French mandate-era landmarks fading from Lebanon’s collective memory

Sursock Palace, a typical example of mandate-period design. (Supplied)
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Updated 03 September 2020
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French mandate-era landmarks fading from Lebanon’s collective memory

  • Beirut was once a link between the East and the West through its architecture among many other things
  • The devastasting August 4 explosion destroyed some the symbols of the city’s rich cultural heritage

BEIRUT: Lebanon is celebrating its centennial as a modern state with a fading recollection of the landmarks that stood a hundred years ago.

The exception is the Residence des Pins (Pine Residence), the home of the French ambassador in Beirut, which witnessed the establishment of Greater Lebanon on Sept. 1, 1920, and has remained steadfast against the country’s subsequent turmoil.

Other urban markers of that era either became extinct from natural factors and social development or were destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War. Whatever little was preserved perished in the explosion at the Port of Beirut less than a month before Lebanon’s centennial.

The houses of Beirut’s neighborhoods tell the stories of various epochs. During the first two decades of the 20th century, Beirut was a modest city centered around a tiny natural port, its inhabitants not exceeding 10,000 people.




A wrought iron gate on Mar Mikhael Street. (AN Photo/Najia Houssari)

The city was surrounded by a wall bearing many gates, which closed early each day. The names of these gates — such as Bab Idriss, Asour Gate, and Bab Al-Burj — still resonate, although the walls and gates are no longer standing.

“Beirut did not start to develop until the end of the third decade of the 20th century, when the West began showing an interest in cities on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, including Alexandria, Haifa, Beirut, Mersin and other Ottoman ports that were ready to receive commodities,” said architect Rahif Fayad, 84.

The role of Beirut’s port quickly grew and resulted in the rise of a new mercantile class in the city and Mount Lebanon, Fayad explained.

“The city’s population boomed and had to expand beyond its walls to neighboring areas, which led to it becoming a modern, open city.”

Most buildings during that period were constructed with sandstone excavated from Beirut sand rocks. These old stones can still be seen in Spears Street, the wall of the American University of Beirut, and many of Beirut’s old houses that are still resisting the two forces of modernity and destruction.

The stones were covered with a layer of limestone or cement to protect them from seasonal climatic effects. Houses consisted of one or two floors and were surrounded by a garden, often overlooking the sea, so that family members could live safely, without coming into contact with the surrounding neighborhood.

The facade of these houses consisted of three arches, with a red-sloped brick roof. This style was widespread in Beirut and other coastal cities throughout the eastern Mediterranean and served specific social needs. The inner courtyard was covered with a roof and became known as “Al-Dar” (living room), which was surrounded by bedrooms, a kitchen, and a dining room. This was the typical house of Beirut’s rising mercantile bourgeois class.




A window with marble decorations in Susuk Palace. (AN Photo/Najia Houssari)

The houses were constructed by professionals — designers and construction workers educated in Europe and the US. The architecture was of the finest quality and fit in well with the surrounding environment, as local materials and expertise were used.

Italian architects were hired to design such places as the Sursock Palace, located on the eponymous street bearing the name of this aristocratic family.

With the large number of new arrivals, Beirut expanded and saw its port boom.

In 1920, with the declaration of Greater Lebanon and the beginning of the French Mandate era, colonialists introduced wide streets, modern transportation — such as tramways and cars — and an insatiable, consumerist lifestyle. They tried to fashion public places in the heart of historical Beirut, but some of these collided with the ancient churches and mosques present in the area.

Colonialists also introduced Haussmannian architecture, which entailed dividing the façade of a building into three vertical parts that would be adopted into contiguous buildings, forming the facade of a whole street. This design is best featured in Maarad, Foch, Allenby and Wegan Streets, and other orthogonal streets north of the Beirut Municipality Building.

This design can also be seen in areas relatively distant from the historical heart of Beirut, including Spears, Al-Kantari, May Ziadeh, Gemmayzeh, all the way to the Sursock area in Achrafieh.

