It’s a pretty crazy story, I was just there pretty much all afternoon on Thursday and was up and close with the jewels.
The whole place is incredible, as is just the logistics of moving thousands of visitors through the complex daily.
Best part, in my opinion, are the exhibits featuring items from the Levant, Sumeria, and Iran, including enormous stone decorations and statues from the palace of Darius. Also a huge collection of Egyptian antiquities that included more sarcophagi than I’ve seen in one place.
Also very cool is the old moat underground from the original fortress that preceded the palace.
Most disappointing absence is anything related to French medievalism (besides the moat)-no tapestries, no armor or weapons (there’s some ceremonial armor in the French wing but it’s the only set), nothing about the Franks or Charles Martel or Charlemagne. I’m sure there’s another museum for that among the hundreds here.