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BEIRUT
Beirut stands at the continental crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia. This capital city of Lebanon nurtures more than 5,000 years old history that is still evident in present day landscape of the city. Beirut is also blessed with abundant natural beauty as the waves of the Mediterranean Sea washes the foothills of the Lebanon Mountains in the city. These ecological and historical splendours give the city a distinct identity as the “Paris of the East”. The city has been victim of several disasters and devastations, starting from the earthquake in 551 CE to the Civil wars of the twentieth century. However, each time the city arose from the debris successfully and emerged more beautiful than ever. Recently, the government of Lebanon has undertaken a huge reconstruction project to create a new commercial and residential district in Beirut. Beirut's commercial and cultural life is thriving again with a population of more than 1.8 million people. Several modern hotels, restaurants, banks, countless import-export firms, port and an airport operate round the clock in this “City that would not die."
Beirut rests on the site of a very ancient settlement that has witnessed the reigns of Ottoman, Mamluke, Crusader, Abbassid, Omayyad, Byzantine, Roman, Persian, Phoenician and Canaanite dynasties. The values and ethos of different cultural and religious races can still be experienced amidst the architecture of the houses and interiors of the private accommodations in downtown Beirut. A tour of the old downtown includes the Omari Mosque, the Municipality Building, the Assaf and Amir Munzir Mosques, the Arcaded Maarad Street, the Parliament Building, the Roman columns on Nejmeh Square and the historic Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches opposite the Parliament. Tourists often take apartments for rent in this old district of Beirut to feel the pulses of the bygone era. However, the quaint rooms of the bed and breakfasts or hostels by the seaside with view of the rising mountains in Beirut are the most lucrative ones for visitors.
The Pigeon rock
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Solidaire area at night
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