Beirut: Visiting The City That Witnessed Destruction Many Times

Beirut has been on the headlines for a long while due to the huge blasting destruction that occurred last year. Yet, Beirut has been one of the key spots for tourists and visitors to spend quality time there. That’s one thing why it is known as the ‘Paris of the Middle East’. From the numerous shopping spots to the historical and beautiful site seeing spots present there, this city evolved from plenty of wars and destruction.

While the rest was all history, last year’s disaster that happened in August 2020 was worth exploring more deeply, especially because it had impacted various important parts. So I decided to set out on my journey to explore and photograph Beirut, Lebanon, and explore it more after the destruction.

My Journey:

My plan to visit Beirut, Lebanon, was to fulfill a photography and documentation project that I had been performing with my partner The Heritage Management Organization and a local NGO; named Silat for Culture. More about this project and the locations I photographed will be published in future blogs. My overall visit to Lebanon comprised two weeks, in which I spent most of my time in Beirut. During this stay, I witnessed and photographed a few of the popular cityscapes in the city that included the details of the damaged areas and locations. To make sure my documenting and photography experience was the best, I brought my favorite photography gear including:

• Sony A7Rii camera
• Sony 16-35mm lens
• Sony 24-70mm lens
• Peak Design 30L backpack

Using the photography gear, I witnessed most of the details of the damage caused by the blasting incident. Since this massive blasting occurred in the warehouse in Beirut, it had impacted large parts of central Beirut, taking away most of its beauty and attractiveness.

Not just that, but this high force damage also massively impacted the nearby locations and buildings with visible destruction marks. With the home of tens of thousands of people was known to be damaged in this blast, it was even more tragic to witness such huge damage everywhere in the spots of central Beirut. Yet, the thing that was more tragic to witness was that some places in this city of history, war and beauty had witnessed losing its recognition, making them lose their worth completely in this blast.

Apart from all this, my visit was also focused on exploring the beauty of the cityscapes in this beautiful and historic city. Hence, I went along to balance the damaging site views and memories of the recent destruction this city has encountered by exploring its historical beauty. The best part was that I made sure it’s beauty was well explored by capturing the beauty of Beirut that is still left in its corners. For this, I explored ten cityscapes, including:

Setting Off:

From tragic to memorable and everlasting beauty, this trip to Beirut allowed me to witness all such emotions in a single journey. Especially because I stayed in a comfortable and convenient spot like Baffa House, I was also able to witness fun and comfort in a city that has long mourned over the loss of its architecture and citizen’s death since the past year.

Yet, after I had captured everything I needed for my project and to make my journey memorable in Beirut, it was time to set back to my journey back home. I ended my stay here with the hope that Beirut will soon restore itself as the home of thousands of people gradually over time – while holding another visible witness of destruction and strength inside its heart.