Monday, January 16, 2012

Death toll in Beirut building collapse rises to 20

Official name Beirut
Other name Beyrut(Turkish)
Native name ????? Bayr?t
Other name Beyrouth (French)
City motto BERYTUS NUTRIX LEGUM (Latin)
Image seal BlasonBeyrouth4.jpg
Map caption Location in Lebanon. The surrounding district can be seen on the map.
Pushpin map Lebanon
Pushpin mapsize 300
Coordinates region LB
Subdivision type Country
Subdivision type1 Governorate
Subdivision name Lebanon
Subdivision name1 Beirut, Capital City
Leader title Mayor
Leader name Bilal Hamad
area total km2 20
area urban km2 100
area metro km2 200
population total 750000
population urban 1900000
population metro 2250000 ~ 3000000
Timezone +2
Timezone dst +3
Latitude 33�53' N
Longitude 35�30' E
Website City of Beirut
Footnotes }}
Beirut ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population ranging from some 1�million to more than 2�million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan Area, which consists of the city and its suburbs. The first mention of this metropolis is found in the ancient Egyptian Tell el Amarna letters, dating to the 15th century BC, and the city has been continuously inhabited since.

Beirut holds Lebanon's seat of government, and plays a central role in the Lebanese economy with its city centre, Hamra, Verdun, and Ashrafieh-based corporate firms and banks. The city is the focal point of the region's cultural life, renowned for its press, theatres, cultural activities, and nightlife. After the destructive Lebanese civil war, Beirut underwent major reconstruction, and the redesigned historic city centre, marina, pubs and nightlife districts have once again rendered it a tourist attraction. Beirut was named the top place to visit in 2009 by The New York Times. It was also listed as one of the ten liveliest cities in the world by Lonely Planet in 2009.

In 2011, MasterCard Index revealed that Beirut has the second highest visiting spending levels in the Middle East and Africa. Dubai came in first with $7.8 billion, followed by Beirut with $6.5 billion, Tel Aviv with $3.8 billion, Cairo at $3.7 billion and Johannesburg with $3.3 billion. At the same time it was listed as the ninth most visited and as such it's still considered a "high-end" destination.

Archaeology and Prehistory

Several prehistoric archaeological sites were discovered within the urban area of Beirut, revealing flint tools of sequential periods dating from the Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic, through the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.

Beirut I or Minet el Hosn was listed as "Beyrouth ville" by L. Burkhalter and said to be on the beach near the Orent and Bassoul Hotels in central Beirut on the Avenue de Fran�ais. The site was discovered by Lortet in 1894 and discussed by Jesuit Father Godefroy Zumoffen in 1900. The flint industry from the site was described as Mousterian and is held by the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon.

Beirut II or Um el Khatib was suggested by L. Burkhalter to have been north of Tarik el Jedideh, where P.E. Gigues discovered an �n�olithique (Chalcolithic) flint industry at around one hundred meters above sea level. The site was built on and destroyed by 1948.

Beirut III, Furn esh Shebbak or Plateau Tabet was suggested to have been located on the left bank of the Nahr Beirut river. L. Burkhalter suggested that it was west of the Damascus road although this determination has faced criticism by Lorraine Copeland. P. E. Gigues discovered a series of Neolithic flint tools on the surface along with the remains of a structure suggested to be a hut circle. Auguste Bergy also discussed polished axes that were found at this site which has now completely disappeared due to construction and urbanization of the area.

Beirut IV or Furn esh Shebbak, river banks was also on the left bank of the river and on either side of the road leading eastwards from the Furn esh Shebbak Police Station towards the river that marked the city limits. The area was covered in red sand that represented Quaternary river terraces. The site was found by Jesuit Father Dillenseger and published by fellow Jesuits; Godefroy Zumoffen, Raoul Describes and Auguste Bergy. Collections from the site were made by Bergy, Describes and another member of the Society of Jesus, Paul Bovier-Lapierre. A large number of Middle Paleolithic flint tools were found on the surface and side gullies that drain into the river. These included around 50 varied bifaces accredited to the Acheulean period, some with a lustrous sheen, now held at the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory. Henri Fleisch also found an Emireh point amongst material from the site, which has now disappeared beneath buildings.

Beirut V or Nahr Beirut was discovered by Father Dillenseger and said to be in an orchard of Mulberry trees on the left bank of the river, near the mouth and said to be close to the railway station and bridge to Tripoli. Levallois flints and bones were found amongst brecciated deposits along with similar surface material. The area has now been built on.

