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Beirut

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of the Middle
East

   Coordinates: 33°53′13″N, 35°30′47″E
                   Beirut
   بيروت‎
   Nejmeh Square in Central Beirut
   Nejmeh Square in Central Beirut
   Location in the Republic of Lebanon
   Location in the Republic of Lebanon
    Coordinates: 33°53′13″N, 35°30′47″E
     Governorate            Beirut
   Government
       -  Mayor     Abdel Mounim Ariss
   Area
        - City      19.8 km²  (7.7  sq mi)
   Population (2005)
        - City      1,574,397
        - Metro     1,792,111
      Time zone     +2 ( UTC)
    - Summer ( DST) +3 ( UTC)
          Website: City of Beirut

   Beirut (بيروت transliteration: Bayrūt) is the capital, largest city,
   and chief seaport of Lebanon. It is sometimes referred to by its French
   name, Beyrouth. There are wide-ranging estimates of Beirut's
   population, from as low as 938,940 people, to 1,303,129 people, to as
   high as 2,012,000. The lack of an exact figure is due to the fact that
   no "comprehensive" population census has been taken in Lebanon since
   1932.

   Beirut has regained its title as the commercial centre of the region.
   Beirut had undergone major reconstruction in recent years and has
   hosted the Francophonie and the Arab League summits in 2002. The city
   had been set to host the Jeux de la Francophonie (Francophone Games) in
   2009. Beirut has suffered setbacks in recent years, and many question
   if the city still retains the necessary ingredients for the rebirth it
   had planned.

   Beirut was considered as a possible candidate for the 2024 Summer
   Olympics games. The massive $1.2 billion Sannine Zenith project would
   have made Lebanon capable of holding the games.

   The city is home to numerous international organizations. The United
   Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is
   headquartered in Downtown Beirut while the International Labour
   Organization (ILO) and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific
   and Cultural Organization) both have regional offices in Beirut
   covering the Arab world. The Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) is
   also headquartered in Beirut.

   In Travel and Leisure magazine's 'World Best Awards 2006' Beirut was
   ranked the 9th (out of 10) city in the world, falling just short of New
   York City and coming ahead of San Francisco.

   Beirut has both developed and less developed neighborhoods. Its most
   famous religiously mixed neighborhoods are Zarif and Verdun; Saifi
   Village is its most prominent and expensive residential one (a bit too
   expensive, maybe, as approximately half the residential units still
   remain unsold). Its most prominent Christian neighborhoods are
   Achrafieh and Gemmayzih, which has lately become a 'hot' neighbourhood,
   full of trendy restaurants and cafes, and hip bars.

History

   Beirut Central District
   Beirut Central District
   Beirut, the Mediterranean, and snow-capped Mount Sannine
   Beirut, the Mediterranean, and snow-capped Mount Sannine
   Roman baths in Centre Ville, Beirut
   Roman baths in Centre Ville, Beirut

   Originally named Bêrūt "The Wells" by the Phoenicians, Beirut history
   goes back to more than 5000 years. Excavations in the Downtown of
   Beirut have unearthed layers of Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman, Arab
   and Ottoman civilizations. The first historical reference to Beirut
   dates from the 14th century BC, when it is mentioned in the cuneiform
   tablets of the " Amarna letters." Ammunira of Biruta-(Beirut) sent 3
   letters to the pharaoh of Egypt. Biruta is also referenced in the
   letters from Rib-Hadda of Byblos. The most ancient settlement was on an
   island in the river that progressively silted up. The city was known in
   antiquity as Berytus (see also List of traditional Greek place names);
   this name was taken in 1934 for the archaeological journal published by
   the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the American University of Beirut.

   In 140 BC, the city was taken and destroyed by Diodotus Tryphon in his
   contest with Antiochus VII Sidetes for the throne of the Seleucid
   monarchy. Beirut was soon rebuilt on a more regularized Hellenistic
   plan, renamed Laodicea in Phoenicia ( Greek: Λαοδικεια ή του Φοινίκη)
   or Laodicea in Canaan, in honour of a Seleucid Laodice. The modern city
   overlies the ancient one and little archaeology had been accomplished
   until after the end of the civil war in 1991; now large sites in the
   devastated city centre have been opened to archaeological exploration.
   A dig in 1994 established that one of Beirut's modern streets, Souk
   Tawile, still follows the lines of an ancient Hellenistic/Roman one.

   Mid- first century BC coins of Berytus bear the head of Tyche, goddess
   of fortune; on the reverse, the city's symbol appears: a dolphin
   entwines an anchor. This symbol was taken up by the early printer Aldus
   Manutius in 15th century Venice.

   Under the Romans it was enriched by the dynasty of Herod the Great,
   then made a colonia, Colonia Iulia Augusta Felix, in the late 1st
   century AD. Beirut's school of law was widely known at the time. Two of
   Rome's most famous jurists, Papinian and Ulpian, both natives of
   Phoenicia, taught at the law school under the Severan emperors. When
   Justinian assembled his Pandects in the 6th century, a large part of
   the corpus of laws were derived from these two jurists, and Justinian
   recognized the school as one of the three official law schools of the
   empire (533). Within a few years, as the result of a disastrous
   earthquake (551), the students were transferred to Sidon.

