Laurence Mackinvisits a city doing its utmost to regain its position as the most glamorous capital in the Middle East
IF YOU WANT to understand Beirut, look no further than its drivers, says Fadi Mogabgab. In his art gallery and studio, just off the chaotic city centre strip of Gemmayze, he is discussing some of his astonishing artistic discoveries, some local, some foreign. Two of his dogs are snuffling around, delighted from the previous day’s quail hunting in the mountains.
Outside, drivers race through the city, horns rudely bleating, ducking and weaving between lanes with the finesse of welterweight boxers. Lights are methodically ignored, the police do little to stop it, and somehow the city endures. It is anarchy. Or, if you look at it a different way, freedom.
“Here you are free,” insists Mogabgab. “No one can tell you anything. You are fully responsible for your behaviour, which always keeps you much smarter. We drive like crazy, but there aren’t more accidents than in any other country, even though we don’t respect the red light. That does not mean we are stupid. It’s the opposite.
“You have to 100 per cent use your common sense. You are responsible for yourself. In occidental countries and north American countries, to me the people became almost like robots. They are now used to relying on someone else, which is the government or the state.”
This is the Beiruti mindset. Fiercely individual, ambitious in business, but calculated, not reckless, as Mogabgab sees it. And this has built a thrilling city, of opportunities, of chaos, of glamour and elegance, with ruins and rubble creating dusty pockets amid the shimmering towers of downtown glass.
BEIRUT IS perhaps best known for the wrong reasons, its civil war and the simmering tension with Syria and Israel. The hints of recent history are everywhere. Armed soldiers patrol street corners, and no upmarket hotel lobby is without an X-ray machine. The upshot is that this is one of the safest cities to visit – wandering around late at night, the only hassle we get is from ambitious Formula-One wannabe taxi drivers, hungry for business.
The most poignant and tangible reminder of the Lebanese civil war is the Holiday Inn – during the conflict, from 1975 to 1990, whoever controlled the Holiday Inn held the city. Its desolate hulk sits at the top of the Green Line, and was a favourite target of snipers. Now, the area beneath it is being transformed.
Glinting steel monoliths sit cheek by jowl with war-ravaged buildings, their aged, elegant architecture skewered by bullet holes – the government has no authority to take over sites or buildings abandoned by owners. They slowly crumble like rotten teeth, worth millions in a city that is attempting to regain its position as the most glamorous capital in the Middle East.
It will not have long to wait. Beirut is awash with money. The Lebanese famed business acumen means the streets are thronged with luxury vehicles. You can’t put down a Ferrari in this town without first picking up a pair of Porsches. At the weekends, an influx of rich Arab neighbours brings a weekly injection of extra glamour, in a city that has no need of it.
Beirutis stride confidently from their preposterous 4x4s on most evenings, tossing the keys to a valet who has the terrifying job of finding a parking space in a city snared with gridlock. Rarely have I felt scruffier on a Saturday night than in one of Gemmayze’s or Rue Monot’s glittering night spots, thronged by dusky, gazelle-like beauties and sharply elegant men, in shirts ironed to a knife’s edge.
Lebanon is not all glamour and glitz. The American University of Beirut, an elegant, green campus where Brian Keenan taught before he was abducted in 1986, is at the heart of one of the most thriving parts of the city, around the streets of Hamra. Here, it feels more everyday, with shabby student bars vying for space with chain shops and small traders, and little pockets of preserved buildings lending an air of permanent, refined turbulence.
Most days, the city is at a noisy standstill. The pavements are broken and a nightmare to negotiate. The horns and beeps are incessant, the heat, even in October, is stultifying. But outside of this downtown excitement, there are more ancient stories to be told.
North of Beirut is Byblos (Jbeil on local signs). Founded around 5,000 BC, the town gets more than a few honourable mentions in the Bible (to which it allegedly loaned its name) and it is here that writing was supposedly invented. It claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, and it has a charm and sense of purpose that is tangible in its ochre streets. We wander for an afternoon through its ancient alleyways, a rare pleasure topped off by a magnificent seafood lunch in Pepe’s. A stroll through the Roman ruins, as the sun slips heavily into the wine-dark Mediterranean, makes this refuge feel timeless.