“Beirut was the link between East and West, and this is depicted in its architecture since the French Mandate, which introduced new stylistic elements without relinquishing Islamic characteristics,” architect Fadlo Dagher said. “This blend of modern and Islamic elements is best expressed in the architecture of the Beirut Municipality building, which reflects both Ottoman and French architecture.

“This building was designed by the Greek-Lebanese engineer Youssef Aftimus (1866-1952), who began its construction during the Ottoman era and finished it during the French Mandate.”




A building in Jemaizi with marble balconies. (AN Photo/Najia Houssari)

Beirut’s architectural identity, in Dagher’s words, “reflects the city’s openness to everybody.”

How is it that some palaces and buildings are still standing after 100 years?

“Prior to the Mandate era, Ottoman construction depended on wood to build roofs,” Dagher said. “In 1925, cement was introduced, and brick claddings were replaced with iron, reinforced concrete, or cement.

“During the Ottoman period, balconies were made of marble, but during the Mandate era they were replaced with verandas with three walls, exposed on one side to winds blowing over Beirut. It is pleasant to spend the evening on them.”

As these balconies were roofed, Dagher added, people would be protected from the sun during summer and rain during winter.

“It is noteworthy that terraces were always built on the northern side, in order to not be exposed to the sun,” he said. “They were usually ornamented with oriental and Western designs.”

The Mandate period witnessed a shift from single-family homes to multi-story buildings for commercial investment, Dagher explained.

“With the introduction of cement, buildings became five stories high, with each floor divided into two apartments, while the ground floors were left for shops,” he said. “New social groups came to live in these buildings, adopting the Western economic, social and cultural lifestyle, away from the independent houses surrounded by gardens.”

Lebanon’s independence in 1943 led to the further growth of Beirut. The city adopted modern, vertical architecture and the international style. Later, this would lead to uneven development, and the “Beiruti bourgeois house” would become engulfed by asymmetric iron and cement buildings and towers. Beirut’s ties to the sea withered away.

With the explosion that shook the city on Aug. 4, the Lebanese discovered how fragile and easily damaged their city was. They were also disappointed to discover that the city was not easy to evacuate in case of natural or man-made disasters.

According to a survey by specialized committees, 360 heritage buildings dating back to the period between 1860 and 1930 were partially or fully damaged by the explosion at the port.

“The restoration of these buildings, with their wooden ceilings, renowned decorations, marble balconies and carved windows, primarily requires a political decision to preserve the architectural memory of the city,” Dagher said.

“These are two or three-story buildings and palaces, while the building system in Beirut allows the construction of buildings as high as 13 stories. Many investors are showing interest in buying these damaged, forgotten buildings in order to replace them with tall ones and erase our heritage.”

Twitter: @najiahoussari


Sudan paramilitaries vow ‘no surrender’ after Khartoum setback

Updated 27 March 2025
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Sudan paramilitaries vow ‘no surrender’ after Khartoum setback

  • Rapid Support Forces said it would 'deliver crushing defeats to the enemy on all fronts'
  • War has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted more than 12 million in Sudan, according to UN figures