   Beirut passed to the Arabs in 635. As a trading centre of the eastern
   Mediterranean Beirut was overshadowed by Akka during the Middle Ages.
   From 1110 to 1291 it was in the hands of Crusader lords. No matter who
   was its nominal overlord, whether Turk or Mamluk, Beirut was ruled
   locally by Druze emirs. One of these, Fakr ed-Din Maan II, fortified it
   early in the 17th century, but the Ottomans retook it in 1763 and
   thenceforth, with the help of Damascus, Beirut successfully broke
   Akka's monopoly on Syrian maritime trade and for a few years supplanted
   it as the main trading centre in the region. During the succeeding
   epoch of rebellion against Ottoman hegemony at Akka under Jezzar and
   Abdullah pashas, Beirut declined to a small town (population about
   10,000), fought over among the Druze, the Turks and the pashas. After
   Ibrahim Pasha captured Akka in 1832, Beirut began its early modern
   revival. In 1888 Beirut was made capital of a vilayet in Syria,
   including the sanjaks Latakia, Tripoli, Beirut, Akka and Bekaa. Beirut
   became a very cosmopolitan city and had close links with Europe and the
   United States. Beirut became a centre of missionary activity, which was
   generally very unsuccessful in conversions (a massacre of Christians in
   1860 was the occasion for further European interventions), but did
   build an impressive education system. This include the Syrian
   Protestant College, which was established by American missionaries and
   eventually became the American University of Beirut (AUB). Beirut
   became the centre of Arab intellectual activity in the 19th century.
   Provided with water from a British company and gas from a French one,
   the city thrived on exporting silk grown on nearby Mount Lebanon. After
   French engineers established a modern harbour (1894) and a rail link
   across Lebanon to Damascus, and then to Aleppo (1907), much of the
   trade was carried by French ships to Marseille, and soon French
   influence in the area exceeded that of any other European power. In
   1911 the population mix was reported in the Encyclopædia Britannica as
   Muslims, 36,000; Christians, 77,000; Jews, 2500; Druze, 400;
   foreigners, 4100. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire following
   the First World War, Beirut, along with all of Lebanon was placed under
   the French Mandate.
   Downtown Beirut
   Downtown Beirut

   Lebanon achieved independence in 1943 and Beirut became its capital
   city. Beirut remained the intellectual capital of the Arab world and a
   major commercial and tourist centre until 1975 when a brutal civil war
   broke out in Lebanon. During most of the war, the city was divided
   between the largely Muslim west part and the Christian east. The
   central area of the city, previously the focus of much of the
   commercial and cultural activities, became a no-man's land. Many of the
   city's best and brightest inhabitants fled to other countries. In 1983
   French and US barracks were bombed, killing 302.

   Since the end of the war in 1989, the people of Lebanon have been
   rebuilding Beirut, and by the start of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
   the city had somewhat regained its status as a tourist, cultural, and
   intellectual center in the Middle East, as well as a centre for
   commerce, fashion, and media. However, many would say the city has lost
   its premier status, due to competition from places like Dubai and
   Cyprus in the fields of tourism, business, fashion, commerce, and
   banking. Reconstruction of downtown Beirut has been largely driven by
   Solidere, a development company established in 1994 by Hariri. Beirut
   is home to the international designer Elie Saab, jeweller Robert
   Moawad, and to some of the most popular and successful satellite
   television stations, such as LBC, Future TV, New TV and others. The
   city was host to the Asian Basketball Championship and the Asian
   Football Championship. Beirut also successfully hosted the Miss Europe
   pageant eight times, 1960-1964, 1999, 2001-2002.

   The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, in
   2005 in Beirut shook the entire country. The last Syrian troops
   withdrew from Beirut on April 26, 2005.

Religion

   Mosque and Church in Downtown Beirut
   Mosque and Church in Downtown Beirut

   Beirut is one of the most religiously diverse cities of the Middle
   East, with Muslims ( Sunni and Shi'ite), Christians ( Maronite
   Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian
   Catholics, Roman Catholics, Syriacs, Copts, Methodists, Protestants),
   Druze and atheists all having a significant presence. However, most of
   the Jews of Beirut emigrated to the United States when the Lebanese
   Civil War started in 1975, though there are also populations of
   Lebanese Jews in France and Brazil, one of the more famous ones being
   Edmond Safra. Many of the denominations are actually tiny minorities
   or, like the Jews, almost non-existent (estimates place the Jewish
   population at less than 30). The Armenian Catholics, Roman Catholics,
   Syriacs, and Copts all number in the thousands and have a negligible
   prescence when compared to the other religions. For all intents and
   purposes, Lebanon really only has 8 major religions (Sunni Muslims,
   Shiite Muslims, Druze, Maronite Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Greek
   Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholics, and Protestants).
   There is no counting of atheist people or non believers in Lebanon
   because of the predominance of religion in public life and in the
   governmental and administrative sphere.

