Beirut Souks
Phase I: South Souks

Beirut Central District (BCD) - Beirut, Lebanon


Developed by SOLIDERE

Official Site of Beirut Souks (http://www.solidere.com/souks2)



http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/3167/souk30yk6uv1xm.jpg


Beirut Souks, in the heart of downtown Beirut, will be composed of two parts, South Souks and North Souks. It will accommodate souks for jewellery, galleries, mall, grocery shop, IMAX cinema complex, science museum, ...

Here is additional info about the project.


Location: Weygand street
Plot: 60,000 m2
BUA: 100,000 – 120,000 m2
Developer: Solidere
Architects: Rafael Moneo, Samir Khairallah, Valode & Pistre, Annabel Kassar, Nabil Tabbarah, Olivier Vidal
Project value: USD 160 million excluding land cost
Retail space (GLA): 55,000 – 60,000 m2
Retail outlets: 30,000 m2 - 200 stores
Jewellery Souk: 10,000 m2
Hypermarket: 7,000 m2
Department Store: 15,000 m2 with 12,000 m2 of retail space
Leisure space: 18,000 m2 with 8-screen cinema
Food space: 7,000 m2 with restaurants and fast food outlets
Office space: 11,000 m2
Parking: 2,550 places
Completion date: 2008

the only still photo i could find online is at the top of a page of L'Orient Le Jour but i couldnt click on the full size image..maybe someone else can http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lorient-lejour.com.lb/library/images/articles/master20405.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lorient-lejour.com.lb/page.aspx%3Fpage%3Darticle%26id%3D310092&h=120&w=122&sz=9&tbnid=q2E7vlwDQ3yOsM:&tbnh=82&tbnw=84&hl=en&start=3&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsolidere%2Bsouks%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D

Will the Beirut Souqs be the biggest shopping centre in Lebanon ?

will the Beirut Souqs b the biggest shoping center in Lebanon ?
To the best of my knowledge, CITY MALL at Dora is the biggest mall in Lebanon. I guess it's around 120,000 square metres.

Beirut Souks will be around 100,000 square metres.

Souks of Beirut

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/584/souk12ai8rv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/4013/souk22qx3sq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/5485/souk30yk6uv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/3198/souk41sx9wb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/3946/souk56pw2rs.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/2017/souk69io0rl.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/5416/souk78pg5qw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/1396/souk86ci9hs.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/1044/souk92kx3dl.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/6290/souk109rz3ub.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/1593/souk119iy7ui.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/7342/souk139ab3kt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/446/souk124bo4dv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/1747/souk141ln3kw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/4812/souk155bz7ie.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/9738/souk160kz2bm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/9119/souk176ch0gv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/1853/souk186da6rc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/451/souk194zb5bk.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/808/souk201ia8lc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/4154/souk212tc4uw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I got two new pics of Beirut Souks.

http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/3274/dscn07535qt.jpg
Taken from Weygand Street.

http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/862/dscn07528ec.jpg
Taken near Conbipel store.

I am most excited about the Beirut Souks project, more than any other project going on in Beirut.

The highrises that are coming up like the Marina Tower, Beirut Tower, Platinum Tower, etc. are all nice, but you can find highrises all around the world.

A premiere shopping destination is something special though, particularly since the Souks of Beirut will be one of a kind.

Thanks for the pictures naregkar.

This project was supposed to be finished almost 5 years ago, but political wrangling prevented any progress from being done passed the foundations phase.

Lebanese Cedar, did you vote for that project on the poll?

I am interested in it too, but I just love high rises, I know what you mean about them being everywhere but they are not very common in Lebanon and that is why I am most excited about them.

Beirut Souks is a great source of revenue for Solidere. By this way, the company's net profit increases and other projects, backed by Solidere, that are on the "waiting list" would need less time to be accomplished.

Lebanese Cedar, did you vote for that project on the poll?

I am interested in it too, but I just love high rises, I know what you mean about them being everywhere but they are not very common in Lebanon and that is why I am most excited about them.

I've been busy, I'll vote now.

judging by the photos I have seen, I't dosent look like the souqs will be finshed by 2007.

Yes you are right, it seems that they won't finish by 2007.
But maybe they'll open the jewellery souk first and then gradually the others.

Btw, yesterday I uploaded 2 pics. They are on the first page.

I was surfing Lebanon Opportunities' site and came up with these facts about Beirut Souks.


Location: Weygand street
Plot: 60,000 m2
BUA: 100,000 – 120,000 m2
Developer: Solidere
Architects: Rafael Moneo, Samir Khairallah, Valode & Pistre, Annabel Kassar, Nabil Tabbarah, Olivier Vidal
Project value: USD 160 million excluding land cost
Retail space (GLA): 55,000 – 60,000 m2
Retail outlets: 30,000 m2 - 200 stores
Jewellery Souk: 10,000 m2
Hypermarket: 7,000 m2
Department Store: 15,000 m2 with 12,000 m2 of retail space
Leisure space: 18,000 m2 with 8-screen cinema
Food space: 7,000 m2 with restaurants and fast food outlets
Office space: 11,000 m2
Parking: 2,550 places
Completion date: Early 2007

The South Souks are the ones that are under construction right now and they will be finished early next year.

They have not yet started construction on the North Souks which will open later, maybe in 2008.

I heard the Souks were meant to be built in 1997, is that true?

yes that is true

i have a question. since last year i noticed a sign in downtown beirut near the parliment that said"beirut souks"and pointed the direction. and we noticed empty buildings that were complete...are they part of the same beirut souks?

http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/6097/igv18596uu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

in that photo is that all water inside that site it looks like it got flooded

so why did it take so long for them to start ? ! ? !

so why did it take so long for them to start ? ! ? !

Politics

so why did it take so long for them to start ? ! ? !

My sister used to work on the project (the underground parking lot that was all we could see for years).

Supposedly, there were problems from the beginning, the souks were the first MAJOR project in the solidere area, and the soil turned out to be really hard to work with-given the deep excavations needed, which delayed the project. Then there was the issue of that dome you see in the middle of the project (ibn `arraq zawuya) which was supposed to go, but then all kinds of problems arose and the engineers had to preserve it and include it in the final design.


The real problem started in 1998 after hariri left the government, before that, the hariri-led government was very cooperative with solidere, who would sometimes start work on a project even before getting the official permits.
All that changed after 1998, when the president (lahhoud) started making life harder for solidere (which he saw as a hariri project) and he froze a lot of their permits, including the souks. So work just stopped.

Another reason is more commercial, Solidere WANTED to delay work on the souks, solidere doesn't want to sell its property cheap, and there wasn't a lot of international interest in downtown beirut in the 90s, and oil prices were low, so they couldn't count on arab investments. They did not want to sell the company's assets on the cheap to local businesses, but preferred to wait until an oil boom (or a peace agreement) came to fruition -like today- and start selling BIG. So in the 90s, Solidere sold as little as it could, focusing on the conservation area and mostly relying on renting space etc... to keep the company afloat.
Now that changed, look at the evolution of the share price in the last year and you'll see what I mean.

^^ Thanks for your insight, makes perfect sense.

yeah it dose. well u think of it its actually better how they started now cos there is newer techonlgy to use . and it will b more modern

Here are new pics of Beirut Souks (South Souks) taken from Weygand Street.

(04/06/2006)

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/7509/dscn08710yq.jpg

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/3990/dscn08729dg.jpg

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/6704/dscn08734qz.jpg

Cool pictures.. and for some reason i never thought about it, but now tht i doo, its such a good idea to have a Cenima in the downtown area... I hope the screens are big though, not like some of the crappy ones there are now... :tongue2:

So, btw, is the souk another one of the downtown 'rebuilt' areas?? Like i mean, did there used to be a souk before..? there was, right?

are they making an Imax there

Yes.. in the round shaped building

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/7965/souk186da6rc8rt.jpg (http://img125.imageshack.us/my.php?image=souk186da6rc8rt.jpg)

did there used to be a souk before..? there was, right?
In the whole downtown area there used to be souks. There were souks selling fish, jewels, street of butchers, etc...

