Beirut: the markets of the past
Beirut: the markets of the past
The former souks linked the port to the economic and social life of Beirut. Three authentic photographs, around 1900 and in 1966, tell this business life. Their records do not permit the precise identification of the streets: they are not presented as geolocalized views of the current perimeter of the Beirut Souks.
The transformation of the sector is not limited to fighting or just one enterprise. Demolition had affected souks in 1983. Rafael Moneo’s project, dated 1996–2009, includes some ancient traces: a reconstruction, not an identical restoration.
Archives: vegetable market and street scene, G. Eric and Edith Matson collection / Library of Congress, matpc.00055 and matpc.01185, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Bazar de Beirut in 1966: Wilford Peloquin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Photographs recadrated and integrated into the assembly. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Notices:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beirut. The vegetable market LOC matpc.00055.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beirut. Street scene LOC matpc.01185.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:150 Beiruit bazaar Lebanon 1966 (51190741187).jpg
Historical background: study by Howayda al-Harithy and Dina Mneimneh, UNESCO, p. 23; presentation by Rafael Moneo.
https://whc.unesco.org/document/175507
https://rafaelmoneo.com/en/projects/souks-in-beirut/
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