The 10 best marathons in the Middle East
Looking for adventure and sustainable travel? Run an ultra-marathon in the sand, or a half marathon around a Holy City. Marathon the Mideast.
Beirut
Lebanon’s abandoned Ottoman-era mansions
It’s not unusual for an intrepid foreign explorer to uncover hidden gems in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s water problems explained in 15 minute video
Lebanon is a country naturally endowed with plenty of clean water. But unregulated industry, farming, garbage disposal along other activity has rendered the water undrinkable and in some areas, dangerous to people’s health, making Lebanon among the most water vulnerable countries in the world.
Adrian Pepe’s Lebanese culture, craft and identity through local sheep
A textile artist from Beirut explores the local sheep as culture and identity that he weaves into his creations
Beirut design studio repairs people and culture after the blast
Lebanese designers from the much-loved embroidery collective Bokja in Beirut have offered to suture and repair home furnishings damaged in the Beirut explosion on August 4.
If there is lead in Parisian honey, imagine what’s polluting Beirut?
Years after the Notre Dame fire in Paris Parisians are still feeling the health effects whether they know it or not. According to a recent study reported in the Smithsonian local urban honeybees in Paris were collecting pollen with unhealthy amounts of lead in it. Imagine then how those suffering from the explosion in Beirut might deal with the immediate catastrophe.
Beirut bank gets Lebanon’s largest rooftop garden by GreenStudios
From San Francisco, to Amsterdam to Tel Aviv to Cairo, and now Beirut. Rooftop gardens are growing everywhere. Fueled by a desire to suck greenhouse gases, create heat sinks, beautify the city and even grow food, rooftop gardens may be the only way to feed our planet’s 7 billion mouths. While today many of the gardens are […]
Beirut’s Pascale Habis cooks up a new local Lebanese cookbook
In this day and age, with the superpower of Google, you can locate any recipe, and find infinite recipe ideas, online. So what’s the point of owning a cookbook? Aren’t cookbooks a little outdated? The answer, in my opinion, is no. An analogy could be made comparing “real books” to “E-books,” such as those purchased […]
Bernard Khoury’s Brutalist rooftop penthouse overlooks ‘cannibalized’ Beirut
Bernard Khoury is one of Lebanon’s most sought after architects, and now he has built his own home – a rooftop penthouse bam smack in the middle of Beirut.
IRIS sea pods make energy and a social statement in Beirut
Remember the old days in Beirut when you could actually see the Mediterranean Sea? The crew over at Najjar & Najjar Architects remember, and they want it back! Their Kinematic IRIS sea pods are designed to not only provide refuge for residents living in the shadow of urban regurgitation, but to generate energy as well.
Beirut bike messengers deliver groceries and parcels by cycling
I did the best part of my growing up in Toronto, a cold and somewhat bike-crazed city. It’s there where I met a champion bike courier from Berlin and had my first long-distance love affair when he moved back to Germany. Joern, god bless his heart, used to deliver love letters by international courier!
Beirut Art Center Exposes Emerging Lebanese Artists (and Missing Nipples)
A provocative installation by Lebanese graphic designer Wael Kodeih aims to challenge cyber censorship. Part of the fifth annual Exposure exhibition now at the Beirut Art Center (BAC), is it art or gimmick?
Beirut Residents Revolt Against Plan to Destroy Iconic Massad Stairs
Beirut residents are fed up: everywhere they look there are cranes and bulldozers turning their city into a giant concrete mess and even the smallest efforts to beautify the city are destroyed. This time they are saying no to a municipal plan to demolish the iconic Massad stairs.
Najila El Zein’s Beautiful Wind Portal is Made with 5,000 Paper Windmills
The London Design Festival is well underway with some exciting new projects on display – including an intriguing new installation from Beirut’s Najila El Zein: The Wind Portal.
Beirut Terraces Make Sustainable Vertical Villages for Lebanon City
As part of a larger master plan to rejuvenate the downtown Beirut area, Swiss Architects Herzog & De Meuron have designed “The Terraces,” a green waterfront apartment tower in Beirut lush with vegetation and hanging gardens.