^^ Well not really the whole of downtown, this project is about rebuilding the original "souks" to restore what was destroyed during the war but modernize it at the same time. Solidere managed to make it as authentic and similar as the original.

I think this is an outline of how the Souks used to look?

http://www.iit.edu/~environment/field/SouKS-3Dcntxt.gif

Here's an older pic of the construction site that I found so I figured I'd post it...

http://www.accsal.com/img/project_imgsbig/solidere_souk.jpg

Construction as of 22/06/2006

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3673/dscn09465lu.jpg

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/5681/dscn09507zd.jpg

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/8272/dscn09499sf.jpg

Check this out.

In 07/05/2006
http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/3274/dscn07535qt.jpg

In 22/06/2006
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3673/dscn09465lu.jpg

The last time I was at the souqs during a youth camp in 2004, there were only epmty plots. Wow, they are fast!!!

^^ even in 2005 not much had been done... they have been working extremely fast on this project in the past year.

29/06/2006

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/101/dscn09878yo.jpg

http://img437.imageshack.us/img437/4381/dscn09952tb.jpg

WOW,can't wait to see this one complete,the southern souks are sheduled to be complete by the end of 2007.

I like the designs :) You have some good architects :)

WOW,can't wait to see this one complete,the southern souks are sheduled to be complete by the end of 2007.

Mid-2007 according to the 2005 Solidere Annual Report. :)

The Northern Souks which are not under construction yet should be completed by the end of 2008 if construction begins on time.

Oh,thanx lebanese cedar,mid 2007 is gr8 :)

some current pics of one of my favorite projects!
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h118/arzliban/img06056vf.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h118/arzliban/img06046wb.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h118/arzliban/img05923vh.jpg

more:

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h118/arzliban/img06290lf.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h118/arzliban/img06190rc-1.jpg

Here is the mosque of the Northern Souks (sorry I took these from a moving vehicle as well):

http://img286.imageshack.us/img286/4480/dscn3781xj0.jpg

http://img286.imageshack.us/img286/3567/dscn3787an9.jpg

nice pics Beirut!
i myself find northern souks more exciting than southern souks.too bad they haven't started the construction of northern souks yet.

On 03/11/2006

You see how Solidere is competing with time to accomplish the first phase of the project.

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/7182/dscn1043rm0.jpg

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/1994/dscn1047qq6.jpg

Seeing as I work right next door, have taken a few shots, will upload them once i have resized the images

Welcome to the forum :)

We would all be glad if you upload your pics. Thanks!

thanks for the welcome, found the site last night while searching for more info on Beirut Gate.. and enjoying reading all these Beirut threads. here are the shots from my office window this morning..

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/1818/dsc05005lb8.th.jpg (http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc05005lb8.jpg)

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/153/dsc05006ym6.th.jpg (http://img142.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc05006ym6.jpg)

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/182/dsc05007hq7.th.jpg (http://img86.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc05007hq7.jpg)

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/6570/dsc05008uc3.th.jpg (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc05008uc3.jpg)

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/1117/dsc05009mq5.th.jpg (http://img244.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc05009mq5.jpg)

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/544/dsc05010va1.th.jpg (http://img165.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc05010va1.jpg)

ok two of them are sideways.. sorry, will get it right next time

Welcome Graemek, thanks for the stunning view. I only wish the images were larger, is that possible?

welcome to the forum..

I dont see any workers on site.. has construction resumed?

It was hard to not be able to see progress since the July w*r.
Glad to know that construction is back in the BCD.

welcome to the forum..

I dont see any workers on site.. has construction resumed?


it was early on a rainy morning.. they are working.. late into the night as well

signs say ready in 2008... shame we still have at least a year to go

This project hasn't been affected by the recent events which took place in downtown area and everything is continuing at a normal pace. Currently, it seems most of the works are from the inside.

^^ Thats great news, I was concerned... thanks a lot!

This is the fastest project in BCD.

Do you notice the facade?

11/01/2007

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/5573/dscn1107al0.jpg

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/6328/dscn1108ik1.jpg

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/6449/dscn1111zo2.jpg

^^ oh wow, the facade is weird and unique lol, great pics tnxs Naroug

Interesting.... I love the sign too!

whats milenia

Oh,i like it SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH ^^

thanx Nareg. :)

Jaime,,,Millenia is the plural of Millenium which is a 1000 years :D

hope i'm right:D

I thought this pic should be posted here too...

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/2696/img01295yx.jpg

^^ Great picture.
I guess it is at least two months old.

^^ since June if not before

01/04/2007

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/7569/dscn1398ux8.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/549/dscn1399gq9.jpg

Welcome!

By early 2008, hope that the inauguration takes place which in turn boosts Solidere's profit.

^^Hope so

Any information on the northern souks ??

Any information on the northern souks ??

No, everything is the same.
I guess they won't start with the northern souks in this one or two years. Probably they [Solidere] wait and analyse the activity of the south souks and accordingly take their step regarding northern souks.

^^ thanx
Hope they start with it soon,i really wanna see that cinema complex and entertainment center ALIVE :)

I cant wait either!! what happened with this facade, does it look nice now?

This is the fastest project in BCD.

Do you notice the facade?

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/6328/dscn1108ik1.jpg

^^ Probably they have resumed the works over there as well.
Lately, I haven't been there so I cannot help you a lot here....

^^ yes :) I like it too
we need a pic for that building,koz u know there's more than one building.

its finee, I just hope that this project will help the tourism industry grow. I heard on news before the war that gulf people come to Beirut in the morning to buy clothe because they are cheap compare to their countries and fly back at night. I hope we see this again!

12/04/2007

As seen from Trieste Street

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/4792/dscn1592na1.jpg

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/4343/souksaf4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/6844/souk22aj2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^^ mmmmmmmmm,I can't get a Clear view,i mean if they r really working on it,it seems progress is so slow.thanx for the Updates 14leb :)

Actually I am noticing some good progress, and its nice to see it from this angle from more of a distance. It looks great, thanks for the updates 14Leb!

tnxs for the updates, im just a bit puzzled as to why they would need cranes to build these low-rise buildings... anyone knows?

Thanks 14leb!

Beirut Souks is one of the fastest developing projects in the BCD area. Almost everyday, every time works are going.

im just a bit puzzled as to why they would need cranes to build these low-rise buildings... anyone knows?

The answer to your question is simple. Using cranes is the easiest way to relocate bricks of stone, hydraulic equipment,..., almost every material needed during construction.

^^ true but it is not necessary, renting those cranes are very expensive and there is other methods to relocate bricks of stone.. but then again, I guess they want to finish the job quickly :)

This is an older image (from the Solidere QR3-2006) but I thought it was worth posting:

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/rhmud/souks.jpg

I thought this pic should be posted here too...

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/2696/img01295yx.jpg

^^ looks so grand. :eek:

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2429/bswd9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3803/bs2pn0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

courtesy of dalyed gratification
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/9110/507534383c5f39349dfbey8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/1517/507534515057b89cc07oyp5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^^I'm so happy seeing those pics guys,thanx alot,yes,i see some nice progress there :) hope it opens in early 2008.

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/3452/beiruts1ev5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

is the whole souks that are 100,000 m square or only the southern part?

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/3167/souk30yk6uv1xm.jpg



Here is the new version of this rendering:

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/1936/cine3pf4.jpg
(Thanks to Libano for finding this)

More info about the Cinema complex from the architect's website (www.valode-et-pistre.com):

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/4006/cinedajc2.jpg


http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/9674/cine2yf8.jpg

(Thanks to Libano for providing the links)

Has all the retail/office space been purchased yet?

