Beirut

Beirut ( ) is the capital, largest city, and chief seaport of Lebanon. It is sometimes known by its French name, Beyrouth. The city has a population of 1.5 million people in the city proper and 2.1 million people in the surrounding metropolitan areas.

The city, along with the rest of the country, is currently experiencing a major humanitarian crisis as a result of the coordinated missile strikes and artillery fire from Israeli aircraft and artillery units. The stated purpose of the strikes are to destroy the Lebanese Islamic militant organization Hezbollah.

Israel claims that its bombing campaign is designed to prevent re-supply of the Islamic fighters from Syria and Iran. As a result, a large part of the infrastructure of Lebanon, such as most of the bridges connecting it to Syria and the international airport, is non-operable. Western nations have evacuated many of their citizens from the country. Israel is currently conducting ground operations in the southern areas of the country.

Beirut is the commercial center of the region and was sometimes called "the Paris of the Middle East" because of its cosmopolitan atmosphere prior to the Lebanese Civil War. Prior to the Israeli bombings Beirut had undergone major reconstruction in recent years and had been set to host the Jeux de la Francophonie (Francophone Games) in 2009.

Beirut was considered as a possible candidate for the 2024 Summer Olympics games. The massive $1.2 billion Sannine Zenith project sought to make Lebanon capable of holding the games.

The city is home to numerous international organizations. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is headquartered in Downtown Beirut while the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) both have regional offices in Beirut covering the Arab world. The Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) is also headquartered in Beirut.

History

Originally named Bêrūt "The Wells" by the Phoenicians, the first historical reference to Beirut dates from the 15th century BC, when it is mentioned in a cuneiform tablet that is one of the "Amarna letters." The most ancient settlement was on an island in the river that progressively silted up. The city was known in antiquity as Berytus (see also List of traditional Greek place names); this name was taken in 1934 for the archaeological journal published by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the American University of Beirut.

In 140 BC, the city was taken and destroyed by Diodotus Tryphon in his contest with Antiochus VII Sidetes for the throne of the Seleucid monarchy. Beirut was soon rebuilt on a more regularized Hellenistic plan, renamed Laodicea in Phoenicia (Greek: Λαοδικεια ή του Φοινίκη) or Laodicea in Canaan, in honor of a Seleucid Laodice. The modern city overlies the ancient one and little archaeology had been accomplished until after the end of the civil war in 1991; now large sites in the devastated city center have been opened to archaeological exploration. A dig in 1994 established that one of Beirut's modern streets, Souk Tawile, still follows the lines of an ancient Hellenistic/Roman one.

Mid-first century BC coins of Berytus bear the head of Tyche, goddess of fortune; on the reverse, the city's symbol appears: a dolphin entwines an anchor. This symbol was taken up by the early printer Aldus Manutius in 15th century Venice.

Under the Romans it was enriched by the dynasty of Herod the Great, then made a colonia, Colonia Iulia Augusta Felix, in the late 1st century AD. Beirut's school of law was widely known at the time. Two of Rome's most famous jurists, Papinian and Ulpian, both natives of Phoenicia, taught at the law school under the Severan emperors. When Justinian assembled his Pandects in the 6th century, a large part of the corpus of laws were derived from these two jurists, and Justinian recognized the school as one of the three official law schools of the empire (533). Within a few years, as the result of a disastrous earthquake (551), the students were transferred to Sidon.

