notre Dame University-Louaize (Lebanon). Digital reproductions are provided for private study, scholarship and research use only and may not be downloaded for use in electronic or print publications including web sites, exhibitions, or broadcasts, without permission of the copyright owner.

Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Lebanese Diplomats Archives Collections, Melhem Talhouk papers, Special Collections, Notre Dame University-Louaize.

Compiled by
Zeina Fahed, Special Collections, Assistant Specialist and Antoinette Kattoura, Librarian, Head, Special Collections.

Melhem Ibrahim Talhouk was born in 1908 in Aley, Mount Lebanon. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from St. Joseph University (USJ) of Beirut, where he taught for nine years.

In 1941, the President of the Republic of Lebanon Alfred Naccache appointed him secretary general of the State Shura Council, a position he served until 1945.

In 1945, upon the recommendation of Ambassador Youssef El Sawda, Talhouk was appointed as the first consul to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In 1950, he moved to the Consulate of Port Said, Egypt. He was then appointed consul of the Lebanese Embassy in Madrid, Spain for two years, and later in Alexandria, Egypt.

In 1960, he was appointed ambassador of Lebanon to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

In 1966, he was appointed Director of Cultural Affairs at the Lebanese Ministry of Cultural Affairs. During his time in office, he signed two agreements with Italy and Belgium.

Melhem Ibrahim Talhouk retired in 1972. He was recognized for his achievements and honored with awards from various governments, including Lebanon, Colombia, Peru, Belgium, and Italy.

On September 1st 1985, Melhem Ibrahim Talhouk published a book documenting the history and heritage of the Talhouk family in Lebanon. He was married to Najla Hassib AbdelMalek, and had two children, Toufic and Nadia. He died on Friday, February 3, 2017 in his hometown Aley.

The papers of Melhem Ibrahim Talhouk (1908-2017) primary consist of photographs in black and white. It also includes book draft and testimonial. The collection spans the years 1883-1985, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1945-1960. Material added as Addition spans the years 1700-1998. Included are photographs, press clippings, certificates, awards and personal objects.
The papers of Melhem Ibrahim Talhouk consist of four series: Book File (1), Testimonial (2), Photographs (3), and Addition (4).

Materials in series IV. Addition are available only as Digital File. Original print materials were digitized by the Center of Digitization & Preservation (CDP) and returned to the owner.

Book File series: contains the final and complete typewritten book draft written by the Lebanese diplomat and former ambassador the late Melhem Talhouk about the history of Talhouk family in Lebanon including family trees, and genealogy records.

Testimonial series: includes a copy of testimonial, given by Sir A. Alison, commander of the army of occupation in Egypt, to Sheikh A.H. Abdul Malek (a member of the five leading families of Lebanon) for his services in the late campaign.

Photographs series: consists of over 58 photographs in black and white relating to Talhouk's varied careers as a consul, diplomat in several countries and former ambassador to Rio de Janeiro, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia as well as to his personal life. Many photographs document official activities and travels he undertook during his service as Lebanese consul and ambassador. Aspects of Talhouk's personal life are revealed in images depicting his family and prominent friends. In addition to the photographic prints, the series contains digital photographs portraying the visit of Mr. Talhouk daughter, Mrs. Nadia Talhouk-Assaf and his son Mr. Toufic Talhouk, to the Lebanese Research Center for Migration and Diaspora Studies (LERC) in 2009.

Addition series: is composed of 14 photographs received from Nadia Talhouk, two photograph albums and 4 framed photographs portraying the family and the professional life of the late ambassador. The albums are digitally preserved in their original state where photographs were kept affixed to the pages. The series also includes 4 certificates of merit (one in Arabic language, one in Italian and 2 certificates in Spanish), 1 award medal “Order of Boyacá”, which is the highest peacetime decoration of Colombia (blue enamel cross), biographical data, clothes and privately owned object such as Walking stick.

The collection is arranged into four series and sorted by format type:

1. Book File, 1985
2. Testimonial, 1883
3. Photographs, 1883-1967
4. Addition, 1700-1998