Will these businesses be ready/willing to open next year?

And dont you think this will further harm business in Nijmeh Square by attracting tourists to the Souks instead?

Here is the new version of this rendering:

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/1936/cine3pf4.jpg
(Thanks to Libano for finding this)

Latest one looks better...

Thanks for all the pics too :)

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd61/beirutguy/souk1.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd61/beirutguy/souk2.jpg

^^are these pics recent? from what i see they won't make it on time to open in 2008!

^^Yes, they are, they're from the latest solidere report:

Solidere's Q3 - 2007 has been published. It focuses on the Reclamation Area.

To see the report, click here (http://www.solidere.workwebsite.net/solidere/pdf/Q3-2007.pdf).

Beirut Souks on the right, not sure whats on the left
picture courtesy of southbound228's
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5954/2148912590bf5b897b22bfz2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

A souk in name only

January 2008

Downtown Beirut is getting a megamall called The Souks, but it will be nothing like the traditional souks that have been destroyed to make way for the new development.
Just as the shops and restaurants of Beirut's central Downtown district were beginning to recover from the civil war years, Israel launched last year 's devastating summer war on Lebanon. And just as the dust began to settle after that conflict, Beirut's politicians started bickering and protesters led by Hezbollah set up a make shift camp in the downtown whose tents threaten to become a permanent fixture of the city center.


A year later, along with the tents and throngs of protesters, coils of Baghdad style razor wire swathe the government buildings. It's hardly ideal for upmarket shopping, but SolidereSolidere, the company that was established to rebuild Beirut following the 1975-90 civil war, will next year open its long-delayed flagship retail development, the 120,000 square meter Beirut Souks mall, upon which hangs the hope for a return to a profitable Downtown. As it is, many merchants have already rolled down the shutters and moved on. Worse, during the sixyear delay retail developments elsewhere in the capital have sprung up, such as the upmarket 200-shop ABC mall in east Beirut.


Given the country's fragile political situation and SolidereSolidere's tendency to secrecy, the company has been less than forthcoming about the project. Industry insiders say the original plan was for Galleries Lafayette, the French department store, to be the anchor tenant. That plan has fallen through, and the company has not found a tenant of similar international stature.


However, says Raja Makarem, the founder and managing partner of RamcoRamco, a leading real estate company, Lebanese retailers Aishti and Maxima Fashion could move in instead. "As I understand it, SolidereSolidere has agreed with the tenants on the space and the location but not on the prices," he says. The two companies, while lacking the cachet of Lafayette, are respectable retailers in their own right. Maxima fashion, established in 1998 by Wassim Daher, has developed eight brands, including Max Mara, Max & Co., Marella, Gianfranco Ferre, Sergio Rossi and Zara.


Similarly situated at the high end of retail, Aishti operates department stores in Jal El Dib, Verdun, the Sofil Center and the Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel, and has branched out into spas, restaurants and publishing. The company, which has a presence in the UAE, specializes in apparel and home furnishings, and boasts a portfolio of high-end brands, including Prada, Hermès and Burberry.


The store has introduced its own line of furnishings. Other than the two anchors, the Souks mall's main draw will be 100 jewelers, grouped together over 7,000 square meters for reasons of security, and taking both retail and, for top-end sales, office space.

Pride of place.
The Souks mall's location couldn't be better. It is right next door to the hotel district, the marina and the financial district. Not far away are smart seafront neighborhoods, and a wider catchment area of more than 1.5 million people, including 40,000 Downtown residents and 100,000 Downtown employees. There will be a direct 20-minute link to Beirut International Airport. Plans are for 100,000 square meters of retail (including 17,000 square meters for the anchor stores), 220,000 square meters of leisure and 19,000 square meters of offices. The leisure which will open later than the retail will feature an entertainment complex with a Cineplex and theater equipped with IMAX 3D projection. There will be 250 stores, including a food hall and delicatessen (3,500 square meters), a variety store, restaurants, and coffee outlets.


The development will be pedestrian friendly, and there will be underground parking for 2,600 vehicles.


SolidereSolidere says the Souks mall will be among the largest retail developments in the Middle East, and has marketed the project in terms of the city's 4,000 years as a Mediterranean port and trading center.


In truth, there will be little historical feel in what is just a giant mall that will bear scant, if any, resemblance to the old souks on which it is built. The clearing of buildings destroyed in the 15 years of civil war gave archaeologists only a brief opportunity to examine the ancient streets and 2,000-year-old houses before the developers moved in. The old alley ways of the souks have completely gone, with the old tenants given SolidereSolidere shares rather than an opportunity to reopen their shops. SolidereSolidere's critics say the company has destroyed heritage that developed over centuries. Souk Al Tawile, a main arterial road, for example, follows the lines of a commercial street dating from Byzantine, Roman, Greek and as post-war excavations revealed from still earlier, Phoenician, times.


Other critics charge that SolidereSolidere is an illegal entity because its original incorporation was unconstitutional. To them, SolidereSolidere does not behave like a private company should but has powers, accrued because of its close relationship with former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, that properly belong to the government and has misused them.


So redevelopment could take place SolidereSolidere was allowed to buy out tens of thousands of Beiruti families, a move the government justified as necessary to centralize decision-making over a patchwork of ownership and use. But many Beirutis still mourn al-Balad ("the country"), as Downtown was known before the war. "The renovated old town isn't the city I once knew and I feel no relation to it," says Khaled Laham, a self-described writer who is now 52. "These are buildings without spirit."


'Keep away' architecture.
Laham, who began work in the souks when he was nine, can remember every street and corner as they were. "In those days, everything in the city started or ended there. It was a meeting point which received people who came from all over Lebanon."


The disappearance of the old souks, which knew no class and where everyone shopped, has been followed by today's top-end retailing, whose painfully obvious class consciousness is reflected in the forbidding "keep away" architecture.


"You could get anything in the old souks, from falafel to diamonds," says Laham. "Souks Tawile was for the rich, Souks Ayyass for the middle class, Soursok for the poor. You could buy vegetables at Annourye, and fish or meat at Bazerkan. There were cafés and cinemas - something for each class of people.


You would encounter peasants as well as impeccable businessmen in French-cut suits, striding between office buildings.


Now, Downtown has become a center for the rich exclusively."


But Mounib Hammoud, the then SolidereSolidere sales and marketing manager and now a top manager in its international arm, insisted three years ago it was misleading and unrealistic to compare the new Souks project with the traditional souks it will replace.


"Contrary to what many people think, the Souks project doesn't refer to 'souks' in the traditional sense of the word," said Hammoud. "It is a high street retail area that is going to blend into the Beirut Central District and complete the retail scene."


For SolidereSolidere, the new Souks mall will offer an entirely modern shopping experience. "The complex will be covered, but not like a traditional souk," said Hammoud. "The whole structure has very beautiful architecture and will offer a clean and secure environment for the whole family, both day and night. As the area is constantly guarded, shops do not need shutters, so people can even visit at night for window shopping."


Defending itself from the charge that it has bulldozed historical sites, SolidereSolidere points out that adjacent to the Souks mall are Nejmeh Square, and Maarad, Foch and Allenby streets, historical sites that SolidereSolidere has restored complete with stone facades dating to the 1920s.


Along Allenby Street there are already luxury goods shops, among them Rolex, Omega, Gian Franco Ferre, Pret a Porter and Patchi. A shopkeeper here says he is delighted with the new Downtown: "It's true that before the war, the city center had everything, but today it has a far higher standard of building, infrastructure and security.


What should I be nostalgic for? In Souk Bazrakan there were the guts of the slaughtered animals on the street."

Fresh air.
Says a journalist, reflecting the foreigner's taste for the new: "All Downtown is a place where you can enjoy a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city. It's somewhere to relax, chat, sip mint tea or simply enjoy the view. It's a place people want more of a real breath of fresh air and certainly a nod toward the future."


