Civil War Beirut

The building on the right was damaged extensively during the civil war, the building on the left has been refurbished.
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From 1975 to 1991, Lebanon was embroiled in a civil war primarily between different religious factions.  During that time, Beirut was ruled area-by-area by different militia loyal to one of the factions, and the city was divided by the infamous "Green Line" that separated Christian and Muslim Beirut.  Much of Beirut has been rebuilt since then, but you can still see some ravaged buildings scattered throughout the city (particularly near our hotel, which was along the Green Line) that give a sad reminder of those days and the suffering of the people during that time.  We looked at these buildings with the children, and Shazzam taught them the difference between damage caused by gunfire (it leaves small holes in the surface of the concrete, but doesn't usually penetrate) and the damage caused by RPGs (rocket propelled grenades), which blasts 2 to 10-foot diameter holes in the buildings.  The bullet holes were ubiquitous in most of the buildings that had not been refurbished.  The worst hit were buildings that had been abandoned by the owners and taken over by militia, of course the opposing militia would shoot the place down.  Perhaps 10% of the buildings in the Central Building District remain dilapidated, however the reconstruction of Beirut is tremendous, and many avenues have been rebuilt and there are no shortage of luxury hotels and fine restaurants (see "Beautiful Beirut"). 

bullet holes and RPGs