KHARTOUM: Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces vowed on Thursday there would be “no retreat and no surrender” after rival troops of the regular army retook nearly all of central Khartoum.
From inside the recaptured presidential palace, Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, at war with his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo since April 2023, had on Wednesday declared the capital “free” from the RSF.
But in its first direct comment since the army retook what remains of the capital’s state institutions this week, the RSF said: “Our forces have not lost any battle, but have repositioned.
“Our forces will continue to defend the homeland’s soil and secure a decisive victory. There will be no retreat or surrender,” it said.
“We will deliver crushing defeats to the enemy on all fronts.”
AFP could not independently confirm the RSF’s remaining positions in the capital.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted more than 12 million, according to UN figures.
It has also split Africa’s third-largest country in two, with the army holding the north and east while the RSF controls parts of the south and nearly all of the vast western region of Darfur, which borders Chad.
On Wednesday, the army cleared Khartoum airport of RSF fighters and encircled their last major stronghold in the Khartoum area, just south of the city center.
An army source told AFP that RSF fighters were fleeing across the Jebel Awliya bridge, their only way out of greater Khartoum.
A successful withdrawal could link the RSF’s Jebel Awliya troops to its positions west of the city and then to its strongholds in Darfur hundreds of kilometers (miles) away.
On Wednesday, hours after Burhan arrived in the presidential palace for the first time in two years, the RSF announced a “military alliance” with a rebel group, which controls much of South Kordofan state and parts of Blue Nile bordering Ethiopia.
The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu, had clashed with both sides, before signing a political charter with the RSF last month to establish a rival government.
On Thursday evening, witnesses in the Blue Nile state capital Damazin reported that both its airport and the nearby Roseires Dam came under drone attack by the paramilitaries and their allies for the first time in the war.
Fighters in retreat across the capital
Following a year and a half of defeats at the hands of the RSF, the army began pushing through central Sudan toward Khartoum late last year.
Analysts have blamed the RSF’s losses on strategic blunders, internal divisions and dwindling supplies.
Since the army recaptured the presidential palace on Friday, witnesses and activists have reported RSF fighters in retreat across the capital.
The army’s gains have been met with celebrations in its wartime headquarters in the Red Sea coastal city of Port Sudan, where displaced Sudanese rejoiced at the prospect of finally returning to Khartoum.
“God willing, we’re going home, we’ll finally celebrate Eid in our own homes,” Khartoum native Motaz Essam told AFP, ululations and fireworks echoing around him.
Burhan, Sudan’s de facto leader since he ousted civilian politicians from power in a 2021 coup, said on Wednesday the army was looking to form a technocratic government and had “no desire to engage in political work.”
“The armed forces are working to create the conditions for an elected civilian government,” Burhan said in a meeting with Germany’s envoy to the Horn of Africa, Heiko Nitzschke, according to a statement from Burhan’s office.
The RSF has its origins in the Janjaweed militia unleashed by then strongman Omar Al-Bashir more than two decades ago in Darfur.
Like the army, the RSF has sought to position itself as the guardian of Sudan’s democratic uprising which ousted Bashir in 2019.
The United States has imposed sanctions on both sides. It accused the army of attacks on civilians and said the RSF had “committed genocide.”
Burhan and Dagalo, in the fragile political transition that followed Bashir’s overthrow, forged an alliance which saw both rise to prominence. Then a bitter power struggle over the potential integration of the RSF into the regular army erupted into all-out war.


5 Syrian siblings suffocate in house fire in Tripoli

Updated 27 March 2025
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5 Syrian siblings suffocate in house fire in Tripoli

  • Electricity generator in basement believed to be source of blaze
  • Flames spread to bags of plastic, cardboard collected by children’s father

BEIRUT: Five children from the same Syrian family were killed in a fire at a residential building in Tripoli on Thursday afternoon.
The three brothers and two sisters are thought to have suffocated in their home after an electricity generator caught fire in the basement of the building in the Al Mina area of the city, according to media reports.
The children’s father, who was not named, works as concierge at the building. He also collects recyclable materials, such as plastic and cardboard, which he stored in nylon sacks at the family home.
It is thought these items fueled the blaze.
Rescuers from the Lebanese Civil Defense and the Lebanese Red Cross paramedic teams rushed to the scene to tackle the fire and treat the victims.
The five siblings were identified as Mohammed, Mahmoud, Houssam, Amani and Alaa. Their bodies were taken to three hospitals in the city.
Three other people received medical treatment at the scene, the reports said.
A source from the Lebanese Internal Security Forces told Arab News that an investigation had been launched to determine the cause of the fire.
The children’s mother had been out shopping for Eid clothes for the siblings when the fire broke out. Video footage shared on social media showed her collapsing at the entrance to the building after discovering the tragedy on her return.


