Beit Beirut Beirut

Beirut's museum of memory

Samira from Beirut

""Beit Beirut", or the Yellow Building, has been standing since 1924. It survived the Civil War and is now used as a center for exhibitions & events..."

Beit Beirut, or the Yellow building, has been standing since 1924 when a Lebanese couple, Nicolas and Victoria Barakat, assigned the Lebanese architect Youssef Afandi Aftimos to design the building.

After surviving the Lebanese Civil War that lasted for 15 years (1975-1990), the Lebanese architect, Dr. Mona Hallak, fought for the building to not be demolished and to be turned into a museum and an urban cultural center. Unfortunately, it is not a museum yet, knowing that there is not a single museum that discusses the Lebanese Civil War. It will stay open as a center for art exhibitions and cultural events.

As you pass by Beit Beirut, you will see the neon sign "Photo Mario" in the Arabic language, with some portraits of unknown faces. This non-stop exhibition shall always be part of the museum, because Photo Mario was the studio of a neighbourhood photographer located on the building's ground floor.

The city of Beirut needs a space that talks about the Lebanese Civil War in an objective manner. It makes it harder for Beit Beirut to come to life because there are various narratives from several political parties about the war that is shaping our current country's state.

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Relaxing

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Beirut Spotter Samira

About Me I am a reflective wanderer who turns her encounters into stories to be told during her walking guided tours in Beirut. I am passionate about discovering hidden gems, attending art exhibitions, having oral history conversations about the recent history of Beirut, and discovering specialty coffee shops. Why Beirut? Beirut is the city that all the Arab countries have always needed, whether culturally, politically, architecturally, or artistically. This city is a melting pot of almost all ethnicities and those who wander its streets would feel so, just as authors ...

About this spot

Damascus Street

LBP

free

Website

71028969

Social

Oct 30, 2025

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