Beirut Downtown
 No where is Beirut's resilience more apparent than in its reconstructed city center. In 1990, Downtown was in shambles, a deserted no man's land, a ghost town. Just over a decade later, Downtown has emerged as Beirut's most fashionable and desirable neighborhood, with glorious restired French Mandate-era buildings, European and Lebanese cafés, world-class restaurants, luxurious boutiques, and stylish pubs.
Maarad Street, with its arabesque arches and sidewalk cafés, is unquestionably the beauty heart of Downtown. Its main artery leads to Nijmeh Square (Place de l'Etoile), with the 1930s Art-Deco clock tower at its center.
The Lebanese Parliament, also completed in the '30s, is another stunning example of Lebanese Art-Deco architecture. West of Nijmeh Square stands the Grand Serail, the seat of the nation's Prime Minister, with neo-Ottoman clock tower, which was by famed architect Youssef Aftimos in 1897.
Other notable sights in the Downtown include the St. Louis of the Capuchins Church; the neo-Ottoman Beirut Municipality, which was also designed by Aftimos; the Grrek Orthodox Cathedral of St. George, the Emir Munzer Tannoukhi Mosque, the Maronite Cathedral of St. George, and several archeological sites.
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT
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