Our first urban itinerary brings us to three days of fantastic sunny Beirut! A vibrant environment with contrasting landmarks. It is a city with a rich history and a resilient and persistent soul. There is a lot to learn about it.
In our way from Beirut to Jeita Grotto, I noticed that new mosques and Catholic churches were built quite near each other. I don’t know exactly why, but I commented this aloud and when our friendly driver overheard me he pointed out that “everybody in Lebanon lives in harmony, respecting each other”.
Beautiful words coming from a lesson learned in a non-so peaceful time they had to go through.
To understand the city, its architecture and urban structure, you must without a doubt learn about the history. In the case of Beirut, there is a long way to go. Among the most interesting facts you find that it is one of the oldest cities of the world, it was once a French colony and it suffered a civil war for fifteen years (1975-90).
All these facts are obviously reflected in the city output. You can find many ruins, not only from the ancient Roman Empire but from the relative recent war conflicts. These ruins belong to the city as vivid reminders of its past.
Today Beirut reborn from the ashes, and it is experiencing an interesting transformation. Norman Foster, Herzog & de Meuron or Renzo Piano, to mention a few, are some of the names building up the new face of Downtown Beirut, which was devastated during the civil war.
I will share with you the most interesting facts that I found in the “Beirut Series”: Transformation of Beirut Downtown” and Urban Itinerary: Lebanon. I hope you enjoy them!