Very Rare Pictures of Beirut

Karantina 1880

Horsh Beirut 1889

Beirut – Ein El Mreisseh in 1890: college hall in AUB (upper right) was already built..with its clock tower

Sahat Al Bourj (now Martyrs’ Square), 1890

Beirut train station in 1896

Beirut train station 2008

Gemmayzeh near Sahat Al Bourj, circa 1900

Hawd El Wilayeh school, 1900

Same today…

Port of Beirut, 1909

Beirut horch (pine wood), 1914

Bab Essaraya 1920: Hotel Le Gray now near annahar Building

The wall of Beirut, 1911. The remains of the wall of Beirut near what is now Riad Solh sq, the Area was still called by the Beirutis Assour or Al-sour (the wall) until 1975

Rue de Douyane – Orosdi Beick Department Store 1912

Rue Georges Picot, 1920 : Where the Starco Center is now, It used to be the Collège Protestant.

Rue Weygand, corner Foch, 1930 : you can see Municipality of Beirut at the right side and the Masjid Al-Omari at left side

Sahat Al Bourj, now Martyrs’ square, circa 1930

Bourj/Martyrs square, 1935

Emir Bechir st. 1937 Ahwet El Ejez on the right corner

Place des Martyrs, 1942

A Christian and a Muslim Lebanese women holding hands.  This monument was removed after the construction of the Martyrs Monument in the 50’s

Bab Idriss, 1945

Nejmeh Square, 1950 : View toward Maarad st. and Hussein El-Ahdab st.

Zeitouneh, 1950

Crossroads rue Maurice Barrès, rue de l’armée & rue du Patriarche Hoayek, 1952: Grand Sérail on the right, Armenian church in the middle, Anglican church on the left.

Beirut Municipality, 1952

Ain Mraisseh, 1953 Students demonstration John Kennedy Ave

Horsh – Hyppodrome 1954

Souk elKandarjieh 1955

entrance of Souk elArman1955

Verdun (now building where are Sipes, Alain Aflelou and Jammal trust Bank) 1958

Rebels in Basta, 1958. A Lebanese tradition

Basta, 1958

Lebanese Army on Bliss st. near IC, 1958

Airport road, 1958 replaced now by illegal construction

Beirut Intl. airport in 1960

Phoenicia Hotel under construction, 1961

Phoenicia Hotel inaugurated, 1964

3attarein Street – Beirut Souk, 1965

Corner of Allenby street & Souk El-Joukh 1965

Nejmeh Square, 1965

Going to Basta from Riad Solh square in 1965.

Beirut, 1974: Lebanese Jewish students coming back from the Alliance Israélite school.

Ain tineh 1974

Carlton Hotel (Raouche) 1974

Riad El-Solh sq, 1974

Nejmeh Square, 1974 : notice that the El-Abd clock tower was moved in the late 60’s to Corniche Al Nahr in order to make place to Roman ruins.

From 1975  time stopped………  and memories weren’t needed anymore