Maybe. When the mall opens it will be opening at an inauspicious time: the political climate is unstable and shoppers have abandoned Downtown. Can the mall bring in enough shoppers to fulfill SolidereSolidere's plan to lure better-off people from across the region? Makarem suggests affluent visitors are rather the icing on the cake, and that the Lebanese themselves whether living at home or returning from abroad will make the Souks a going concern. "This is Lebanon, after all," he muses, pointing to the Dunes and Plaza retail developments in Beirut's smart Verdun neighborhood and the ABC mall in Achrafieh. "They are all successful despite the political problems."


But a short trip around Beirut can equally show why the country's political problems have reduced economic growth to just 4 percent. Less than half a kilometer from the Souks mall, for example, is the site of a retail-led development adjacent to Riad Solh square on which all work has ceased. Opposition protesters camped on the $149 million Landmark project site just as excavation was due to start. Ziyad Ibrahim Alshaar, Landmark's deputy general manager, told the ANMag newswire in April the company had suffered financially. "The direct losses were the stoppage of the parking operation, the change in the excavation schedule ... Can you believe the demonstrators broke into the area in which the excavation was taking place? The fence installation, including design, alone [cost] $40,000 - and Hezbollah's men just used the fence to install their posters."


Shopkeepers near the Souks mall are appalled, but still hope the mall can revive the area and reverse the business losses due to the collapse of tourism.


"They [the protesters] turned the area into a ghost town, with many companies closing," says one, who asked to remain anonymous. "But the Souks can be a huge boost - assuming the opposition lets it happen."


Makarem says the Souks mall will open even if the protesters remain encamped at Riad Solh: "Demand for the Souks is greater than the supply. That's Lebanon. If one area stays frozen, then another will be full of life."

By Zeinab Charafeddine

© Arabies Trends 2008

that really makes ur spirit full of h:)pe that things are heading the right way
but i donnu, "2008" ? nshallah

^^So,is it in winter 2008???

^^ impossible i gess maybe just befor the summer

Yes it said another year but i don't think its that far off...its almost done

14 feb 08

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/7969/43996551dd1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

They removed the green construction cover on the north side

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/9721/dsc04923vv4.jpg
By rabih_alt (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/rabih_alt), shot with W810i (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=W810i&make=Sony+Ericsson) at 2008-02-29

1 march 08

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/1440/souks1vz3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/9928/souks2ak5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/3797/souks3ao3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/666/souks4ko9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/9669/souks5ww9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

parking entrence to be (couldnt go inside :()
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/1066/souks6yy3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^^Thanks a lot Houssam!! :D I love how Beirut Souks perfectly fits with its entourage (color, windows shape...).
And I love the cladding in the before last pic!

Welcome...that's my favorite project of them all .................... it's going to be amazing and huge and i cant wait...............btw i guess they will finish this part before the summer cause the activity on the site is insane ................

tell me about it, I work just across the street :D

Still the construction is a bit slow.I Hope they r working from inside as well.
Any Activity in the Northern soucks????

Welcome...that's my favorite project of them all .................... it's going to be amazing and huge and i cant wait...............btw i guess they will finish this part before the summer cause the activity on the site is insane ................

Yes, this is the plan... it seems Solidere is being optimistic about this upcoming tourism season. If Downtown ever wants to get back on its feet it will need this project as a spark.

Appreciate the pics!

march 15 2008

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/3788/bs2ne7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/2082/bs1ud7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

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http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/1658/bs8nk0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

March 16 2008

Courtesy of tarek

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2200/2349777659_c9576fe8bf_b.jpg

i just cant wait for this project to end it's my all time favorite one
im not too optimistic about a summer opening :( hope im wrong

^^I think Second Phase is more Interesting.Hope anyone got news about it.

26 March 2008
Courtesy of friend_faraway's

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/2371047819_a86ba65cb5_b.jpg

You can also see Platinum Tower in the back.

This just confirmed:

Admic has scrapped plans to open Les Galeries Lafayette, which was supposed to be located in the Souks project in Beirut Central District.


It was going to be in the North Souks

^^ Did they say why? And what exactly is Les Galeries Lafayette, is it famous internationally?

^^Oh my God! You don't know what's Galeris Lafayette??
It's a worldwide famous department store in Paris!!
http://france-for-visitors.com/images/large/lafayette.jpg

http://photos.notimeforblogging.com/images/A_4/3/1/2/12134/c1wx2gri.JPG

It would have been extremly prestigious to have a galleries Lafayette in Beirut...

all it would have meant is that the shops found in gallery Lafayette would open in the Souks, the actual prestige of gallery Lafayette would have remained in Paris!

They may open one in the gulf....it was just going to be a prestige name..bring people in. Maybe they can get a harrods. I also heard possibly that Aishti may develop a store then

Is it true that the parking for the mall is not going to be free?!

And, I think Soliderie is putting all it's energy on completing the Souks as soon possible, becoz a mall there would make people go to downtown as a destination regardless of the camps in the upper squares..
It's sort of a challenge for them

^^ paid parking would be just stupid ...dont think so

When they first opened, ABC Achrafieh's parking was valet, but since no one was paying, they made it free. I think Beirut Souks will make take the same move...

May 1st 2008
Courtesy of Luciana
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2225/2456432239_a11412ffce_o.jpg

Solidere 2008 - Q1
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd61/beirutguy/souks-1.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd61/beirutguy/souks1.jpg

May 3rd 2008
Courtesy of cinzia.condo
http://i30.tinypic.com/16i5e0g.jpg

I took this pic a couple weeks ago:

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/rhmud/P6190181.jpg

14 screens???That's new :) !!!

But did they start with the northern souks already???

June 14 2008

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4855/beirut803bbr3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/5900/beirut806bqk1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Will be completed at the latest the end of this year...it is 80% leased

Work on the North Souks will start this year. And yes it is confirmed Zaha Hadid has redesigned the Department store. (where was that posting)

^^Gr8!!!!!!!!! how do u know all that???

So,Beirut Souks will be host to the Largest department store in the world ?? that's cool!!!

^^ the largest Whaaaaaat? didn't hear of that

^^Gr8!!!!!!!!! how do u know all that???

So,Beirut Souks will be host to the Largest department store in the world ?? that's cool!!!

What Company is it ?

Here it is, from the solidere report
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/1807/souksre8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Weird but completly awesome!!!!!!!!!!!! I love landmark architecture..!!!

Is that the department store !, thats one strange looking building.

^^ Yes it is

and ...........:eek2: :eek2: :eek2:

I wounder how long it would take to get them to build it.

If they will start this year,,they could finish it by the end of 2010.

:eek: wow ...so this is approved ??

20 juillet 2008

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk7/mohamadm/IMG_1907.jpg

The report says she designed on behalf of a "major anchor tenant" wonder who it is. I don't think its Galleries La Fayette anymore.

The north souks will start this year and by Jan 2009, the entertainment portion will be in an advanced stage of construction and the department store will be at the detailed design level awaiting permits...this could all be done by mid or end 2010

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb2/Htlebmn/ScreenHunter_07Jul220944.gif
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Australian (Melbourne Based) Department Store ' Myer' is opeing a branch in Dubai...
it will be my wishfull thinking if they would want to open in Beirut Souqs

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk7/mohamadm/IMG_2313.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk7/mohamadm/beirutsouks.jpg

It's going to look great, I took these August 19, 2008

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/1697/p1050641sl8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/2633/p1050642su9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Wleeeh,u were in Lebanon ? COOOOOOOOOOL !! :banana:

And yes it's going to look gr8 :)

Will be completed at the latest the end of this year...it is 80% leased

Work on the North Souks will start this year. And yes it is confirmed Zaha Hadid has redesigned the Department store. (where was that posting)

whaaaaat? zaha hadid is designing a depertment store in beirut? but i thought the souks are nearly completed? :S ... ..

oh ,,i see, i just checked the solidere website. so the old plans for the northern souks are scrapped? and now we've got the zaha hadid design?...i really hope so. judging from the renders on the website, i'm getting this uneasy feeling that it might end up looking like a university campus.

taken: 20/10/2008


http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/1737/65815389eg6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/65815389eg6.jpg/1/w849.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img373/65815389eg6.jpg/1/)

All taken: 23/10/2008


http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp145/DualEngine/1.jpg

http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp145/DualEngine/2.jpg

http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp145/DualEngine/4.jpg

It's curious that they went with "eggplant' rather than the traditional red. I wonder when and by whom the change was made. In old renderings, and on the site, they were definitely red...
http://www.solidere.com/souks2/

Also any idea what brands will Beirut Souks have????