Lebanon’s countryside is smeared with Rome’s fingerprints. In the Bekaa Valley, on a baking hot afternoon, perhaps 40 tourists have struggled through the heat to take in Baalbek, one of the most astonishing collections of Roman buildings still in existence. A series of columns hold firm, their monumental 20m height giving a spine -shivering hint of how intimidating the grandeur of Rome’s achievements must have been. Yet the Roman empire crumbled, and somehow tiny pockets, such as Byblos, survive.
PERHAPS THE most famous symbol of Lebanon is its cedar trees, and high in the hills near the village of Tannourine, a small but well maintained network of paths has been cut through the forest. I show up in the early morning and take a map from the entrance hut. During the next few hours of solitary walking, I have only sighing cedars and the odd Israeli jet far overhead for company.
All of these sights are within easy reach of the city, which sprawls along the coastline. Public transport is tricky to decipher and buses are unpopular, so most tourists hire cars (you will need the gods or Sebastian Vettel on your side) or travel by taxi. Most taxi drivers quote rates for the day, with $100 (€74) fairly standard after a bit of bargaining.
Fadi, a mustachioed man in his early 50s with a fondness for cigarettes and Julio Iglesias, hares around the streets in typical Beiruti fashion, his hand only straying from the horn to light up or slap another tape in the deck. Previously, his family had a ceramics factory, making tableware for Tefal, but it was destroyed in an Israeli bombardment, and he also lost his father. Now he drives a taxi and like most Lebanese, ever the businessman, he is keen to start his own company. But since the death of his father, banks have been unwilling to lend him money so, for the moment, he is a sole operator.
In a decent day’s driving we take in Byblos, a few viewpoints along the way, and the caves at Jeita. These karstic limestone caverns peak at 120m in height, with a stunning collection of rock formations, including the world’s largest stalactite. The lower caves are not always accessible, and have to be navigated by boat, which is a spooky, thrilling experience.
Back in the city, as the sun sets, families head for the Corniche promenade, strolling arm in arm in ceaseless conversation, or fishing and swimming off the rocks, taking breaks to puff from Nargileh pipes in their cars. Children shriek and dive in the water, while adults sit and stare, admiring the elegance of their neighbours.
Beirut hustles and bustles, it threatens to break at the seams, and is home to some of the friendliest people in the world. It has been earning a living as the most vibrant, chaotic and fascinating city in this region since well before the time of Christ, and it’s not about to change now.
Where to stay, where to eat and where to go in Beirut
5 places to stay
1. Intercontinental Phoenicia. Minet El Hosn, 00-961-1-369100, phoenicia-ic.com. The most historic hotel in Beirut offers world-class five-star comfort in the downtown area in a thriving atmosphere. Within a week of my stay there, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and 50 Cent had been through its doors. Rooms from €315.
2. Le Gray. Martyrs’ Square, Downtown, 00-961-1-971111, campbellgrayhotels.com. This hotel is part of the spectacular chain that owns London’s One Aldwych. It is achingly hip and oozes modern style. The top-floor Bar ThreeSixty is also a must for its night-time views of the city. Rooms from €255.
3. Four Seasons. Professor Wafic Sinno Avenue, 00-961-1-761000, fourseasons.com/beirut/. The Four Seasons is one of the latest top-tier brands to call Beirut home. It offers all the comfort and style you would expect from this high-level brand. Rooms from €275.
4. Etoile Suites. Hussain Al Ahdab Street, Solidere, 00-961-1-976197, etoilesuites.com. This is an interesting alternative in a fantastic location, aimed at the business traveller. Rooms are large, but don’t let its “five stars” fool you – there is no gym or fitness centre. Rooms from €140.
