8 Abandoned Spots In Lebanon And The Story Behind Them
Numerous buildings and constructions in Lebanon (much like our basic civil rights) have been abandoned. Empty hotels, deserted train stations, uninhabited buildings, and other places that were once full of life and people are left as a reminder of what was and what could have been.
Although most of you are familiar with abandoned places like ‘The Egg’ and St. Georges Hotel, here are a few others:
1. Murr Tower (Burj El Murr)
(Image via Dailystar.com.lb)
I’m sure you’ve all seen this building and have even stared at it for hours on end while sitting in traffic. The story is as follows: in 1974, construction on the 40-story tower started, it was meant to house a World Trade Center. The eruption of the Civil War the following year halted the construction and the Tower quickly became a strategic location for snipers. The Tower now serves as an army post.
2. Batroun’s Aquarium
(Image via Anoy.ch)
If you’ve visited the awesome Colonel Beer Brewery in Batroun, you must have noticed the unique unfinished building next to it. The structure was supposed to be a center for marine research, but construction was never completed. It is also believed that the center was to include a large aquarium.
3. Hotel Kassouf (Dhour Choueir) (Image via shweir.com)
One of the most breathtakingly beautiful old buildings in the Metn area, Hotel Kassouf was initially built by the French, destroyed during the Civil War, and then occupied by Syrian troops until 2005.
4. Rachid Karami International Fair (Tripoli)
Built in the early 1960s, it was supposed to be an exhibition complex that would boost the economy of Tripoli. It has been abandoned since 1975 and was rumored to be used as storage space for weapons and artillery during the war.
5. McMagic Amusement Park (Nahr El Kalb)
(Image via Ginoraidy.wordpress.com)
This iconic kids park closed in the 90s but all games remain until today.
6. Beirut’s Old Lighthouse (Manara)
(Image via Fineartamerica.com)
This tower was the capital’s Lighthouse up until 2003 when a new one was built on the shore, leaving the old lighthouse a candle in the middle of the concrete jungle of Beirut.
7. Buildings of Downtown Beirut
(Image via Magazine.fourseasons.com)
Unless you’re a (Saudi) billionaire, you’ve never even thought of buying one of the crazy-expensive apartments in Downtown Beirut. Most residential buildings are mostly (if not completely) empty. Talk about a ghost town!
8. Baabda Presidential Palace
(Image via Dailystar.com.lb)
The Presidential palace has been empty for a couple of years now, no further comments.