Aoun: Hezbollah is cooperative on the weapons issue

Updated 27 March 2025
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Aoun: Hezbollah is cooperative on the weapons issue

  • Joseph Aoun: ‘Israel is the one violating this agreement by remaining in the five hills, while Lebanon seeks to preserve this agreement’
  • Aoun: ‘Reforms are more a Lebanese necessity than an international demand’

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said that “the Lebanese army is carrying out its duties fully in southern Lebanon,” adding that “the state is committed to implementing Resolution 1701.”

He also announced that “Hezbollah is cooperative on the weapons issue,” noting that “dialogue is the key to solutions.”

His statements came on the eve of his expected visit to Paris and his participation in a summit with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

In an interview with France 24, Aoun said that “the ceasefire agreement must be upheld by all parties,” noting that “Israel is the one violating this agreement by remaining in the five hills, while Lebanon seeks to preserve this agreement.”

He added: “Diplomatic calls are being carried out regarding this matter, and guarantees must come from France and the US, which are partners in the Quintet Committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of the agreement.”

Aoun affirmed Lebanon’s commitment to reforms,” adding that “we don’t have any other option.”

He said: “Reforms are more a Lebanese necessity than an international demand.”

Meanwhile, the Cabinet held a meeting at the Presidential Palace, chaired by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, during which a new central bank governor was appointed.

The governor was chosen by voting rather than consensus, but Salam, the Sunni ministers in the government, and ministers Tarek Metri and Ghassan Salameh did not vote for the new governor.

The appointment of Karim Saeed came after a prolonged vacancy in the governorship, which resulted from the failure to elect a president for the republic for more than two years, alongside the arrest of the former central bank governor, Riad Salameh, on charges of embezzlement.

The new governor received 17 votes out of 24, following his responses to the ministers’ questions.

Saeed, 61, was included in a list of three names submitted by Finance Minister Yassine Jaber to the Cabinet, alongside Eddy Gemayel and Jamil Baz.

Saeed’s name is associated with what is known as the “Harvard Plan” for addressing the economic crisis in Lebanon, which was funded by Growthgate Capital.

Saeed is a founding partner and managing partner at Growthgate Equity Partners in the UAE, a firm specializing in alternative asset management that invests in private companies throughout the Middle East and North Africa. He previously held the position of general manager of Investment Banking Services at HSBC.

Additionally, he served as a board member at Emirates Lebanon Bank.

Meanwhile in southern Lebanon, Israeli military drones killed four people in less than 24 hours.

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji received a phone call from his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdel Ati. The two men discussed “Egypt’s efforts to curb Israel’s ongoing escalation in southern Lebanon, urging it to withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories and adhere to the declaration of a ceasefire.”

Two guided missiles hit a car in Yohmor Al-Shaqif, resulting in three deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed that the missile strikes targeted Hezbollah operatives who were reportedly transporting weapons.

The Ministry of Health also reported the death of another man, who was killed by an Israeli drone strike near Maaroub, Tyre.

The Israeli army claimed responsibility for killing “Ahmad Adnan Bajjiga, a battalion commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, in the Derdghaiya area of southern Lebanon.”

Security reports indicate that Israel has resumed its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite the ceasefire agreement between the two parties, which went into effect on Nov. 27, 2024.

These attacks have resulted in at least 105 deaths — comprising Hezbollah members, civilians and military personnel — and left around 300 others wounded.

The war, which Hezbollah launched in support of Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, along with the subsequent ground war initiated by the Israeli army in Lebanon until the cessation of hostilities on Nov. 27, 2024, has killed 3,961 and injured 16,520, according to the Emergency Committee.


Chinese ambassador affirms respect for Syria’s sovereignty during meeting with FM

Updated 27 March 2025
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Chinese ambassador affirms respect for Syria’s sovereignty during meeting with FM

  • Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani welcomed China’s stance on Israeli violations

LONDON: Asaad Al-Shaibani, Syria’s foreign minister, received a delegation from China headed by the ambassador to Syria, Shi Hongwei.