Beirut VI or Patriarchate was a site discovered during building operations, somewhere on the property of the Lebanese Evangelical School for Girls in Beirut's Patriarchate area. It was notable for the discovery of a finely styled Canaanean blade javelin suggested to date to the N�olithique Ancien or N�olithique Moyen periods of Byblos and held in the school library.

Beirut VII or Rivoli Cinema and Byblos Cinema sites near the Bourj in the Rue el Arz area are two sites discovered by Lorraine Copeland and Peter Wescombe in 1964 and examined by Diana Kirkbride and Roger Saidah. One site was behind the parking lot of the "Byblos" Cinema and showed collapsed walls, pits, floors, charcoal, pottery and flints. The other overlooking a cliff west of the "Rivoli" Cinema was composed of three layers resting on limestone bedrock. Fragments of blades and broad flakes were recovered from the first layer of black soil, above which some Bronze Age pottery was recovered in a layer of grey soil. Pieces of Roman pottery and mosaics were found in the upper layer. Middle Bronze Age tombs were found in this area and the ancient tell of Beirut is thought to be in the Borj area.

History

Beirut's history goes back more than 5000 years. According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, the antiquity of Beirut is indicated by its name, derived from the Canaanite name of Be'erot (wells), referring to the underground water table that is still tapped by the local inhabitants for general use. Excavations in the downtown area have unearthed layers of Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Crusader and Ottoman remains. 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 three 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, this name was taken in 1934 for the archaeological journal published by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the American University of Beirut.

Hellenistic/Roman period

In 140 BC the city was 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 () or Laodicea in Canaan, in honor 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 center 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 and Roman one.

Mid-first century 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. Beirut was conquered by Agrippa in 64 BC and the city was renamed in honor of the emperor's daughter, Julia; its full name became Colonia Julia Augusta Felix Berytus. The veterans of two Roman legions were established in the city: the fifth Macedonian and the third Gallic. The city quickly became Romanized. Large public buildings and monuments were erected and Berytus enjoyed full status as a part of the empire.

Under the Romans, it was enriched by the dynasty of Herod the Great, and was made a colonia, Colonia Iulia Augusta Felix Berytus, in 14 BC. 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. About 30,000 were killed in Berytus alone and, along the Phoenician coast, total casualties were close to 250,000.

Middle Ages

Beirut passed to Arabs in 635. It was ruled by the Arslan (Turkish meaning "Lion") family (Arab origin from Yemen, relatives through marriage, descendants of the Lakhmids) for 477 years (635?1110). "Prince Arslan bin al-Mundhir" founded the Principality of Sin-el-Fil in 759 AD in Beirut. This Principality was the base of the afterwards "Principality of Mount Lebanon" who was the base of the establishment of "Greater Lebanon" (Lebanon today). 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 the Crusaders Kingdom of Jerusalem. John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut (1179?1236) rebuilt the city after the battles with Saladin, and also built the Ibelin family palace in Beirut.

Ottoman rule

Beirut was controlled by local Druze emirs throughout the Ottoman period. One of these, Fakr ed-Din Maan II, fortified it early in the 17th century, but the Ottomans retook it in 1763. 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), and was an object of contention between the Ottomans, the local Druze, and the Mamluks. After Ibrahim Pasha captured Akka in 1832, Beirut began its revival.

By the second half of the nineteenth century, Beirut was in the process of developing close commercial and political ties with European imperial powers, France in particular. European interests in Lebanese silk and other export products transformed the city into a major port and commercial centre. Meanwhile, Ottoman power in the region continued to decline. Sectarian and religious conflicts, power vacuums, and changes in the political dynamics of the region culminated in the 1860 Lebanon conflict. Beirut became a destination for Maronite Christian refugees fleeing from the worst areas of the fighting on Mount Lebanon and in Damascus. This in turn altered the ethnic composition of Beirut itself, sowing the seeds of future ethnic and religious troubles there and in greater Lebanon. However, Beirut was able to prosper in the meantime. This was again a product of European intervention, and also a general realization amongst the city's residents that commerce, trade, and prosperity depended on domestic stability.

In 1888, Beirut was made capital of a vilayet in Syria, including the sanjaks Latakia, Tripoli, Beirut, Akka and Bekaa. By this time, Beirut had grown into a very cosmopolitan city, and had close links with Europe and the United States. Beirut also became a centre of missionary activity that spawned impressive educational institutions, such as the American University of Beirut. Provided with water from a British company and gas from a French one, silk exports to Europe came to dominate the local economy. After French engineers established a modern harbor (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. French influence in the area soon exceeded that of any other European power. In 1911, the population mix was reported in the Encyclop�dia Britannica as Muslims, 36,000; Christians, 77,000; Jews, 2500; Druze, 400; foreigners, 4100.

