by Samira Ezzo
Throughout the recent history of the city Beirut, a lot of changes happened to it that lead people to adapt continuously from one hardship to another. One of these hardships is the “Lebanese Civil War” or “Lebanese War” or “war of others on Lebanese lands” (we do not agree on its name till now as Lebanese citizens) for 15 years from 1975 till 1990. But a person who was born post-this war as I am, has a lot of questions on a part of history that my grandparents, parents, and some older friends lived in which they share little about, even such a war was not discussed academically in my school, turns out that until now there is no agreed narratives on this war by the Lebanese Ministry of Education. This is when I turned my curiosity to research in all its forms and decided to activate it through guided tours in Beirut along the green line, the previous demarcation line that separated Beirut into 2 halves, a west and east, during the Lebanese Civil War.
visiting “Re-city” installation from Allo Beirut exhibition at Beit Beirut Museum during the Green Line Walking Tour, picture by Dunia Sobh
“I always walk those streets on my way to work, but I never noticed all of those details or stories..”, this is one of the comments I get at the end of my weekly guided tour, The Green Line Walking Tour. Not only tourists of foreign nationalities join this tour, but curious locals (domestic visitors) as well who have a lot of questions or even those who lived parts of this war during the 1980’s and they share their testimonials as we move from one itinerary to the other. It’s all about wandering those streets while keeping an open eye and mind on any incoming stories, an old poster, an art mural, old craftsmen shops… Beirut is like a wonder box full of stories at every corner.
“Connections” mural by Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada during the Green Line Walking Tour, taken by Dunia Sobh
Walking the city for some hours on a weekend, while listening to stories related to the war and a sprinkle of the restoration projects post-war is not only what we do, as we do some urbexing. “Urban exploration is the exploration of manmade structures, usually abandoned ruins or hidden components of the manmade environment.” In this guided tour not only are spaces turned alive by stories, but also we experience the city’s architectural and urban expansions through the abandoned heritage houses we visit. As with wars, demographics are always changing with new architectural styles being introduced that reflect on the social norms changing with time.
inside Prince building on Damascus Street during the Green Line Walking Tour, taken by Dunia Sobh
To understand the city Beirut, such guided tours are always needed, with so much to experience from recent history, urbexing, culinary heritage… and reservations are happening online through social media platforms on Facebook and Instagram where the registration link is found, and all inquiries are answered. But it’s always encouraging when I read the reviews that the tour attendees post on Google Reviews.
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Samira Ezzo, founder of Layers of Lebanon, is an aspiring entrepreneur dedicated to narrating the stories of Lebanese cities through guided tours. Armed with a Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature, she is currently pursuing a Tourism Guidance degree at the Lebanese University. In just three semesters, she will graduate as a licensed tour guide recognized by the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism. Formerly an English teacher since 2019, Samira served in public and private schools, and later as the Learning Resources Center Coordinator at Al-Hayat International School, specializing in IB curriculum. For three years, she focused on teaching, workshops, and promoting literacy. In 2022, she shifted her focus to tour guiding, crafting social media content and articles about cultural and historical topics in Beirut. In 2019, she curated and led the Green Line Walking Tour under Layers of Lebanon, and still does on almost a weekly basis.
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