Could "eggplant" be just a temporary phase??? cause it's a disaster

I don't think its staying liek that..i think thats metal..they may add red tiles

^^ Yeah ur probably right

Beirut Souks (opening before the end of this year)

A number of South Souks tenants began fit-out
works at the end of August 2008, with others to
follow suit between September and November.
Once lease agreements are signed, tenants
prepare their interior designs and submit them
to Solidere to obtain quality control clearance.
Provisions for information points with interactive
screens and desks have been taken by Solidere,
with their location defined throughout the Souks.
A new company for Beirut Souks management
was incorporated in August, and a media
campaign will be launched October through
December.
Zaha Hadid’s concept design for the North Souks
department store is progressing towards its
presentation in November 2008.

So "Opening 2008" might be true after all :)

^^ That's gr8 :banana:

any idea about the Tenants????names???

the souks under construction now are hideous...can't wait to see Zaha's design for the north souks!

They said In the report that brand names following r coming soon so i think it's in BS:
Fendi
Alexander McQueen
Passion Boutique
Zèle Shoes
Nancy
Eclectic

I know Fendi is on Moutrane street and is owned by Aishti..its open

07.03.08 Souks of Beirut installs Prodco Counting solution

Global Retail complex Beirut Souks in Beirut, Lebanon has selected Prodco International’s advanced real-time people counting system.
With the participation of Prodco’s local partner in Lebanon, the system is currently being installed in all indoor and outdoor entryways. The solution includes Prodco’s RTC9000 real-time counter units, indoor and outdoor Thermal Imaging Cameras as well as Prodco’s complete reporting and analysis software suite.

News Archives

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb2/Htlebmn/ScreenHunter_01Nov081407.gif

Beirut Souks
Bringing new heart

100,000 square metres of glamorous new
shops in Beirut’s ancient core. Our Souks
identity had to work as well on sandstone
facias as shopping tags. But it also had to
appeal to every piece of Lebanon’s troubled
national mosaic, to suggest hope, passion,
and to capture the heart of a great city.

^^ I wonder if this will hurt Nijmeh Square area businesses?

Tourism needs to rise alot more to support all this retail..also should expand with more residents moving in and buisness's..40k residents and 100k daily workers are the estimates after all the phases are done.

That heart/B is really clever. I assume thats the offical logo for the souks ?

^^ looks so,now things are moving on real fast,i just hope we can know what new brands ' tenants ' the souks are going to offer to Lebanese .

I would have thought an offical Beirut Souks website would have been created. for International brands I would assume Prada, Cucci, Dolce&Gabbana, Hugo Boss and Guess would have a store here, possably Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and many others. I happy if a store named SABA opens there, a lebanese fashion designer based in Australia.

Well TSC will open a "wholesale market" and ...the jewlery souk will have around 100 jewlers

There is speculation with Maxima fashion, established in 1998 by Wassim Daher, has developed eight brands, including Max Mara, Max & Co., Marella, Gianfranco Ferre, Sergio Rossi and Zara. Also Aishti which have the rights to -Prada, Hermès and Burberry


Paris Gallery- is said to be opening a Beirut Branch..i think the souks are well placed.

I agree where is the website ?? supposedly there opening this year or beginniong of next. And the promotions were supposed to start in Oct

cnt wait to come to leb and c it open:D its just the thing missin Dt this gap is gona be closed:) but u knw guys i thought DT has so expensive rent prices!? why isnt it in the list of the most expensive store rental price list of the world?

Good news !

Today I saw the first advertisment for a shop in the Beirut Souks, that means that they will open it soon.

^^ :banana:

What shop??????

cnt wait to come to leb and c it open:D its just the thing missin Dt this gap is gona be closed:) but u knw guys i thought DT has so expensive rent prices!? why isnt it in the list of the most expensive store rental price list of the world?

anybody answer me plz?

It is comes below UAE

^^ internationally? i mean ranked what?

Currently 43rd...Lebanon posseses 4 of the top 10 spots on the middle east..(5,6,7,8th).

ABC Achrafieh is he top most expensive..followed by Verdun..kaslik the then the BCD...Kaslik showed the highest rental growth over the past year of the top 10 in the middle east.

Lebanon is regionally behind Dubai and Abu Dhabi...Internationally behind buenos aires and Jakarta..And is considered more expensive than Bankgkok and Johnnesburg


Lebanon ranked 37th in 2007 ..and the current ranking is expected to rise..after the political situation as demad is showing strong signs..We also have the Souks opening

أسواق بيروت التقليدية تعود الى الأسواق
دخلت شركة سوليدير المرحلة النهائية من إنجاز مشروع الاسواق التجارية في وسط بيروت، وتقدر مصادر في ادارة الشركة افتتاح هذه الاسواق، وهي من المشاريع الأكبر في الوسط التجاري، خلال ربيع العام ٢٠٠٩ بعدما شارفت الاعمال على الانتهاء.
بداية فإن المشروع يتضمن اعادة الاسواق التقليدية في وسط بيروت في أماكنها، وهي سوق أياس، وسوق الطويلة، وسوق الجميل. بمعنى آخر، ان سوق أياس وسوق الطويلة سيعودان الى الموقع نفسه الذي كانتا فيه في السابق.
وتقع هذه الاسواق وفق المشروع قيد الانجاز بين شارع ويغان جنوباً وشارع طرابلس لجهة الشمال، وشارع اللمبي شرقاً وشارع البطريرك الحويك شرقاً.
كما تمت بموجب المشروع المحافظة على الحي الفينيقي، وحائط القرون الوسطى، مع اعادة ترميم زاوية بن عراق (المقام). بحيث بات الموقع يضم الوضع التقليدي والأثري.
وعلم ان مشروع الاسواق الذي بلغت كلفته حوالى ٥٠ مليون دولار بتمويل من شركة سوليدير ولحسابها، يتألف من حوالى ٢٥٠ محلاً تجارياً متنوعاً بما فيها عدد كبير من المطاعم والمقاهي. وعلم ان اكثر من ٩٠ في المئة من هذه المحلات تم تأجيرها قبلاً حتى الآن، وان عائدات هذه المحلات سترفع عائدات شركة "سوليدير" من ٢١ مليون دولار حالياً، الى ٤٥ مليوناً اعتباراً من العام ،٢٠٠٩ باعتبار ان هذه الاسواق والمحلات ملك للشركة ومعدة للإيجار فقط وليست للبيع. ويقع السوق على مساحة قدرها حوالى ٧٠ الف متر مربع يوازي حوالى ١٢٠ الف متر بناء.
ويضم السوق ايضاً ثلاثة طوابق لمواقف السيارات تتسع لحوالى ٢٠٠٠ سيارة. وسيكون للسوق جزء آخر في الواجهة الغربية يضم المكاتب وصالات السينما، وحوالى ٤٠٠ محل آخر، وهو سيجهز في العام ،٢٠١٠ مع مخازن كبرى للتسوق والمحال التجارية. أما عدد صالات السينما فيصل الى ١٤ صالة. وهذا الجزء اجريت له مناقصة خاصة للتلزيم وتحديد الكلفة. وهناك شركات لبنانية وعالمية ستشارك في هذه المناقصة لإنجاز أعمال القسم الثاني الذي ينتهي في العام .٢٠١٠
اشارة الى انه فور انجاز الواجهة الثانية من الاسواق سترفع عائدات شركة سوليدير من الإيجارات الى حدود ٦١ مليون دولار، وهو أمر يعني انها ستعتمد على الايجارات بعد الانتهاء من بيع العقارات المتبقية لديها، والمقدرة بحوالى ٤ ملايين متر على الواجهة البحرية، وحوالى المليون في مناطق أخرى من الوسط. اشارة هنا الى ان الشركة باعت عقاراً خلال العام الحالي مساحته حوالى ٥٦ الف بمبلغ قدره ١٦٨ مليون دولار بسعر ٣٠٠٠ دولار للمتر الواحد. وهذا يعني أن أسعار العقارات في لبنان وفي وسط بيروت ما تزال على ارتفاعها بسبب محدودية المساحات. غير ان هذا الواقع الاقتصادي والمالي لشركة سوليدير وهي تقدر أرباحها بأكثر من ١٧٥ مليون دولار للعام ،٢٠٠٨ أي اكثر من ارباح العام ،٢٠٠٧ وهي شركة من دون ديون تقريباً، لا ينعكس على واقع سعر السهم الذي تراجع متأثراً بالأزمة العالمية الخارجية والبورصات العربية. ويعتبر بعض الخبراء ان سهم سوليدير كما اسهم المصارف اللبنانية لا تعبر عن السعر الاقتصادي وفق نتائج الأرباح المعلنة.