5. Mövenpick Hotel and Resort. General de Gaulle Avenue, 00-961-1-869666, moevenpick-hotels.com. This is an extensive resort that would suit families, as on-site restaurants, leisure facilities and private beaches mean most people won’t want to step outside its seafront grounds. Rooms from €205.
5 places to eat
1. Tawlet. Sector 79 Naher Street, No 12, Chaloub Building, 00-961-1-448129, soukeltayeb.com. Lebanon is famed for its food and rightly so. No one does vegetarian dishes and fresh, simple ingredients better. This intriguing restaurant operates an all-you-can-eat lunch, with farmers coming to town to cook on a rotating basis.
2. Le Chef. Rue Gouraud, Gemmayze. 00-961-1-446769. Stroll within 20 feet of this down-at-heel eatery and the owner will boom “welcome” at you out the door. But don’t let the odd lighting and cheap prices fool you. This is great food and a terrific alternative to the pricier, posher restaurants nearby.
3. Margherita. Rue Gouraud, Gemmayze, 00-961-1-560480, pizzeriamargherita.com. If the beautiful hummous and crisp salads become too much, and all you want is a cracking pizza, this buzzy joint won’t disappoint.
4. Ferdinand. Rue Mahatma Gandhi, near the intersection with Hamra, 00-961-1-355955. Without doubt one of the hippest bars in town, Ferdinand has a much more relaxed feel, thanks to its slightly younger crowd, terrific music and cheap and cheerful bar food.
5. Chez Pepe (Byblos Fishing Club). Byblos Harbour (42km outside Beirut), 00-961-9-540213. Anyone who has been to Byblos has eaten at Pepe’s and those who haven’t have lived to regret it. Grab a table and opt for as much seafood as you can imagine, while soaking up a harbour that has thousands of years of history to reflect on.
5 places to go
1. Gemmayze. The heart of Beirut’s nightlife is on Rue Gouraud, where hole-in-the-wall bars compete with the slickest nightclubs imaginable for your drinking dollars.
2. The Corniche. Pigeon Rocks, off Avenue du Generale de Galle. These huge rock formations are one of the most popular tourist snapshots in Beirut, and a walk along the Corniche in the evening is as much a part of Beirut city life as eating and talking.
3. Robert Mouawad Museum. Army Road, Zokak el Blat, 00-961-1-980970, rmpm.info. The collection in this museum is eclectic and fascinating, and was created by the famous jeweller Robert Mouawad. It ranges from Phoenician artifacts and pre-Christian tombs to the world’s most expensive bra and second-largest diamond. The building is also more beautiful than the glittering gems it houses.
4. National Museum. Damascus Street, 00-961-1-380810, beirutnationalmuseum.com. This is a fascinating collection of ancient artifacts, and the beauty is in the curation: the limited number of items on display means you never feel overwhelmed.
5. Byblos. 42km north of Beirut. Go for the food, get lost in the souks, wander around the ruins – the perfect half-day trip when you need a break from the Beirut madness.
Hot spot
Music Hall. Starco Center, Omar Daouk Street, 00-961-3-807555. Why have one concert when you can have a dozen? This theatre-style nightclub offers live music that changes every 20 minutes, with bands from all around the world on the bill. You never quite know what you are going to get and its genius is in the variety. This is a firm Beiruti favourite, so make sure to book in advance.
Shop spot
Beirut Souks. Downtown, Solidere. After the civil war ended in 1990, a private called Solidere took over a large swathe of the downtown area and rebuilt it from scratch. The result is pristine streets that are heavily policed and perhaps a little soulless, but the Souks section is proving a hit in this controversial project – street after street of designer fashion with a selection of shops that would put any European or US city to shame.
Go there
BMI (flybmi.com) flies to Beirut via London Heathrow, Air France (airfrance.ie) flies via Paris Charles de Gaulle and Lufthansa (lufthansa. com) flies via Frankfurt.
Laurence Mackin was a guest of BMI (flybmi.com)