Shaibani welcomed China’s stance on the continuing Israeli violations of Syria’s sovereignty in the southern region of the country, the SANA agency reported on Thursday.

The Chinese ambassador affirmed his country’s respect for Syria’s territorial integrity and independence, as well as its non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. He highlighted China’s backing for Syria during its post-civil war transition.

Israel has continued its bombing campaign in Syria even after the ousting of Bashar Assad, whose regime came to an end last year after a rebel advance forced him to flee to Russia.

An Israeli attack this week on the Syrian village of Kuwayya in the southern Daraa province led to the death of at least six civilians.

Shaibani and Hongwei expressed their willingness to enhance cooperation and achieve prosperity, progress and peace between both countries, SANA added.


Lebanon cabinet appoints wealth manager central bank governor: official media

Updated 27 March 2025
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Lebanon cabinet appoints wealth manager central bank governor: official media

  • Souaid officially takes over after embattled former chief Riad Salameh’s term expired in July 2023 with no designated successor

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s cabinet on Thursday named asset manager Karim Souaid as central bank governor, official media reported, a post crucial to implementing economic reforms demanded by the international community.
He was appointed despite reservations of new reformist prime minister Nawaf Salam, who called on Souaid to commit to the government’s reform agenda in a country enduring a five-year economic collapse widely blamed on official mismanagement and corruption.
“The cabinet appointed Karim Souaid as central bank governor,” the official National News Agency said.
Born in 1964, Souaid officially takes over after embattled former chief Riad Salameh’s term expired in July 2023 with no designated successor.
Divided politicians had since failed to agree on a permanent replacement for Salameh, who has been accused at home and abroad of financial crimes.
First vice-governor Wassim Manssouri had been acting head of the central bank, a post that is traditionally reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system of governorship.
Souaid is the founder and managing partner at Gulf-based Growthgate, according to his biography on the private investment firm’s website.
It says he previously worked at financial establishments including HSBC Bank and has been involved in privatization initiatives in a number of Arab countries.
Some local media have reported that Souaid is close to the banking sector and members of Lebanon’s entrenched ruling class.
Salam said he had “reservations” about Souaid’s appointment but did not give specifics except to cite his “desire to protect depositors’ rights and preserve the state’s assets.”
He said Souaid “must adhere, from today, to the financial policy of our reformist government... on negotiating a new program with the International Monetary Fund, restructuring the banks, and presenting a comprehensive plan” to preserve depositors’ rights.
Lebanon’s new authorities need to carry out reforms demanded by the international community to unlock bailout funds.
The economic crash since 2019 has seen the local currency lose most of its value against the dollar and pushed much of the population into poverty, with people locked out of their savings.
Salam also said the cabinet approved Thursday “a draft law aiming to modify legislation on banking secrecy.”
In April 2022, Lebanon and the IMF reached conditional agreement on a $3-billion-dollar loan package, but painful reforms that the 46-month financing program would require have not been undertaken.
Earlier this month, the IMF welcomed the new Lebanese government’s request for support in addressing the country’s severe economic challenges.
In February, it said it was open to a new loan agreement with the country following discussions with its recently appointed finance minister.
Beirut-based think tank the Policy Initiative in a statement Wednesday said that the nomination of central bank chief would “test the new government’s commitment to genuine reform.”
“The next governor will shape Lebanon’s urgent reform agenda, serve as the main counterpart to the International Monetary Fund, and directly engage in sovereign debt restructuring negotiations” alongside the finance ministry, it said.
Souaid studied law at Lebanon’s St. Joseph University and at Harvard Law School in the United States, according to his biography.
He has also worked as a corporate finance attorney in New York, and is a member of the New York State Bar Association, it says.
The central bank governor in Lebanon is named by cabinet decree for a six-year mandate that can be renewed multiple times, based on the finance minister’s recommendation.