^^Postponed to Spring 2009

90% leased so far..and the cinema will be 14 screens..Is Phase 2 ending or starting in 2010?

^^Actually, from what I understood, phase 2 FINISHES in 2010.

Zaha Hadid's (re)design of the department store that is to take the place of the old demolished Khan Antoun Bey?

By the way, it seems that eggplant (or 'aubergine,' as they called it in one of the Quarterlies I just read through) is indeed the new and definitive color for the rooftops.

Zaha Hadid's (re)design of the department store that is to take the place of the old demolished Khan Antoun Bey?

By the way, it seems that eggplant (or 'aubergine,' as they called it in one of the Quarterlies I just read through) is indeed the new and definitive color for the rooftops.
i Passed by the other day and saw the rooftops, it looks like it's the final fase, unless their gonna paint them!!
so yeah i guess this horrible color stands :ohno:

^how could you see the rooftops by simply passing by? are they really steep roofs that are visible from ground level?

^^Beirut is not a flat city. There are places higher than others, and that's how you get to see the rooftops from some places.

I wish we couldnt but you can see them clearly from street level

Feb. 3

courtesy of Khawaja

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3341/3258272796_b11b55bfbb_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3478/3257442389_2155139f97_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3392/3258271620_955894051d_o.jpg

Solidere has updated the Souks section on there website http://solidere.com/souks2/
you can see renderings, zoom views of the area, and actual current pictures

Great to find out that Zaha Hadid is doing both the multi-use building as well as the department store. According to Aishti Magazine, the department store will be an aishti department store. I'm not sure if the whole thing will be aishti though. Hopefully not

Thats a great article! I dont know how to post it here...

So are they moving ? or an additional store? I dont think they should have two..that is a prime spot to attract an international heavy hitter...as they were planning to...You need diversity for retail development

But they gave a list of retailers who are opening n the souks...and said the northern souks will open soon after ...new target date for the South..summer 2009

I m still hating the rooftop tile's color
is there any chance that it's just a fase cause the renderings r red and much much better

Aishti?!?but they have a building right across the souks!

I m still hating the rooftop tile's color
is there any chance that it's just a fase cause the renderings r red and much much better

It looks like Solidere has modified its idea of what the Wadi Bou Jamil / Souks area should look like, at least a bit.
Originally the area was to evoke a 'Mediterranean hill town' with attention paid to the 'fifth elevation' (i.e., the roofs). The red color of the souks' roofs would have been consistent with that approach.
But the redesign of so many projects - the change in the Souks roofs' color, the new designs for the North Souks and the entertainment center, B. Khoury's boutique hotel - all suggest that they've decided to move away a bit from 'context' and try to introduce more buildings that stand out, with a more 'contemporary' approach. As long as there's enough 'context' for the new buildings to contrast to, it'll probably work well (though my personal preference would have been to see a bit less knocked down, and a bit more tradition maintained).
I'd have preferred they stick with the red roofs for the souks too, but roofs 'a la batenjan' kind of grow on you!

^^ concerning the purple roof, I've read somewhere the reason behind the change of color is to add history to the buildings. In other words purple was the color the Phoenician loved and used to transport the famous purple dye they made, and to be specific, that ''a la batenjan'' color was the Tyrian Purple - the imperial purple. So although the red roofs are a bit traditional, they wanted to integrate what made our land a famous export hub in modern architecture. Kinda neat if you think about it this way :)

Very neat if you think of it that way!

Doesn't this project look completely boring? From the outside at least?? It seems like they haven't even made an effort to design the buildings!

Which part do you find boring?

Kevin Dash's Gold/jewelry souk is restrained, but I think it fits in well into its context, with its continuation of the Maarad arcade and its curved corner which echoes the beautiful art deco building a bit farther down the block.

I had the same feeling as you at first regarding Rafael Moneo's Souks core. But it's very much in the style of his past work - he can't be blamed, as a convinced Modernist, for doing what he's done all his life (and won the Pritzker prize for). This link takes you to a view of his extension for the Prado:

http://www.worldarchitecture.org/links/?http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=428&storycode=3098889&c=2&encCode=00000000013d8c83

Madrid chose this design for an extension to one of the world's great museums. Very, very, very 'restrained!' I suppose we shouldn't have expected much more for the Beirut souks.

Still, having looked at the renderings for years, I think we should wait to see it in life. Someone who's worked in that vernacular all his career must be a master of it. It may have enough subtleties that it grows on one over time.

Also it is important to note..that the floorplan is exactly the same as the ancient street grid...The plazas etc are almost the same

^^ Yes, that is what I like the most about this project.

I think that part (the maintenance of the old grid) owes most to Jad Tabet...

Does any one know anything about the brands that are planning to open at the souks coz I heard that they've already started signing leasing contracts...

i'm not expecting really good name brands... i think most of them (hungaro, ferragamo, zegna) would like to open an independent boutique in the downtown area... that is if they decide to open at all

phoenician.guy for your info. there is emanuel hungaro store in bcd.also feragamo in bcd and zegnia in bcd and verdun.and all al of the premium marks around the world are in beirut.

^^

sorrrrrry!.... haha well my point was that stores of that kind a bound to open in bcd independently

i used to work on this project for 3 years ....quantities department ...
its a reincarnation of the old souks .... and i dont expect every1 to like the architecture ..mo

^^ Why did you stop working there?

i went to DAMAC ....and the crisis brought me back to Beirut !

^^ Any inside info on the BCD property owned by DAMAC (formerly the site of La Residence by Ivana Trump)?

just like the majority of Damac Projects its on hold !
and when i was working with Damac i was asked not to sell La Residence
so !! :S ...

Looks good overall! Have to wait to see how the storefronts will fit in, and many other details. With a project this size, hard to expect that there won't be many things to criticize.

Roof color (as Nadine pointed out, not eggplant, but Tyrian Purple!) is an experiment that may or may not have worked: in some pictures looks very alive, in others very subdued. But though I've long held out for the red (which I still believe stands out more from a distance, adding more to the cityscape than the purple, which almost disappears in some long shots) the color begins to grow on you..