Modern era

After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire following World War I Beirut, along with the rest of Lebanon, was placed under the French Mandate. After Lebanon achieved independence in 1943, Beirut became its capital city. The city remained a regional intellectual capital, becoming a major tourist destination, and a banking haven especially for the Persian Gulf Oil Boom. This era of relative prosperity ended in 1975 when the Lebanese Civil War broke out throughout the country. During most of the war, Beirut was divided between a Muslim west part and the Christian east. The downtown area, previously the home of much of the city's commercial and cultural activities, became a no man's land known as the "Green Line." Many inhabitants fled to other countries. About 60,000 people died in the first two years of the war (1975?1976), and much of the city was devastated. One particularly destructive period was the 1978 Syrian siege against Achrafiyeh, the main Christian district of Beirut. Syrian troops relentlessly bombed the eastern quarter of the city, whereby Christian militias managed to counter and defeat multiple attempts by Syria's elite forces to capture the strategic area, in a three months campaign later known as the "100 days war." Another destructive chapter was the 1982 Israeli invasion, during which most of West Beirut was under siege by Israeli troops. In 1983, French and US barracks were bombed by Hezbollah, killing 241 American servicemen, 58 French servicemen, 6 civilians and the 2 suicide bombers.

Since the end of the war in 1990, 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 centre in the Middle East, as well as a centre for commerce, fashion, and media. Reconstruction of downtown Beirut has been largely driven by Solidere, a development company established in 1994 by Rafik Hariri. Beirut is home to the international designer Elie Saab, jeweller Robert Moawad, and to some popular satellite television stations, such as Future TV, New TV and others. The city was host to the Asian Club Basketball Championship and the Asian Football Cup. Beirut also successfully hosted the Miss Europe pageant eight times, 1960?1964, 1999, 2001?2002.

The 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri near the Saint George Bay in Beirut shook the entire country. Approximately one million people gathered for an opposition rally in Beirut, a month after the death of Hariri. The "Cedar Revolution" was the largest rally in Lebanon's history at that time. The last Syrian troops withdrew from Beirut on 26 April 2005. The two countries established diplomatic relations on 15 October 2008. During the 2006 Lebanon War, however, Israeli bombardments seeking Hezbollah targets resulted in damage in many parts of Beirut, especially the poorer and largely Shiite South Beirut, which is controlled by Hezbollah. In May 2008, violent clashes broke out in Beirut, after the government decided to disband Hezbollah's network of communications (which it later rescinded), between the government allies that were relocated in the capital and the forces of the opposition briefly before handing it over to the control of the Lebanese Army.

In the aftermath of these events, all clashing parties travelled to the Qatari capital, Doha, in a national dialogue conference after an invitation from the prince of the country. On the conclusion of the meeting, many decisions were reached, the appointment of a new president of the country, and the establishment of a new national government with all the political adversaries involved. As a result the opposition's camp in the capital was removed, something underlined in the Doha Agreement.

Geography

Beirut is positioned on a peninsula extending westward into the Mediterranean Sea, about north of the Lebanon-Israel border. The city is flanked by the Lebanon mountains; it has taken on a triangular shape, largely influenced by its situation between and atop two hills: Al-Ashrafieh and Al-Musaytibah. The Beirut Governorate area is of , and the city's metropolitan area is of . Beirut's coast is rather diverse; rocky beaches, sandy shores, and cliffs are situated beside one another.

Climate

Beirut has a Mediterranean climate characterized by a hot, dry summer, a pleasant autumn and spring, and a cool, rainy winter. August is the hottest month, with a monthly average high temperature of 29��C (84��F), and January and February are the coldest months with a monthly average low temperature of 10��C (50��F). During the afternoon and evening, the prevailing wind direction is from the west, i.e., onshore, or inland from the Mediterranean Sea; at night the wind direction reverses to offshore, i.e., blowing from the land out to the sea.

The average annual rainfall is 860 millimetres (34.1�inches), virtually all of which falls in winter, autumn and spring. Much of the rain in autumn and spring falls on a limited number of days in heavy downpours. In winter, however, the rain is more evenly spread over a large number of days. Summer receives very little (if any) rainfall. Snow in Beirut is rare and usually occurs without accumulation. However, hail and sleet can occur quite frequently in winter. Exceptions are 3 big snowstorms that occurred in 1920, 1942 and 1950.

|source 2 = World Meteorological Organisation (UN)|date=August 2010 }}

Quarters and sectors

Beirut is divided into 12 municipality recognized quarters (quartiers):

Source: http://article.wn.com/view/2012/01/16/Death_toll_in_Beirut_building_collapse_rises_to_20/

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