Sidon needs a Shopping Centre .. maybe not Big like City Mall.

^^ i heard somewere that there s gnna be an ABC but not sure

^^an ABC in Sidon???That would be gr8 .Sidon deserves more than that along with Tripoli,u know 3rd and 2nd largest City in the Country.a lot of work need to be done there.

no there are no plans to build an ABC in sidon but there already exists a mall in saida but its a bit small its called sidon plaza and its in downtown saida near the old souks it has a mosaic picture of a boat on its exterior and a glass roof bit i've never been inside

^^ yeah it didnt turn out to be an "ABC" but a big mall-cinema...complex under construction currently in the face of Izat l da3ouk ... mer3e abou mer3e is building it....ill try to get some photos but i dont have enough information for a thread ...

^^That's gr8 news.well,Mer3i bou mer3i said that he was going to build the Highest Tower in Lebanon in Sidon.i don't think this is gonna happen soon.but this Project is Gr8 as well,MUCH NEEDED in the Capital of South Lebanon.

Couldn't find where to post this Pic,i think this is where it belongs.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5953/saidonprojectuj7.jpg

What is that place ?

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk7/mohamadm/IMG_1127-1.jpg

^^ oh ,, BankMed Building will look good :) i don't think u really entered the city when u took those pics ya BG,it's on ur way to the south,,,i really wanna see pics for the U/C Shopping mall/cinemas in sidon.

tons of new projects going up on sidons outskirts and in the city mostly comercial offices,mini malls,centers and residential towers (btw 8-14 flrs) and there's a new plan to renovate the souks area and its currently proceeding plus another beach-cleaning campaign is being organized to clean sidons beaches and theyve just planted a new park/garden on the empty plot of land next to the stadium and theyve fixed sidons corniche, planted the avenues,and have started major renovation and reconstruction works on some of sidons run-down districts most notably the new souk ,se7et il nijme, and the downtown area and theyre rehabilitating and enlarging the port (again)........sidons major problem is now the gigantic godzilla-size garbage mountain just to the south of the city ...its polluting all the city's beaches and waters and it produces an odour so foul u can smell it on the corniche but a new waste-to energy powerplant is currently under construction in the Zahrani industrial area . the power plant will incinerate the garbage to create electricity benefiting sidon in 2 ways 1)removing the hideous mountain and 2)providing the city with sustainable electricity.

^^ yeah it didnt turn out to be an "ABC" but a big mall-cinema...complex under construction currently in the face of Izat l da3ouk ... mer3e abou mer3e is building it....ill try to get some photos but i dont have enough information for a thread ...

this project is not U/C.....the plot of land facing izat daouk has been closed by fences but no digging or construction is taking place

this project is not U/C.....the plot of land facing izat daouk has been closed by fences but no digging or construction is taking place
Yes It is .... digging is not over yet but it's under way (ill try to get some shots)

really ! nice

tons of new projects going up on sidons outskirts and in the city mostly comercial offices,mini malls,centers and residential towers (btw 8-14 flrs) and there's a new plan to renovate the souks area and its currently proceeding plus another beach-cleaning campaign is being organized to clean sidons beaches and theyve just planted a new park/garden on the empty plot of land next to the stadium and theyve fixed sidons corniche, planted the avenues,and have started major renovation and reconstruction works on some of sidons run-down districts most notably the new souk ,se7et il nijme, and the downtown area and theyre rehabilitating and enlarging the port (again)........sidons major problem is now the gigantic godzilla-size garbage mountain just to the south of the city ...its polluting all the city's beaches and waters and it produces an odour so foul u can smell it on the corniche but a new waste-to energy powerplant is currently under construction in the Zahrani industrial area . the power plant will incinerate the garbage to create electricity benefiting sidon in 2 ways 1)removing the hideous mountain and 2)providing the city with sustainable electricity.

That is Fantastic !... finally removing that dump on the sea.
that dump has caused so much problems not just to Lebanon but Greece and Turkey!

Is there a certain company, that is managing the revamp of Saida ?

