Historic Urban Landscapes as an Approach to Cultural Heritage Identification in Beirut Blast Damaged Areas

Within the framework of the UNESCO project “Identifying Cultural Heritage Attributes in Beirut Blast Damaged Areas” and in close consultation with the Directorate General for Antiquities, the Beirut Urban Lab is organizing an information session titled "Historic Urban Landscapes as an Approach to Cultural Heritage Identification in Beirut Blast Damaged Areas". The explosion of the Port of Beirut led to an irreversible loss of life and damaged properties including the urban heritage of the surrounding neighborhoods, a cultural landscape that dates back to the second half of the 19th Century when Beirut started its expansion outside the walls. These neighborhoods damaged by the blast were already threatened by predatory real-estate pressure and insufficient protection laws that focus on isolated buildings rather than built environment as a whole. The HUL Recommendation, this year reaching its 10th anniversary, understands the area “as a result of the historic layering of cultural and natural values and attributes”.


Therefore, the session will address the following questions:
What is Historical Landscape in the Beiruti context?
What are its layers and drivers for change?
And how can we identify its key attributes in the selected historic quarters of Beirut most impacted by the blast?

Date and Time Options

Option 1: Thursday November 11th, 2021 @ 12:00pm
Location: online
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88129215863?pwd=VUFoM1NWcUpLdG9OOTNjSFYzWkEvdz09
Meeting ID: 881 2921 5863
Passcode: 101585

Option 2: Thursday November 11th, 2021 @ 5:00pm
Location: online
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88489898494?pwd=dnJzdkZ4SzAyb0I4N01ib3g5WlFPQT09
Meeting ID: 884 8989 8494
Passcode: 661159

This Information Session is part of a greater study that aims to identify and map cultural heritage in the blast-impacted area of Beirut in view of setting an action plan for the protection and sustainable management of the historic urban landscape of these areas.

The aim of the session is to present the UNESCO Historical Urban Landscape approach and methodology and how it applies to Beirut within a framework of identified layers, values, and attributes.