Beirut, the former Paris of the east
For decades Beirut was touristically a no-man`s-land—the 15-years civil war descent into anarchy. Today Beirut might lack the old-world charm, but the restoration of Ottoman- and French-era architecture is eminently present. Downtown is the epicenter of reconstruction for a chic cafè culture, modern restaurants, and shopping malls. Beirut was the natural starting point of my stay in Lebanon and also the starting point of my five-day trip to Syria.
Arrival in Beirut
When you fly into Beirut from Europe, you first fly across Cyprus before you reach the end of the Meditarreinian Sea. At sunset, the orange/red light lit up the city; it was a lovely sight. Generally, it looked like any bigger city along a coastline. First the following day, when I started to walk the streets, I could notice the scar from the war.
Around town, you could find many abandoned houses with bullet holes. Still, it was evident that they once had been beautiful houses with terraces and these arched windows. Some also had fantastic tree-dimensional carvings and ornaments around windows and balconies. They looked like ghost houses. It is such a shame they are left to decay.
Beit Beirut – Museum and Urban Cultural Center
The first time I passed this building, I did not know it was a museum, but I did take a picture of it—the combination of a decayed house with constructions to keep it standing and new windows appealed to me. Later I was looking for this museum and realized it was in this house. Beit Beirut has an architectural style that balances heritage and modernity. The project entails restoring the original house while preserving the traces of time and war to highlight the unique character of the building and its evolution through the years.
Beirut National Museum
Sometimes, when I visit a new country and its national museum, I find them too overwhelming, and they cover too much to see in one visit. Beirut National Museum is not a small museum; however, it is all concentrated on the ancient excavations from places I had already visited in Lebanon, so it was so interesting to see this museum. I will show pieces from the museum in other blogs, placed together with the original sites. It is a must-visit in Beirut.
The Egg and Mohammad Al Amin Mosque
The Egg is an unfinished cinema building that was constructed in the 1960s. Because of the outbreak of the war, it was never finished. The horse-shoe-shaped dome that remains today is now a landmark in Beirut. Full of graffiti inside and out. It stands in great contrast to the beautiful Mohammad Al Amin Mosque that you can see in the background. Unfortunately, this mosque is only open during prayer, so I did not manage to visit inside. It is also called the Blue Mosque, the largest in Lebanon, finished in 2008.
Abandon shopping area
This area was very spooky. Many of the streets were closed from the outside. For those that were open, you had to pass a security post and show your bag. The Frenc built the area in the 1920s, and the bell tower in the background was called Place de l’Étoile. After the war, it had been restored to how it was, but the 2020 explosion had boosted out all windows and doors on the ground floor. You could still see traces after famous brand stores—no people in the streets.
Last but not least, one or actually, two of the most famous solo geological attractions in Beriut must be the Pigeon Rocks—a popular selfies spot and supposedly a romantic place to watch the sunset. I did try to discover where I could see the remains of Paris, and there was no place I could say; here it is. However, despite the terrible war and all the damage the city has experienced, I did discover traces of fantastic architecture and past greatness.
