u/MelkartMagazine

The Raja Saab Chalet is a prominent example of mid-century modernist architecture located along the former Acapulco Beach in Ouzai, Lebanon. Designed by Lebanese architect Ferdinand Dagher and completed in 1953, the structure is widely recognized for its distinctive, futuristic shape, which earned it the local nickname of the "flying saucer" or "UFO."

Architecturally, the chalet is elevated entirely off the ground by four flared concrete pillars, lifting the cylindrical main body to maximize views of the Mediterranean coast. Access to the elevated living space is provided through a central, exposed spiral staircase wrapped in a minimal steel mesh. Inside, the layout features a ring-shaped floor plan that surrounds this central core, utilizing built-in mid-century fixtures and curved windows to optimize space and light. The building stands as a key historical artifact from Lebanon’s era of pre-war coastal development and architectural experimentation.

Source: Modern Architecture From Lebanon

Unable to tour the United States because of an American Federation of Musicians ban and moving through one of the most creative periods of their career, The Kinks accepted engagements in places that now seem unexpected. On 17 May 1969, one of those places was Beirut.

Read it here:
https://www.melkart.net/p/when-the-british-invasion-came-to

The Hope for Peace Monument (Espoir de Paix) in Yarze, near Baabda, is a 30-meter (98 foot) tall, 5,000-ton concrete sculpture created in 1995 by French-American artist Arman. Resembling a bombed-out building, it permanently encases 78 decommissioned military vehicles to symbolize an end to the 1975–1990 Lebanese Civil War.

Image 1: Wikimedia Commons
Images 2, 3, 4: post_vandalism on Instagram

The Hope for Peace Monument (Espoir de Paix) in Yarze, near Baabda, is a 30-meter (98 foot) tall, 5,000-ton concrete sculpture created in 1995 by French-American artist Arman. Resembling a bombed-out building, it permanently encases 78 decommissioned military vehicles to symbolize an end to the 1975–1990 Lebanese Civil War.

Image 1: Wikimedia Commons
Images 2, 3, 4: post_vandalism on Instagram

The Hope for Peace Monument (Espoir de Paix) in Yarze, near Baabda, is a 30-meter (98 foot) tall, 5,000-ton concrete sculpture created in 1995 by French-American artist Arman. Resembling a bombed-out building, it permanently encases 78 decommissioned military vehicles to symbolize an end to the 1975–1990 Lebanese Civil War.

Image 1: Wikimedia Commons
Images 2, 3, 4: post_vandalism on Instagram

Our Lady of Faqra Church was built in 1985, designed by the architect Raoul Verney (1930-2017). It is considered an architectural masterpiece due to its unique design.

The site on which the church is built is essentially a square divided into two sections: one containing an open-air church and a small, covered chapel, and the other containing two cultivated gardens, one with wheat and the other with grapes, symbolizing the Eucharist, namely bread and wine.

The church, with its square shape and construction of natural stone and raw cement, symbolizes the traditional Lebanese church. Its altar, facing east, represents the source from which humanity's salvation comes.

The roofed church has two side entrances beneath the bell tower, leading inside. It is small, accommodating no more than fifty people. Its altar is made of cement and surmounted by an image of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, above which stands a large wooden cross. In opposite corners, to the right and left, are the baptismal font and the confessional. Above the opposite walls, to the right and left, are artistic wooden panels symbolizing the Stations of the Cross.

On the eastern side, are two joined crosses, so that the shape of the cross can be seen from any direction. Opposite them, on the western side, is a unique concrete dome in the shape of a cube, with a geometric shape at its center — an empty sphere, devoid of the usual bell, to signify a pause.

Images and text by Gaby Reaidy

Our Lady of Faqra Church was built in 1985, designed by the architect Raoul Verney (1930-2017). It is considered an architectural masterpiece due to its unique design.

The site on which the church is built is essentially a square divided into two sections: one containing an open-air church and a small, covered chapel, and the other containing two cultivated gardens, one with wheat and the other with grapes, symbolizing the Eucharist, namely bread and wine.

The church, with its square shape and construction of natural stone and raw cement, symbolizes the traditional Lebanese church. Its altar, facing east, represents the source from which humanity's salvation comes.

The roofed church has two side entrances beneath the bell tower, leading inside. It is small, accommodating no more than fifty people. Its altar is made of cement and surmounted by an image of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, above which stands a large wooden cross. In opposite corners, to the right and left, are the baptismal font and the confessional. Above the opposite walls, to the right and left, are artistic wooden panels symbolizing the Stations of the Cross.

On the eastern side, are two joined crosses, so that the shape of the cross can be seen from any direction. Opposite them, on the western side, is a unique concrete dome in the shape of a cube, with a geometric shape at its center — an empty sphere, devoid of the usual bell, to signify a pause.

Images and text by Gaby Reaidy

Our Lady of Faqra Church was built in 1985, designed by the architect Raoul Verney (1930-2017).

The site on which the church is built is essentially a square divided into two sections: one containing an open-air church and a small, covered chapel, and the other containing two cultivated gardens, one with wheat and the other with grapes, symbolizing the Eucharist, namely bread and wine.

The church, with its square shape and construction of natural stone and raw cement, symbolizes the traditional Lebanese church. Its altar, facing east, represents the source from which humanity's salvation comes.

The roofed church has two side entrances beneath the bell tower, leading inside. It is small, accommodating no more than fifty people. Its altar is made of cement and surmounted by an image of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, above which stands a large wooden cross. In opposite corners, to the right and left, are the baptismal font and the confessional. Above the opposite walls, to the right and left, are artistic wooden panels symbolizing the Stations of the Cross.

On the eastern side, are two joined crosses, so that the shape of the cross can be seen from any direction. Opposite them, on the western side, is a unique concrete dome in the shape of a cube, with a geometric shape at its center — an empty sphere, devoid of the usual bell, to signify a pause.

Images and text by Gaby Reaidy.

Perched along the Beirut skyline stands one of the city's most overlooked modernist landmarks — the Ministry of Information and Radio Liban building. Completed in the late 1950s and inaugurated in 1961, it reflects a time when Lebanon believed in progress, culture, and ambition.

Founded in 1938 as Radio al-Sharq and later Mahattat al-Iza'a al-Lubnaniya, the station grew with Siemens' support to seven studios, a recording library, and a transmission station.
Its move to this modernist headquarters marked a new era in Lebanese broadcasting, becoming a beacon of information, music, and culture.

At its heart lies Studio Fairouz, a large studio designed like an amphitheater capable of hosting over 50 musicians. Here, Fairouz created some of her most memorable works. Other studios honor Halim El Roumi and Nasri Chams El Dine.

The Arabic section gave Lebanon legendary voices like Ryad Charara, Gaby Lteif, Souad Karout El Achi, Sonia Beirouty, and unforgettable radio dramas with Abdel Majid Majzoub, Wahid Jalal, and others. The English and French sections also left their mark — Alain Plisson, Yvette Sursock, Nanette Ziadeh, John Bassil, Michelle Defreige.

Through war, silence, and revival, Radio Liban remains a living archive of Lebanon's soul.

Images and text by Lance Aramouny.