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Beirut rises from the ruins


 

www.bbc.co.uk By Jim Muir The outcome of the US presidential election may mean difficult times ahead for parts of the Middle East, particularly for Syria and the pro-Damascus regime in Lebanon. But Lebanon has taken enormous strides to overcome the legacy of the civil strife which broke out in 1975 and devastated Beirut and the rest of the country.

I arrived in Beirut on a Saturday morning in January 1975, after driving all the way from Wales in my Renault 4.

I did not know the place at all, so I headed for the town centre, parked behind a cinema, and went exploring while waiting for a friend to come and collect me.

I had landed by chance right beside Martyrs Square, at the heart of Beirut's downtown commercial district.

The souks crowding the narrow side-streets near the square were just throbbing with life. I was bombarded with colours, sounds, and smells as I wandered, dazed, through this jostling, vibrant throng, thrilled by this first taste of the exotic world I was seeking.

I went back to my car, and found I had been given a parking ticket.

It must have been among the last issued for a very long time.

For three months later, the war broke out.

Round after round of fighting, ceasefire after broken ceasefire, saw the line between the Christian-held areas to the east, and Muslim and Palestinian-controlled West Beirut, pushed slowly back until it stabilised exactly here, on Martyrs Square.

The souks were ruined, every building throughout the area gutted, blasted, pockmarked and eroded by years of gunfire. The heart of Beirut was dead.

It stayed that way until the early 1990s, when peace of a sort took hold.

My excuse for going back to Beirut now was to attend the wedding of some friends. That in itself says a lot about what has been happening in Lebanon.

The bride was an Iranian-American, the groom a Brit, and they wanted to celebrate their union in style, in a place which relatives and friends from around the world could get to easily.

And a very grand affair it was, held in a magnificent Ottoman palace in east Beirut, complete with fireworks, Lebanese musicians, a belly dancer, and sumptuous food and drink.

The last time I had seen that same palace, at the end of the 1980s, it was a grim, rather frightening place, almost a Dracula Towers.

There were gaping holes and damage from artillery hits; with no electricity, everything was dark and ominous.

It was around that same time, in July 1989, that I was last at a Beirut wedding. There had been heavy shelling between east and west during the night, with many people killed. At the last moment, my friends Joumana and Nabil had to change the venue to a church further away from the front line.

There were only 15 guests. Some of them had to cross the line under sniper fire. And there could be no honeymoon; in fact the happy couple spent their first night with me in attendance, since I was staying with them.

Nonetheless, they now have three lovely children, all born after the war. With the peace, they have been able to return to their original family home in Bhamdoun, a hill station on the main highway to Damascus which was trashed in the early '80s.

As I sat on their balcony there now, there was a sudden crackle of what sounded like gunfire. But it was actually a bunch of Kuwaitis, who had rented nearby villas for the summer, letting off fireworks.

For Kuwaitis, Saudis and other Arabs have also rediscovered Beirut. The massive project to reconstruct the city centre was a big gamble, but it seems to have paid off, saved by a big influx of rich Arabs.

The whole area around Martyrs Square has been comprehensively reconstructed, with selected buildings tastefully renovated. The place has sprung back to life. But it is a different form of life.

The shops have been taken over by the most exclusive and expensive international outlets. Many of the streets where the souks were are now jammed till the early hours of the morning with busy pavement cafes and restaurants.

Having seen the redevelopment plan and scale models put together in the early '90s, I could not escape the feeling that this was some sort of computer animation, a Beirut Theme Park.

There are similar transformations all over town. New hotels, restaurants, beach clubs and vast, gleaming shopping malls have sprung up in many places.

But there are some, almost reassuring, reminders of the past: the towering Holiday Inn, the scene of a famous battle in 1975, is still gaunt, empty and battered. So too, nearby is the once luxurious St Georges, favoured watering hole in the '60s of the international press corps, including the spy Kim Philby, who famously defected to Moscow from here.

As I started to rediscover Beirut, I kept asking myself: Could it all happen again? Probably not. But the new, obvious prosperity is only benefiting a small minority; many are left out.

Thousands of Palestinian refugees are still trapped in miserable camps. With Syria still deeply embedded here and Israel just next door, the country is still at the mercy of regional struggles.

A lot has changed. But a lot has not.

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Beirut rises from the ruins
Beirut rises from the ruins

The outcome of the US presidential election may mean difficult times ahead for parts of the Middle East, particularly for Syria and the pro-Damascus regime in Lebanon. But Lebanon has taken enormous s (24/12/2004)
New  Book on Byblos
New Book on Byblos

A new book on Byblos, by the respected Lebanese archaeological writer and researcher, Nina Jidejian, deals with the town's past, archaeological heritage and rich cultural life. (24/12/2004)
Green light for Beirut souks
Green light for Beirut souks

www.dailystar.com The rusted reinforcing rods sprouting from the dormant construction site slated to become the Souqs of Beirut - the flagship project of Lebanese real estate giant Solidere - will, in (02/12/2004)
A decade of archaeological history
A decade of archaeological history

www.dailystar.com.It's been almost 15 years since Lebanon's bloody civil war came to an end with the Taif Accord. In that time much of the country has been rebuilt with new roads, buildings and infras (02/12/2004)
Positioning Lebanon for continued growth
Positioning Lebanon for continued growth

Starting in 1992, Lebanon claimed 2500 rooms, today there are 16,000 rooms available to travelers, and 3000 additional rooms are under construction with openings scheduled for 2006 and 2007. Major bra (25/11/2004)
Architects embark on campaign to save Tripoli Fair Grounds
Architects embark on campaign to save Tripoli Fair Grounds

