53 Facts About Beirut

Beirut has been inhabited for more than 5, 000 years, and was one of Phoenicia's most prominent city states, making it one of the oldest cities in the world.

The first historical mention of Beirut is found in the Amarna letters from the New Kingdom of Egypt, which date to the 14th century BC.

Beirut is Lebanon's seat of government and plays a central role in the Lebanese economy, with many banks and corporations based in the city.

Beirut is an important seaport for the country and region, and rated a Beta + World City by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

Beirut was severely damaged by the Lebanese Civil War and the massive explosion in the Port of Beirut.

Related searches

English name Beirut is an early transcription of the Arabic name.

Beirut was settled over 5, 000 years ago, and there is evidence that the surrounding area had already been inhabited for tens of thousands of years prior to this.

Several prehistoric archaeological sites have been discovered within the urban area of Beirut, revealing flint tools from sequential periods dating from the Middle Palaeolithic and Upper Paleolithic through the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.

Phoenician port of Beirut was located between Rue Foch and Rue Allenby on the north coast.

Beirut was considered the most Roman city in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.

Beirut rebuilt the city after its destruction by the Ayyubids and built the House of Ibelin palace in Beirut.

In 1291 Beirut was captured and the Crusaders expelled by the Mamluk army of Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil.

Beirut was controlled by local Druze emirs throughout the Ottoman period.

Beirut became a destination for Maronite Christian refugees fleeing from the worst areas of the fighting on Mount Lebanon and in Damascus.

In 1888, Beirut was made capital of a vilayet in Syria, including the sanjaks (prefectures) Latakia, Tripoli, Beirut, Acre and Bekaa.

Seven families of Beirut are the families who bonded among each other and made the famous historical agreement with the governor of the Syrian Coast in 1351 to protect and defend the city of Beirut and its shores, and chase the invaders and stop their progress towards it.

Between 1989 and 1990 parts on East Beirut were destroyed in fighting between army units loyal to General Aoun and Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces.

The reconstruction of downtown Beirut has been largely driven by Solidere, a development company established in 1994 by Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.

On 4 August 2020, a massive explosion in the Port of Beirut resulted in the death of at least 203 people and the wounding of more than 6, 500.

Beirut sits on a peninsula extending westward into the Mediterranean Sea.

Beirut has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate characterized by mild days and nights, as its coastal location allows temperatures to be moderated by the sea.

Beirut is one of the most cosmopolitan and religiously diverse cities of Lebanon and all of the Middle East.

East Beirut has a mainly Christian population with a small Muslim minority, while West Beirut has a Sunni Muslim majority with small minorities of Shia, Christians and Druze.

Since the end of the civil war, East and West Beirut have begun to see an increase in Muslims and Christians moving into each half.

Beirut Souks are the Central District's old medieval market, recently renovated along with the original Hellenistic street grid that characterized the old souks and the area's historical landmarks along long vaulted shopping alleys and arcades.

Related searches

Beirut's economy is service-oriented with the main growth sectors being banking and tourism.

The economy of Beirut is diverse, including publishing, banking, trade and various industries.

Tourism industry in Beirut has been historically important to the local economy and remains to this day to be a major source of revenue for the city, and Lebanon in general.

Badaro is one of Beirut's most appealing neighborhoods, a lovely place to stroll during daytime and a destination for going out in the evening.

Beirut is a destination for tourists from both the Arab world and West.

Beirut was chosen in 2012 by Conde Nast Traveller as the best city in the Middle East, beating Tel Aviv and Dubai.

Beirut-based Clemenceau Medical Center, affiliated with Johns Hopkins International, was ranked one of the world's top ten best hospitals for medical tourism in 2012.

Beirut is the capital of Lebanon and its seat of government.

Beirut is home to the Lebanese American University, which is, together with many of its programs, accredited by US bodies and considered lately one of the top universities in the Middle East.

Beirut is home to the American University of Science and Technology, University of Balamand, Ecole Superieure des Affaires (ESA), Beirut Arab University (BAU), Haigazian University (HU), Lebanese International University (LIU), as well as the Notre Dame University – Louaize (NDU), Universite La Sagesse (ULS).

Beirut has frequent bus connections to other cities in Lebanon and major cities in Syria such as Homs and its capital Damascus.

Beirut has private buses that are provided by the Lebanese Commuting Company.

In 2017, Beirut introduced a bike sharing service in certain areas of the city.

Culture of Beirut has evolved under the influence of many different peoples and civilizations, such as Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Ottoman Turks and French.

The law school in downtown Beirut was one of the world's earliest and was considered to be a leading center of legal studies in the Eastern Roman Empire.

Beirut hosted the Francophonie and Arab League summits in 2002, and in 2007 it hosted the ceremony for the Prix Albert Londres, which rewards outstanding francophone journalists every year.

Beirut has been called the "party capital of the Arab world".

The Archaeological Museum of the American University of Beirut is the third oldest museum in the Middle East, exhibiting a wide range of artefacts from Lebanon and neighboring countries.

Beirut was named the top place to visit by The New York Times in 2009, and as one of the ten liveliest cities in the world by Lonely Planet in the same year.

Beirut came in first place regionally and 10th place internationally in a 2010 study by "EuroCost International" about the rental markets for high quality housing.

Related searches

Beirut is an international hub of highly active and diverse nightlife with bars, dance bars and nightclubs staying open well past midnight.

The 2011 MasterCard Index revealed that Beirut had the second-highest visitor spending levels in the Middle East and Africa, totaling $6.

Beirut was chosen in 2012 by Conde Nast Traveller as the best city in the Middle East.

On 7 December 2014, Beirut was selected to be among the New 7 Wonders of Cities, along with Doha, Durban, La Paz, Havana, Kuala Lumpur and Vigan.

Beirut is a main center for the television, radio stations, newspaper, and book publishing industries.

Television stations based in Beirut include Tele Liban, LBC, OTV, MTV Lebanon, Tele Lumiere (Catholic TV), Future TV, New TV, NBN, ANB and Saudi TV 1 on 33 UHF and MBC 1, MBC 4, MBC Action, Fox, Al Jazeera, Rotana, OSN First, OSN News, Al Yawm and Arabic Series Channel on 45 UHF.

Beirut was the host city for the 6th Annual Games of the Jeux de la Francophonie in 2009.

Beirut hosted the Pan Arab Games in 1957, 1997, and did so again in 2015.