Beirut's Historical Landmarks: A Comprehensive Guide to Visiting the City

The capital of Lebanon, is one of the oldest cities on Earth, with more than 5,000 years behind it. People once called it the "Paris of the East" because old stone and new glass stand side by side. Travelers walk past Roman columns - sit in a café, visit a museum, watch a play, eat grilled fish plus stay out late to music. Downtown Beirut holds the busiest shops, offices and government halls. At the heart sits Nejmeh Square, a round plaza meant to stand for all Lebanese together. In the middle rises the Star Clock, put up in 1934; parliament, ministries but also small stores ring the stone pavement - both locals and visitors fill the benches. The Raouche quarter ends at the sea, where two tall rocks called the Pigeon or Bird Rocks lift straight from the water. Seabirds nest on the ledges - the sun drops between the stones at dusk. The best view comes from the wide sidewalk called the Raouche Corniche or from nearby cafés as well as hotel balconies. The National Museum of Beirut keeps Lebanon's past in one long stone building. 1,300 objects run from the first stone tools to Islamic pottery. Highlights include Phoenician coffins carved with faces, Roman floor mosaics and marble statues. Shells broke the roof during the civil war - yet workers repaired the walls or reopened the halls. In the middle of town, the Roman Baths show the floors and drains of a public bath from the time of the emperors. Builders uncovered the stones in 1968; crews cleaned also stabilized them. Today the site hosts concerts and festivals next to visitors still see colored floor chips and the brick channels that once carried hot air. The Grand Omari Mosque in the old quarter began as a pagan temple in the 5th century, turned into a Byzantine church - became a mosque after the Islamic conquest. Fires plus bombs tore at it - yet each generation rebuilt the walls. It is now the largest and oldest mosque in the city, with arches but also a square minaret. Beit Beirut occupies the bullet scarred Barakat building on the former front line. During the war, fighters fired from its windows - today the walls stand as a museum and meeting place. Maps as well as graffiti tell the story of the conflict and lecturers, artists or school groups gather inside. The Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, finished in 2005, rises beside Martyrs’ Square under a blue dome and four slim minarets in Ottoman style. Prime Minister Rafik Hariri paid for the work also rests in a tomb next door. The doors stay open to anyone who wants to look at the painted ceiling or to pray and the building is a sign that many faiths share the country. Beirut gives travelers a day-to-day lesson in stone, sea next to memory. A person may start among Roman blocks, lunch under bullet pocked balconies, watch sunset on rock pillars and end the night under mosque lamps. Each street keeps a story plus the city asks visitors to listen.