Hibr

History for sale

The Abayd family have lived in their house in Moussaitbeh, Beirut, for seventy years. Two months ago they were given notice to leave and told that their house was to be knocked down. The day my friend and I visited them, or rather stumbled upon them, we had been walking around this area for the first time, and as usual we were battling with emotions. We truly appreciated the enormous beauty of some of the old houses, and struggled to come to terms with the fact that so many of them are being recklessly demolished.

• Add new comment
• Read more

Greening the Grey

Beirut used to be a beautiful city. Remember those days? Well, neither do I.

The only changes we see in the Beirut landscape today seem to be changes for the worse. More view-blocking buildings, less traditional Lebanese houses. More parking lots, less parks. Then these parking lots are closed to make space for more high-rise buildings, and the sidewalks become (even more) littered with cars.

• Add new comment
• Read more

A City Over a City

The Oxford English Dictionary states that heritages are "valued objects and qualities such as historic buildings and cultural traditions that have been passed down and preserved from previous generations." As a resident of Beirut, the words that come to mind when someone says "heritage" are the antonyms: demolition and preservation.

• Add new comment
• Read more