Lebanon: Beirut Overview

Date: 21 March 2012 10:19:02

Beirut is a very interesting city. It is a bustling city, with many people on the go, traffic jams that last for kilometres and getting out of the city seems to take an eternity; but a place that definitely has a 'vibe' about it and I city I greatly enjoyed visiting.

It seems to sprawl forever in all directions, and the sprawl continues up north to the cities of Jounieh and Byblos. No sprawl to the west though, where the waters of the Mediterranean are visible. The Corniche Beirut is a popular place, particularly in the evening, for people of all ages to stroll along and be seen. From parents with babies in baby walkers (yes: they bring them) or children on bikes to young lovers to joggers and rollerbladers to not-so-young lovers, the walkway by the sea is busy with people walking up and down.

There are a number of beaches along the Mediterranean, but a lot are private and require you to either be staying somewhere or put up some cash for the privilege of their chairs and beach. Fisherman and young men would be on the rocks along the sea, either catching fish, tanning or going for a swim. There are also a number of restaurants and a Luna Park fairground with a giant ferris wheel as you head south along the Corniche.

Old and new buildings stand next to, literally, each other; and old includes dilapidated and old, old and cared for, and old and bullet- or shell-riddled: the most famous of the latter being the Holiday Inn which still stands to this day. One of the many things I learnt on the excellent and recommended Walk Beirut tour is that while buildings cannot be demolished without the owner's permission, even by government decree, and the owner does not have to live in Lebanon and thus may not be contactable or even get back to officials for any requests. If I recall correctly the Holiday Inn company is owned by a Arab royal family and no approval has been given to demolish it; they did take down the "Holiday Inn" sign so at least it is not advertising the brand so clearly as it once did!

Another fascinating glimpse of Beirut life provided by the knowledgeable and friendly local Ronnie on the Walk Beirut tour is that some renters are still paying rent based on a calculation in the 70s, and there is nothing the owners can do about it: unless they move out. But why would they? So owners let their apartments fall into disrepair in the hope that the renters will either move out or agree to new terms. A fascinating insight into life in Beirut, and a reason why old and dilapidated buildings can be jutting against new ones. New developments at expensive prices are going up while other areas show clearly the poverty of the residents. Though from what I heard from taxi drivers, hotel staff and others I met, is that Beirut is fast becoming a very expensive city to live in -- housing and apartments in particular.

Those who paid attention, or those like me who have subsequently read histories on the Lebanese Civil War (I highly recommend Robert Fisk's excellent Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War and Tim Llewellyn's Spirit of the Phoenix: Beirut and the Story of Lebanon, will know Beirut has a predominantly Muslim west and Christian east. While many Christians have left Beirut and Lebanon, the distribution of churches and mosques seemed to follow this divide as I saw it.

Apart from the bullet- and shell-ridden buildings, the war and remaining troubles are rather visible in Lebanon. Army checkpoints, where a few men with weapons stand guard and check happenings, and there are many, are a constant feature, and I turned a few corners to see a small tank under a bridge or in the middle of or just off a roundabout. It jolted me, even after several days or even weeks there, much like seeing military personnel with automatic weapons at airports in some countries still jolts me; but I never felt in danger or concerned. More a feeling of sadness that such a beautiful land, with such warm, welcoming and loving people, had and continues to have the threat of war and danger around and inside it.