The writing linked to these photos is located here.
A bridge destroyed during the 2006 war with Israel, part of the main Damascus-Beirut highway
A new shopping centre under construction in central Beirut
Razor wire in the foreground, Place de l’Etoile’s clocktower in the centre and Al-Omari Mosque in the background.
A skyscraper left abandoned after either the 1980s civil war the or 2006’s war with Israel.
CORRECTION; from comments: “The abandoned skyscraper is the Burj El Murr (Murr Tower), which was only partially built when the civil war broke out in 1975. Its frame was finished during a lull the following year, making it a prime militia location for the “hotel wars” of 1977-78. Your photo is of the old Holiday Inn, which was open and functioning for a few swinging years before the war started.
(If you look at the top floor, you will see the tell-tale bulge of one of the old-style Holiday Inn revolving restaurants!)
The Holiday Inn was _also_ used during the hotel wars (hence the name …).”
Thanks again adiamondinsunlight!
A bullet-holed street sign
Hezbollah’s tent city in central Beirut
Around Beirut I saw several pictures of Rafik Hariri, the businessman/politician assassinated in 2005
The entrance to the American University of Beirut. The ladies in this vicinity were particularly beautiful.
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Dear Joe,
The abandoned skyscraper is the Burj El Murr (Murr Tower), which was only partially built when the civil war broke out in 1975. Its frame was finished during a lull the following year, making it a prime militia location for the “hotel wars” of 1977-78.
Oops, Joe – you may not want to thank me! I realized this morning that I had given you the right information about … the wrong building!
Burj Al Murr is the OTHER gutted skyscraper, further up on the same road. Your photo is of the old Holiday Inn, which was open and functioning for a few swinging years before the war started.
(If you look at the top floor, you will see the tell-tale bulge of one of the old-style Holiday Inn revolving restaurants!)
The Holiday Inn was _also_ used during the hotel wars (hence the name …).
Hanin Ghaddar recently did a wonderful piece on central Beirut’s “iconic eyesores”. It was published on a very political site, the pro-March 14 Now Lebanon, so I send it on to you with that caveat – but her piece is lovely and very rich: http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=5691.
Thank you adiamondinsunlight for the correction. The article you pointed out is very interesting.