Beirut بيروت
The capital of Lebanon and the gateway to the country, Beirut once was - and arguably is back as - the Paris of the Middle East. Practically obliterated by the civil war and Israeli invasions, Beirut is now doing what it does best: forgetting, rebuilding and reinventing itself, while the populace continues to party and live a decadent life. The beautiful city struggles with identity, but is undoubtedly much more European in character than the rest of country and the whole of the Middle East, yet it constitutes the heart of Lebanon. It is trilingual (Arabic, French and English) and multi-cultural. It amplifies all of the contradictions of Lebanon and the entire region, being wealthy and poor, opulent and rundown, modern and old, liberal and traditional, European and Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Arab, secular and religious, Moslem and Christian, be it Sunni or Shiite, Catholic or...