Details not seen before (at least by me) include fountain in Intabli Square, shot of Ibn Iraq interior. But still no photos of archaeological findings which might show how they've been integrated (I REALLY hope they have not abandoned the idea...), nor photos of what will be Ajami Square.

Great to see so much progress.

From site:

Rooftops From Gold Souks showing Ibn Iraq shrine
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/RooftopsfromGoldSouks.jpg

Souks Core Rooftops from Gold Souk
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/SoukCoreRooftopsfromGoldSouk.jpg

Souks Core Rooftops Showing Marina Tower
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/SouksCoreRooftopsshowingMarinaTower.jpg

Gold Souks Office Building
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/GoldSouksOfficeBuilding.jpg

Rooftops from Patriarch Hoyek Street (love the variety of rooftops on this one)
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/RooftopsfromPatriarchHoyekStreet.jpg

Souks Entrance from Fakhry Bey St2
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/SouksEntrancefromFakhryBeySt2.jpg

Gold Souks Terrace Overlooking Fakhry Bey St.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/GoldSouksTerraceOverlookingFakhryBe.jpg

Souks Along Fakhry Bey St (that Art Deco building is amazing)
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/SouksAlongFakhryBeySt.jpg

Gold Souks Entrance from Ibn Iraq Square (shows more detail of what they think is the shrine than I've seen before)
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/GoldSouksEntrancefmIbnIraqSquare.jpg

Gold Souk Pergolas
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/GoldSoukPergolas.jpg

Gold Souks Along Ibn Iraq Square
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/GoldSouksalongIbnIraqSquare.jpg

Gold Souks Towards Souk Tawila
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/GoldSoukstowardsSoukTawila.jpg

Gold Souks Up Towards Weygand and Riad al Solh(?)
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/GoldSouksuptowardsWeygandandRiadalS.jpg

Intabli Square (wonder if they'll bring back the jellab)
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/IntabliSquare.jpg

Block G Interior
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/BlockGInterior.jpg

Block M Overlooking Bab Idriss Square
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/BlockMoverlookingBabIdrissSquare.jpg

Souk Sayyour
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/SoukSayyour.jpg

Souk Jamil-Souk Sayyour Intersection
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/SoukJamil-SoukSayyourIntersection.jpg

Souk Jamil Arcade
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/SoukJamilArcade.jpg

Souk al Jamil
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/SoukalJamil-1.jpg

Souk Tawila
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/SoukTawila-1.jpg

Towards Souk Arwad
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/TowardsSoukArwad.jpg

Wow! Amazing..its a very large space..there still is alot of work to be done..if those pics are recent..

^^ I think those pics are at least 2 months old.
very interesting update !!!! thanx for sharing :)

Do we know exactly when they were taken? It really doesnt appear like it will be completed by this summer or even this year. All of the shops still need to be designed from the interior.

^^ First pic shows the crane attached to PT , that was taken away more than two months ago , that gives u an idea.

These pictures are up to date, I just got back from Beirut and as can be seen in these pictures, there is s still a lot of work to be done.

They will finish it at the end of the year.

They are saying Summer...if they are a month or two old they have time...youde be surprised how fast they can finnish at this stage..Just finnishing touches. In there update they said the units were delivered to the end users for fit outs...it further said that some have started or completed...When it opens it may not all be open....some stores may open in phases

The Beirut Souks look amazing ! its a shopers paradise ! The Souks turned out so well.

Is this going to be small shop owners leasing or owning space in the souk like in Saida? I hope so. Beirut has enough malls

I doubt it, The Beirut Souks will have high end retail stores.

^^Thats sad. Downtown already has lots of high end stores and they make a profit purely because of their high prices, not in amount of customers. This will only attract a few Gulf tourists (who can already get these high end things in their countries or other parts of Beirut) and not the general public. If the souk is as "high end" as I think it is, I doubt Western tourists will have any interest in even setting foot in such a place more than once because
1) its pricey and
2) it just lacks that authentic souk feel you can find in Damascus or Saida. I smell a flop :ohno: A handful of high end shoppers isn't what comes to mind when I think of a souk

I think it will be succus, plus they have the gold souk area where people can buy gold. that will attract people. plus its not just for tourist, locals will shop there also.

I think it will be succus, plus they have the gold souk area where people can buy gold. that will attract people. plus its not just for tourist, locals will shop there also.

i agree with u that the souks will be a success :banana:
but, nonetheless, it does lack the that authentic Mediterranean feel and architecture:ohno:

^^ I disagree with you , it doesn't lack the Med. Feel and architecture. it's just New .

Is this going to be small shop owners leasing or owning space in the souk like in Saida? I hope so. Beirut has enough malls

Many who remember the old souks (I don't) often pose the question as to whether any of the original storekeepers would be back. Understandably, they cherish a hope of reconnecting to a past that the war destroyed.

But that goes to the heart of the criticism of the whole Solidere concept (whether in its original 1982 Amin Gemayel version or the post-Taef one). It's 1960's-style urban renewal in the sense that it displaces and disregards social networks, rather than laboriously trying to recreate them. The souks are one example, but the criticism could be extended to the whole city center.

And with the souks at least, it may not really have been an option. By now, who of the old shopkeepers is around, or is still in the same line of business? (It would be an interesting theme for a study). That wouldn't, of course, preclude encouraging some shops to set up, featuring Lebanese products (not just traditional crafts, but little designer's boutiques, etc. Maybe they can still put some policy in place that does).

Anyway the idea of recreating the ambience of a souk doesn't seem to have been a goal. For a while, someone was even suggesting that they should and would discard the old street names...

Does anyone know what they did with the numerous archeological finds that were discovered about 10 years ago prior to any work being done on the Souks? I remember seeing pictures and reading about it a while back and there were LOTS of archeological sites that were taking place in that area. I have not been able to find anythig since then and I am really worried that they bulldozed all the archeological findings and just build the souks on top of it all.
I would hope that because of the buildings elevated positions, they somehow maintained the sites below the building and the sites would still be visible/accessible to the shoppers.
Can someone please provide information or am I just going crazy and thinking of something else?:nuts:

Does anyone know what they did with the numerous archeological finds that were discovered about 10 years ago prior to any work being done on the Souks? I remember seeing pictures and reading about it a while back and there were LOTS of archeological sites that were taking place in that area. I have not been able to find anythig since then and I am really worried that they bulldozed all the archeological findings and just build the souks on top of it all.
I would hope that because of the buildings elevated positions, they somehow maintained the sites below the building and the sites would still be visible/accessible to the shoppers.
Can someone please provide information or am I just going crazy and thinking of something else?:nuts:

I saw the excavations on a short trip I made a decade ago. There were amazing finds related to the ordered underlying street grid - something usually associated only with the Greeks, but dating rather from the 'persian' period (so the Greeks didn't invent everything!?).

But as much of the complex is build over a deep underground parking lot, I think that now we'd have to go look for most of those perso-phoenician ruins in the landfill.

They were supposed to incorporate mosaics from the Roman (?) period, and also a preserved rectangle of the underlying perso-phoenician ruins which should be landscaped and open to the sky. The Solidere chapter on the Souks shows where they might be. But I noted that the latest photos they've posted don't show anything. I hope that's because they want to build the suspense, or because the setting isn't ready, rather than that they've abandoned the idea.

coutesy of myself
Today
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/8619/img8881c.jpg

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/581/img8883.jpg

Many who remember the old souks (I don't) often pose the question as to whether any of the original storekeepers would be back. Understandably, they cherish a hope of reconnecting to a past that the war destroyed.
--------
Anyway the idea of recreating the ambience of a souk doesn't seem to have been a goal. For a while, someone was even suggesting that they should and would discard the old street names...

I would guess very few of them are still in business. The gold souks that exist currently in Beirut are suffering as is. As any shop owner how business has been going and a lot of them think they will be out of business within the next decade. Unfortunately, SOLIDERE seems to want to create a very plastic and superficial version of a souk which has always been a key feature of Middle Eastern cities. It would be like European cities removing their canals for highways! Beirut has enough boutiques in the city center (most haven't attracted customers in impressive numbers). Why add so many more?