Beirut passed to the Arabs in 635. As a trading centre of the eastern Mediterranean Beirut was overshadowed by Akko during the Middle Ages. From 1110 to 1291 it was in the hands of Crusader lords. No matter who was its nominal overlord, whether Turk or Mamluk, Beirut was ruled locally by Druze emirs. One of these, Fakr ed-Din Maan II, fortified it early in the 17th century, but the Ottomans retook it in 1763 and thenceforth, with the help of Damascus, Beirut successfully broke Akko's monopoly on Syrian maritime trade and for a few years supplanted it as the main trading centre in the region. During the succeeding epoch of rebellion against Ottoman hegemony at Akko under Jezzar and Abdullah pashas, Beirut declined to a small town (population about 10,000), fought over among the Druze, the Turks and the pashas. After Ibrahim Pasha captured Akko in 1832, Beirut began its early modern revival. In 1888 Beirut was made capital of a vilayet in Syria, including the sanjaks Latakia, Tripoli, Beirut, Akko and Bekaa. Beirut became a very cosmopolitan city and had close links with Europe and the United States. Beirut became a centre of missionary activity, which was generally very unsuccessful in conversions (a massacre of Christians in 1860 was the occasion for further European interventions), but did build an impressive education system. This include the Syrian Protestant College, which was established by American missionaries and eventually became the American University of Beirut (AUB). Beirut became the centre of Arab intellectual activity in the nineteenth century. Provided with water from a British company and gas from a French one, the city thrived on exporting silk grown on nearby Mount Lebanon. After French engineers established a modern harbor (1894) and a rail link across Lebanon to Damascus, and then to Aleppo (1907), much of the trade was carried by French ships to Marseille, and soon French influence in the area exceeded that of any other European power. In 1911 the population mix was reported in the Encyclopædia Britannica as Muslims, 36,000; Christians, 77,000; Jews, 2500; Druze, 400; foreigners, 4100.

War Damage (2004)

After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire following the First World War, Beirut, along with all of Lebanon was given to the French. The French administration showed great preference for the Christian community, leading to religious strains in the city. Lebanon was given its independence following the Second World War and Beirut became its capital city. Beirut remained the intellectual capital of the Arab world and a major commercial and tourist center until 1975 when a brutal civil war broke out in Lebanon. During most of the war, the city was divided between the largely Muslim west part and the Christian east. The central area of the city, previously the focus of much of the commercial and cultural activities, became a no-man's land. Many of the city's best and brightest inhabitants fled to other countries. In 1983 French and US barracks were bombed, killing 302.

Since the end of the war in 1989, the people of Lebanon have been rebuilding Beirut, and by the start of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict the city had largely regained its status as a tourist, cultural and intellectual center of the Middle East, as well as a center for commerce, fashion, and media. Reconstruction of downtown Beirut has been largely driven by Solidere, a development company established in 1994 by Hariri. Beirut is home to the international designer Elie Saab, jeweller Robert Moawad, and to some of the most popular and successful satellite television stations, such as LBC, Future TV, New TV and Al-Manar. The city was host to the Asian Basketball Championship and the Asian Football Championship. Beirut also successfully hosted the Miss Europe pageant twice.

Downtown Beirut

The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, in 2005 in Beirut shook the entire country.The last Syrian troops withdrew from Beirut on April 26 2006. It remains to be seen how the current conflict with Israel will affect the city and its future.

Israeli airstrikes

*On July 12, 2006, Israel attacked dozens of targets throughout the country as part of an operation Israel claimed was aimed at recovering soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah in a cross-border raid earlier in the day. Critics say this is retaliation for Lebanon's toleration of attacks on Israel, pointing to a prisoner trade offer by Hezbollah. [1]
*On July 13, 2006, the raid extended to the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Israeli jets fired missiles at the Rafic Hariri International Airport, which forced its closure and diversion of flights, as well as damage to Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station, and the destruction of the Rayak Air Base in the Bekaa Valley in east Lebanon.[2]
*On July 14, 2006, over 50 civilians have been killed, and Israeli jets dropped bombs on the southern Beirut suburb of Dahieh, a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut. Also, the international airport came under attack once again. [3]
*On July 15, 2006, Israeli warships bombarded coastal targets in northern Beirut, such as the port, lighthouses, and navy radars at the Lebanese army's coastal base. One Lebanese soldier was killed while a few were wounded. But earlier, Hezbollah attacked an Israeli warship killing four Israeli soldiers. Israeli jets also dropped leaflets over the north-western tourism city of Manara Street and the rest of Lebanon. Children and adults ran into the streets to snatch up leaflets, which had a caricature of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a serpent and read: "Is the resistance ... helping Lebanon? The resistance ... is destroying Lebanon!" [4]
*On July 16, 2006, the assault on Dahieh at Beirut's southern suburb resumed as an attempt to destroy Hezbollah targets and kill Hassan Nasrallah of the Shi'ite Muslim radical group. Israeli jets also destroyed the bridge in that area that leads east to Hazmieh. [5]
*On July 20, 2006, seven Brazilians were killed by Israeli airstrikes. [6]. Israel claimed to have bombed a "Hezbollah bunker" in the Beirut suburb, however Al-Manar dismissed this claim and said that the jets hit a mosque in that area. [7]
*Currently, foreigners and Lebanese are trying to flee from Lebanon by sea, to Cyprus and then to their home countries, or by land to Damascus, Syria, either to flee through its airport or stay there as refugees. Warships from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Commonwealth of Nations are still evacuating their citizens to Cyprus, which is critically overcrowded with tourists and evacuees.[8]
*There are an estimated 90,000 Sri Lankan mostly female domestic workers in Lebanon. As Sri Lanka is itself undergoing a rebel attack by the militant LTTE ("Tamil Tiger" terrorist organization), the government is not organizing any exodus for its citizens.

