<b>Listen to the latest podcast on </b><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/podcasts/beyond-the-headlines/2021/08/04/the-blast-episode-3-the-day-beirut-exploded/"><b>the Beirut blast</b></a><b> here</b> On August 4 last year, Beirut was rocked by a <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2021/08/04/beirut-port-explosion-a-timeline-of-the-investigation-into-the-lebanese-disaster/" target="_blank">huge explosion</a>, caused by 2,750 tonnes of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/mena/ammonium-nitrate-the-everyday-fertiliser-behind-the-beirut-blast-1.1059172" target="_blank">ammonium nitrate</a> detonating at the city’s port. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/2021/08/04/one-year-on-still-no-closure-for-victims-of-the-beirut-blast/" target="_blank">The blast</a> killed 218 people, injured thousands more. It left much of the area close to <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comment/2021/08/03/a-year-after-the-beirut-port-blast-lebanons-struggle-and-surrender/" target="_blank">the port</a> in ruins, including the popular neighbourhoods of Gemmayze and Mar Mikhael. A year on, <i>The National</i> takes a look at how the city has changed. Click through the gallery above or check out the before-and-after photos below to see how much of Beirut has been rebuilt. And how much still lies in ruins.