   Beirut was torn apart during the Lebanese Civil War and was divided
   between the Muslim West Beirut and the Christian East. The city today
   has been reunited and rebuilt, and its Christian-Muslim balance
   remains, even if it is a precarious balance. Tensions remain high
   between the various groups. Some say these tensions always existed, and
   the 1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War brought those tensions out into the
   open. Today, there is still much tension, especially between the Sunni
   and Shiite Muslims.

   The patron god of Beirut in Phoenician mythology is Baal-Berit, also
   god of the sea.

Colleges and universities

   There are twenty-one universities in Beirut, including the American
   University of Beirut , Lebanese American University (originally, the
   first women's college in the Middle-East), University of Balamand,
   Notre Dame University], Université Saint-Joseph, Global University,
   Haigazian University, Lebanese University, Lebanese International
   University, Yves Saade University,Business and computer university
   {BCU}, American University College of Science and Technology, Middle
   East University, Beirut Arab University, the Near East School of
   Theology, and the Middle East Canadian Academy of Technology ( MECAT).

Geography

   Pigeon's Rock (Raouché)
   Pigeon's Rock (Raouché)

   Backed by the Mount Lebanon mountains, Beirut is situated on a spur
   where the narrow coastal plain projects into the Mediterranean Sea.
   Beirut's coast is rather diverse; rocky beaches, sandy shores, and
   cliffs are situated beside one another. Beirut is located halfway along
   the Lebanese coastline with Byblos and Tripoli to the North, and Sidon
   and Tyre to the South. The Lebanon Mountains surround much of Beirut,
   with Eastern Lebanon behind them. Its location makes it easy to reach
   from almost any location in Lebanon.

Transportation

   Pigeon's Rock, Beirut
   Pigeon's Rock, Beirut

   The city's airport, situated in the southern suburbs, was previously
   known as Beirut International Airport; in 2005 it was renamed Beirut
   Rafik Hariri International Airport in honour of the slain former prime
   minister, Rafik Hariri. The civilian airport was bombed by the Israeli
   military in July 2006 and was closed for two months. The airport
   reopened August 17, 2006. By land, the city has frequent bus
   connections to other cities in Lebanon and major cities in Syria; the
   latter are also served by either service or taxis. Buses for northern
   destinations and Syria leave from Charles Helou Station.

Arts & Fashion

   There are hundreds of art galleries in Beirut and its suburbs. Lebanese
   people are very involved in art and art production. More than 5000 fine
   art artists and equal artists working in music, design, architecture,
   theatre, movie industry, photography and all other forms of art are
   producing in Lebanon. Every year hundreds of fine art students graduate
   from universities and institutions. Artist Workshops are flourishing
   all around Lebanon. In Beirut specifically, the art scene is very rich,
   vibrant and diverse.

   On another scale, fashion and couture are very much thriving throughout
   the city. Fashion houses are opening up and a number of international
   fashion designers have displayed their work in various fashion shows.
   Beirut is home to international fashion designers such as Elie Saab,
   Zuhair Murad, and Georges Chakra.

Famous Births

     * Fairuz, emblematic singer of Lebanon, born in 1935.
     * Gibran Khalil Gibran, an international poet and philosopher who was
       born in 1883.
     * Andrew Saliba, basket-ball champion in Gatineau.
     * Keanu Reeves, Canadian actor.
     * Elie Saab, world famous Lebanese fashion designer.
     * Krikor Agapian, painter.
     * Péri Cochin, television show host.
     * Amin Maalouf, author born in 1949.
     * Mika, Singer and composer born in 1983.
     * Serj Tankian, Lead vocalist for the Los Angeles band, System of a
       Down.
     * Michel Elefteriades, Greek-Lebanese politician, artist, producer
       and businessman.
     * Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah, a Lebanese inventor in New york who was the
       pioneer of the solar cell. (not beirut)
     * K-Maro, Lebanese RnB singer born in Canada.
     * Massari, Lebanese Hip-Hop singer.
     * Camille Allam, Beirut artist, sculptor and also a musicologist.
     * Dom Joly, comedian and journalist.
     * Steve Kerr, 5 times NBA Champion

Sister cities

     * Flag of France Paris, France (1992)
     * Flag of Armenia Yerevan, Armenia
     * Flag of United States Los Angeles, USA (2006)
     * Flag of Brazil Vitória, Brazil
     * Flag of Brazil São Paulo, Brazil
     * Flag of Brazil Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
     * Flag of Canada Montreal, Canada
     * Flag of Cyprus Nicosia, Cyprus
     * Flag of Egypt Cairo, Egypt
     * Flag of Greece Athens, Greece
     * Flag of Turkey Istanbul, Turkey
     * Flag of United Arab Emirates Dubai, UAE

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beirut"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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