Today the Tripoli Fair Grounds are threatened by development plans that utterly fail to comprehend their architectural rationale and significance (25/11/2004)
The cedars of Lebanon and the Shouf palaces
The cedars of Lebanon and the Shouf palaces

One of the activities of the AWTTE in Beirut last October was a visit to the Chuff Mountains. I was invited along with many other journalists and travel agents to go to the south east to visit this re (29/10/2004)
Record Number of Tourists Visit Lebanon
Record Number of Tourists Visit Lebanon

More than one million tourists visited Lebanon in the first nine months of this year, more than during the whole of 2003, the country's tourism minister Ali Abdallah said in a statement. (15/10/2004)
Nakheel: major exhibitor at Beirut fair
Nakheel: major exhibitor at Beirut fair

Nakheel, one of the world’s premiere property developers behind some of the most iconic projects in Dubai, has recently showcased its projects at Arabian World Travel and Tourism Exchange 2004 (15/10/2004)
Beirut: tourism is booming
Beirut: tourism is booming

Lebanon a beautiful but battered country, not long ago the stomping grounds of hijackers, kidnappers and suicide bombers, has turned into the destination of choice for oil-rich families from Saudi Ara (30/09/2004)
Water sports promote unity, equality, conservation
Water sports promote unity, equality, conservation

Although rafting emerged 15 years after kayaking was introduced to the Olympic Games in 1936, it was not until 1995, as a result of Ali Awada's efforts, that kayaking and rafting were introduced to Le (30/09/2004)
Satellite TV to promote Arab tourism
Satellite TV to promote Arab tourism

A group of Iranian and Arab investors announced the launch of the Middle East's first satellite television channel aimed at promoting tourism in the Arab world. (23/09/2004)
Beirut film festival opens
Beirut film festival opens

More than 100 films and documentaries showcasing the work of young and independent filmmakers from across the Middle East are to be screened at the third bi-annual Ayyam Beirut al-Cinemaiya Arab film (23/09/2004)
Anfeh's salt, from ancient times a gift of the sea
Anfeh's salt, from ancient times a gift of the sea

Daily Star 22nd August, 2004 Fruits of the earth come in many shapes, sizes, and colors, and some are even colorless. Sea salt, in its naturally occurring form, is transparent, almost simple in its ou (02/09/2004)
Tourists urged to rediscover Lebanon
Tourists urged to rediscover Lebanon

The website instructs tourists to "Rediscover Lebanon". It promises beaches, ski slopes, ruins, nightlife -- something for everyone packaged in a tiny country more often remembered for its war and kid (24/08/2004)
Ehdeniyat  festival unites Lebanese artists
Ehdeniyat festival unites Lebanese artists

There seems to be no end to local village festivals in Lebanon these days. From Jounieh and Zouk Mikael north of Beirut to Deir al-Qamar to the south in the Chouf mountains, towns and villages all acr (04/08/2004)
Village life: Beirut's newest attraction
Village life: Beirut's newest attraction

Lying just off a busy Beirut highway on the airport road, tucked away where it is not immediately visible, is one of the capital's newest and most peculiar architectural wonders. (11/06/2004)
Like the phoenix, Beirut has risen anew
Like the phoenix, Beirut has risen anew

The name Beirut is derived from the Phoenix - the mythical bird symbolizing resurrection and life after death. And like the Phoenix, Beirut has been resurrected from its ashes. (27/05/2004)
The Festive Summer in Lebanon
The Festive Summer in Lebanon

The summer of Lebanon is a feast - a continuous party, from north to south, with plays and music. (06/05/2004)
Beirut airport's passenger traffic jumps 20pc
Beirut airport's passenger traffic jumps 20pc

In another sign of Lebanon's booming tourism industry, passenger traffic at Beirut's airport jumped (05/05/2004)
Seeing  Southern Lebanon  through landscape
Seeing Southern Lebanon through landscape

Ask young people in Lebanon today about the South of the country and most will say they have never been there. (05/04/2004)
‘There aren’t only cedars in Lebanon
‘There aren’t only cedars in Lebanon

The man who takes pictures of trees is back. As promised, Jean-Luc Fournier has returned, (15/03/2004)
Ahweh: The vital fuel of Lebanon
Transit Beirut: Portraits of a city
Transit Beirut: Portraits of a city

Perhaps the most informative and daring piece of work in Transit Beirut, (10/02/2004)
More than anything, Beirut is a city defined by creativity
More than anything, Beirut is a city defined by creativity

Beirut is not Lebanon. Beirut is, in fact, many things. (26/01/2004)

Showing 25 news articles
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The articles which appeared in Islamic Tourism magazine

Futurist young Arab change makers impress in Beirut

  Issue 53

Lebanon as a 4 Seasons Travel and Tourism Destination

  Issue 46

Lebanon

  Issue 41

The Burkini
A muslim sportswomens' dream come true
  Issue 29

Business as usual
for Lebanon's Tourist industry
  Issue 28

Tourists of the world
Return with your families to the beautiful landscapes ...
  Issue 25

Beirut
My kind of town
  Issue 24

It's all about
M.E.A
  Issue 24

The Sleeping Beauty
of Beirut
  Issue 22

Avert
Lebanon
  Issue 22

AWTTE
Arab world travel and tourism fair
  Issue 20

Marvelous tourism
summer in Lebanon
  Issue 18

AWTTE 2005
The arab world travel and tourism exhange
  Issue 18

The Festive
The Festive Summer in Lebanon
  Issue 11

Lebanon in the spring
A symphony of Eternal Beauty
  Issue 10

Beirut
The Arab-world travel & Tourism exchange (AWTTE)
  Issue 9

Winter
Tourism in Lebanon
  Issue 9

Lebanon
A holiday for the family and a place to Enjoy Nature
  Issue 7

Lebanon
Country of Diversity
  Issue 5




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