In pictures: For better or worse, Beirut’s skyline is changing

Lebanon’s enchanting Ottoman and colonial French-style buildings once represented Beirut’s rich history, withstanding years of civil war and invasions only to be demolished in peace time by investors..

Beirut is no different than Dubai, Doha or other major world cities overtaken by a global trend for modern, tall buildings. But in a country that prides itself on its rich history, many complain that Lebanon is losing its charm and character.

A famously scenic Mediterranean city surrounded by once lush mountains, Beirut may soon be overrun with buildings — all at the expense of green parks and pedestrian areas. Robert Saliba, professor of architecture and urban planning at the American University of Beirut, said Beirut always has been attractive for investors because of its cultural diversity and free spirit.

Beirut is fast becoming saturated, says Robert Saliba, a city often said to provide the smallest ratio of open spaces for its inhabitants in the world.

It is a transformation that those familiar with the city can barely keep up with.

Tall buildings stick out at odd lengths and angles, wedged almost wall to wall between older buildings and sprouting out of alleys.

The once bustling downtown area, razed to the ground and spectacularly rebuilt after the civil war, is seen as a beautiful yet sterile lot of polished boutiques and high-priced restaurants.

For Salim Baalbaki, the car park where he used to play football with friends next to his parent’s apartment building has been replaced with a high rise that blocks the light from the apartment.

here are virtually no laws that specifically protect old buildings, except for a ministerial decree issued a few years ago which states that every demolition permit must be cosigned by the Culture Ministry, giving it power to stop the demolition of traditional homes.

ave Beirut Heritage has a hotline through which it receives tips about old buildings threatened with demolitions, which it conveys to the Culture Ministry. This has allowed the group to halt the demolition of up to 60 buildings in Beirut and its suburbs since 2010.

One by one, the old traditional houses of Beirut are vanishing as luxury towers sprout up on every corner, altering the city’s skyline almost beyond recognition amid an continuing construction frenzy seemingly immune to tensions from the civil war raging next door. All photos by Hussein Malla / AP Photo