BEIRUT (LEBANON), PART ONE
Here is Part One of the Beirut pics. Due to the wars of recent decades, most (functional) buildings in Beirut are modern. Part Two has most of the ruins, mostly from the 1970s and 1980s (but one set of runs from Roman times). A few other Lebanon pics (including Beit Mery, on a mountain above Beirut) can be found here.

First, some coastal pics, including Pigeon Rock...







The Comiche...



Some wild hollyhocks in an open area near the coast...





Near the Comiche is the very scenic campus of the American University of Beirut...







View towards the Mediterranean...



A sizable banyan fig (Ficus benghalensis) on the AUB campus...







Very large Bougainvillea on the AUB campus...



Seems the very American-style banner is working...



Here is a recently built large pedestrian area downtown (it's a pedestrian mall for security reasons--cars are not allowed!)...







Near downtown is a new mosque, the Mohamed Al Amin...





A small garden near downtown...



Another modern neighborhood...



Beirut has a lot of restaurant diversity (unlike most of Syria and Jordan). Here's a Cuban restaurant (with, perhaps appropriately, Cuban royal palms, which are near their climatic limit here)...



The outskirts of Beirut (fashion billboards are quite popular in Lebanon)...



Another billboard (and a fairly large Indian laurel fig (Ficus nitida))...



There were definitely major traffic problems in Beirut!



All pictures were taken in April 2010 by Brandt Maxwell.

Go here for Part Two of Beirut (the ruins)

Go here for non-Beirut pics of Lebanon

Return to the Jordan/Syria/Lebanon Pics Page