Beirut Manara: Then and Now

A landmark of Beirut, the manara is a stretch of boardwalk that serves as a pedestrian walkway, a runner’s track, or a street vendor’s marketplace.

It’s been there for decades (approximately, but if anyone has any idea when the photo was dated, let us know!) but the corniche hasn’t always been what it looks like now.

(Photo via imageshack.us)

Instead of palms, foresty trees lined the corniche in droves. A much simpler fence served as a barrier, no doubt reinforced to prevent accidents. The people who walked the sea-swept street were from another time, and cars and clothing were as foreign to us now as ours would’ve been to them. Even the weather looked nicer.

Still, one thing probably remains the same after decades of use. Regardless of your age or generation, you can’t but revel in the sheer beauty of an unchanging sea.