Does anyone know what they did with the numerous archeological finds that were discovered about 10 years ago prior to any work being done on the Souks? I remember seeing pictures and reading about it a while back and there were LOTS of archeological sites that were taking place in that area. I have not been able to find anythig since then and I am really worried that they bulldozed all the archeological findings and just build the souks on top of it all.
I would hope that because of the buildings elevated positions, they somehow maintained the sites below the building and the sites would still be visible/accessible to the shoppers.
Can someone please provide information or am I just going crazy and thinking of something else?:nuts:

As I posted above, most of the history is gone.
But there is an "Archaeological Garden" where something has been preserved. Don't know how they will arrange it so that it is identifiable and informative:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/SouksArchaeologicalGarden.jpg

As I posted above, most of the history is gone.
But there is an "Archaeological Garden" where something has been preserved. Don't know how they will arrange it so that it is identifiable and informative:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/SouksArchaeologicalGarden.jpg

hmmm...thanks for the pic. I guess preserving something is better than not having anything at all eh? Hopefully there is more to it than what's in the picture...

These are some picures that I found that triggered my question initially - courtesy of Borre Ludvingsen (almashriq.hiof.net) - http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/700/770/779/ludvigsen/pcd0087/ - These were taken around 1995-1996, at the peak of the excavations and the delight of the archeologists

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/7121/img0006aqd.jpg

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/1998/img0005h.jpg

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/7549/img0004kep.jpg

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/7646/img0002equ.jpg

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1814/img0007e.jpg

Here it is, from the solidere report
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/1807/souksre8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Its Aishti's new store...:) Go to there magazine that just came out on there website...also says souks are opening this month!

I thought it was a department store

aishti is a deparatment store name lol

Ohhh I thought It was just a retail store like GS.

^^ well it is something like a department store ...only it charges a million times higher :)
they were selling a pair of jeans for 1200$ 2 years ago,it comes with a free condom the same colour as the jeans ... lol, that'll definitely boost their customers ...especially those khaleeji m7ajabet

Its Aishti's new store...:) Go to there magazine that just came out on there website...also says souks are opening this month!


Designed by world renowned architect Zaha Hadid. This is her second building in Lebanon.

^^ well it is something like a department store ...only it charges a million times higher :)
they were selling a pair of jeans for 1200$ 2 years ago,it comes with a free condom the same colour as the jeans ... lol, that'll definitely boost their customers ...especially those khaleeji m7ajabet

It doesnt charge anything higher! That what designer cloths sell for worldwide..
Durning sale period, sometimes they offer ridiculously low prices, compared to the original price outside lebanon!

70% when I was in Lebanon for the Feb sale ! hopfully 2010 I can do some shopping in Beirut Souks.

great souk,but at what month it wil be opened???

I asked the Chief foreman today for you, he said the souks are aiming to open by October/November.

Taken July 11.

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/419/img1432e.jpg

Way too exciting :)

BURBERRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

solidere reports
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu287/Nadini234/ewr-1.jpg

Taken July 11.

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/419/img1432e.jpg

Way too exciting :)

OoLaLa. Burberry!

Can't wait for the opening.

Shopping time soon ! ... Im a shopping addict, I buy things I dont need hahaha

Gradual opening starting this summer. Official opening last quarter 2009.

In the north Souks site work started on the Entertainment/Cinema started in April. The HOT department store is still being coordinated with the owners and the municipality.

Shopping time soon ! ... Im a shopping addict, I buy things I dont need hahaha

Haha. Join the club.

Souk project helps transform Beirut
Ferry Biedermann
Foreign Correspondent

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=AD&Date=20090719&Category=BUSINESS&ArtNo=707199946&Ref=AR&MaxW=300
The 100,000 square metre-plus retail and leisure centre signals a new phase for Beirut’s downtown area.

BEIRUT // The streets have names that are evocative of the past and genuinely old masonry shimmers through on rare corners, but the centrally located Beirut souks project that is set to partially open its doors next month is a shopping mall by any other name.

The long delayed launch of what is marketed as a 100,000 square metre-plus retail and leisure centre signals a new phase for Beirut’s downtown area, reconstructed after the devastating 1975-1990 civil war. It also sends a signal of continuing stabilisation after the political troubles and violence that plagued the country until last year.

The souks will feature leading brands such as H&M, Zara, Massimo Dutti and Lebanon’s Aïshti and attract shoppers to the downtown area which was known more for its outdoor cafés and restaurants. Because of its size and central location, it is expected to draw foreign visitors away from other large shopping malls in the capital.
The project is taking place on the site of the former gold souk and the Bab Idris vegetable souk.

The opening of the souks is also significant for Solidère, the huge development company responsible the reconstruction of downtown Beirut that was set up by Rafiq Hariri, the five-time prime minister who was assassinated. Solidère oversees the master plan for downtown Beirut and gets most of its income from land sales.

The souks are among the few projects for which the company has retained ownership. A report earlier this year from Citibank estimated that Solidère’s revenues from rental income would rise from 7 per cent last year to 11 per cent next year because of the opening of part of the souks project.

Solidère has been criticised in the past for its commercial approach to reconstructing downtown Beirut and its supposed disregard for the original atmosphere of the place.
But this time the response from the business community has been overwhelmingly positive.

“The souks will not be what they were but they look great. They used modern techniques and they did a good job,” said Beaudart Issa, a board member of the Beirut Merchants Association who before the civil war used to own a shop in downtown Beirut’s souk tawileh. “Without Solidère, the reconstruction of downtown may not have happened,” he says.

Solidère last month announced pre-tax profits for last year of US$214.3 (Dh787.1m), an 18 per cent rise over the previous year despite the global downturn. Traders in Beirut point out that the stock’s performance is not likely to be affected much by the opening of the souks or other commercial developments. Solidère is the most traded stock and largely determines the movement of the BLOM index.

However, its performance seems more tied to the overall political and economic situation of the country. Solidère shares gained 15 per cent, for example, after the June 7 election victory of Lebanon’s pro-western bloc, led by Mr Hariri’s son Saad.
The opening of the Souks sends a signal of continuing normalisation after the turbulent years between the assassination in 2005 of Mr Hariri and last year’s violent street battles between rival factions in Beirut. The downtown area was particularly hard hit by a continuous anti-government sit-in from December 2006 until June last year that all but paralysed the area.

Shop owners still reeling from the effects of the long period of political turmoil say that rather than feeling threatened by the opening of a shopping mall on their doorstep, they are optimistic. “It will increase foot traffic and we will profit from a certain percentage,” said Toni Traboulsi, the executive manager of the Middle East Luxury Group that has shops for several high-end brands, including Ferré, facing one of the souks’ entrances.

The southern part of the souks will open next month. “We have a gentleman’s agreement with several retailers,” said George Chamoun, the head of operations for Lebanon’s Retail Group, which will open 10 stores in the mall.

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090719/BUSINESS/707199946/-1/SPORT

Taken July 7 2009
http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu65/MA_MOOD/IMG_8783.jpg
http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu65/MA_MOOD/IMG_8784.jpg
http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu65/MA_MOOD/IMG_8779.jpg
http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu65/MA_MOOD/IMG_8780.jpg
http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu65/MA_MOOD/IMG_8782.jpg

This is something i think you will like
http://www.e-camm.net/images/abc/beirutsouks.gif

ohhh... ABC a department store there, thats good.

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08190.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08187.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08188.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08189.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08194.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08196.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08198.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08200.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08203.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08202.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08182.jpg

Riad el Solh / Souk Tawile entrance

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08216.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08175.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08177.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08181.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb215/daschma/Lebanon2009-08180.jpg