Report: Work Resumes to Dismantle Hippodrome Ruins

Developers will continue to dismantle ancient ruins on the site of the Roman Hippodrome after a judge overruled a temporary work cessation order to make way for a multi-million dollar gated community in the heart of downtown Beirut, according to the Beirut Report.

The work cessation order had been filed by activists from the Association to Protect Lebanese Heritage (APLH) in August.

In an interview with Beirut Report blogger and BBC contributor Habib Battah, the developer of the project, Marwan Kheireddine, who is also a current state minister said “The overall consensus is that what we found is not worth preserving…” adding that “some ‘90%’ of the hippodrome structure is gone.”

Meanwhile, activists say they are not giving up. Raja Noujeim, a member of the ALPH, was quoted as saying, “We are committed to protecting the hippodrome and the theater. This is a declaration of war.”