Religion

War damage in Downtown Beirut

Beirut is one of the most diverse cities of the Middle East, with Christians (Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholics, Roman Catholics, Syriacs, Copts, Methodists, Protestants), Muslims (Sunni and Shi'ite), and Druze all having a significant presence. (Most of the Jews of Beirut emigrated to the United States when the Lebanese Civil War started in 1975).

Beirut was torn apart during the Lebanese Civil War and was divided between the Muslim West Beirut and the Christian East. The city today has been reunited and rebuilt, and represents its Christian-Muslim balance in its architecture and way of life.

Colleges and universities

In Beirut there are twenty-one universities including the University of Balamand, American University of Beirut, Lebanese American University (originally the first women's college in the Middle East), Université de Saint-Joseph, Global University, Haigazian University, Lebanese University, Lebanese International University, American University of Science and Technology, Middle East University, Beirut Arab University and the Middle East Canadian Academy of Technology (MECAT)....

Geography

Pigeon's Rock, Beirut

Backed by the Mount Lebanon mountains, Beirut is situated on a spur where the narrow coastal plain projects into the Mediterranean Sea. Beirut is located halfway along the Lebanese coastline with Byblos and Tripoli to the North, and Sidon and Tyre to the South. Its ideal location makes it easy to reach from almost any location in Lebanon.

Transportation

The city's airport, situated in the southern suburbs, was previously known as Beirut International Airport; in 2005 it was renamed Rafic Hariri International Airport in honour of the assassinated former prime minister. The civilian airport was bombed by the Israeli military in July 2006 and is closed indefinitely. By land, the city has frequent bus connections to other cities in Lebanon and major cities in Syria; the latter are also served by either service or taxis. Buses for northern destinations and Syria leave from Charles Helou Station.

External links

*Civil War 1975 to 1990 & War on Lebanon 2006 Pictures
* Municipality of Beirut
* Lebanon Atlas (interactive map of Beirut)
* Destination Lebanon: Beirut (includes interactive map)
* Forum de Beyrouth
* BIEL
* ESCWA
* Beirut National Museum
* American University of Beirut (AUB)
* Beirut Arab University
* Haigazian University
* Lebanese American University (LAU)
* Lebanese International University (LIU)
* Beirut travel guide
* Université Libanaise (UL)
* Université Saint-Joseph (USJ)
*Blog with pictures of Beirut
*Ancient Beirut/Berytus
*Berytus Roman school of law
*Downtown Beirut
*Paths to History - Interactive Archeological Map Of Beirut
*Images of present day Beirut

References

*Linda Jones Hall, Roman Berytus: Beirut in Late Antiquity, 2004.
*Samir Kassir, Histoire de Beyrouth, Fayard 2003, 732 pages (in French).
*Richard Talbert, Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, (ISBN 069103169X), p. 69.