^^ I think Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal is supposed to finance the waste project .... and Mer3i Bou mer3i is playing a big role in the revamp

^^ I thought Hariri Family is financing the waste-to energy power plant.

^^ The project is called "Getting rid of The garbage mountain" and im pretty sure it's financed by al Walid

Yes It is .... digging is not over yet but it's under way (ill try to get some shots)

some pics of the [Sidon Shopping And Recreational Center] going up in the plot adjacent to the izzat daouk building you can make out the renderings from the photos ...sorry if they seem unclear i was in a moving car wen i took the pics :
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/4066/08122008011yf2.jpg
http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/4752/08122008010dc5.jpg

^^sorry about the gargantuan photos ...i magnified them so you could c the renders clearly

the other mall project is taking place right across the street and is called [Le Mall] it is to contain 14 shopping stores with large plots or various sizes also under construction but theres no news of a cinema complex in either one of them ...unfortunatelly

^^ The first one should have a cinema com.. it's huge
where did u hear those "news"?

well the renders of both projects suggested nothing of cinemas even though both projects are massive theyre done with the foundations now and constructing the underground parkings on the {Sidon Recreational And Shopping Center}

^^ one is only a shopping center but i guess in the other one "Recreational" must mean rest. and cinemas ...

Any updates ???

the Le Mall project has entered its second floor and works on the ground floor of the Sidon Shopping & Recreational Center ..also they are applying the finishing touches to the new Bank-Med Building and they've cleared a huge plot at the northern entrance to the city..so it looks like another mall ....also there are many new towers U/C in Sidon ...i only got a glimpse of them..

^^ Thanx
Le-mall, how many floors??

ur welcome :) .. i think its 3-4 floors

^^ oh ,Cool
and only 14 stores ?? :S

^^ I dont call it a "Mall", there's 14 stores on the ground flour and the other 3 are offices :S

Sidon Mall Construction Update :
-Le Mall : fourth floor being poured in
-Sidon Shopping And Recreational Centre : third floor pillars being poured in

i searched for this information because of what some of the forumers mentioned in the tripoli development thread about the siada port
but it is not much though cuz it is old
i got it from bahia hariri's electoral book from 1996
it says that a new container terminal is planned to be built in the saynik area on the southern entrance of saida with the following properties:
* it will be financed by the private sector, and thus there will be no financial burdens on the governement
* the project contains a free trade zone, a quay for handling containers, a quay for handling general cargo, facilities for the port authority and the customs, parking lot
* the port by itself will generate 1500 job oppurtunities inside the port, and 3000 oppurtinities outside the port
* the geological nature of the port & the basin will allow it to handle the world's largest megaships
* area : 1.2 million sq meters
and a bunch of information that i don't have the time to translate !!!!:nuts:

and i heard from my aunt (who btw works in FM with bahia hariri) that hariri will, after her reelction begin to work on executing this project......:ohno: but this lebanon so u know the rest

Is there any pictures of the new the Sidon Shopping and Recreational Centre ? Seems like an interesting project for the area.

unforunately no, i dont' have pictures (cuz i dont have a camera)
but i pass by this project everyday since its on the intersection between my school & my grandparents house !!!!!!
so i suggest to start a donations thread to collect money to buy a camera for me !!!! :)(kidding :) :) :) )
i passed by the prjct 2 days ago and i think they r 2 stories above ground now !!!!!!!

dose the centre look very modern or is it just adverage ( if there was a render on site)

there was a render on site but i couldn't see it crearly because i pass by it quickly and the picture is rather small
but from what i managed to see it is modern, but not glass 'n' steel, and i think Jack 'n' Jones & vero moda r going to open there !!!!
but it's actually small and not like a mall though
it is made up of 2 2-3 floor buildings that have shops and cafes and there is a pedestrian passage between them
The prjct is nice for a city like saida but if it were in beirut u would have thought it to be boring and lame !!!!!!!!
but don't judge till u see the renders !!!!!!! :( :) :( :)

I took a picture of the renders and the project when me and my cousin passed by Saida last week. Ill upload it as soon as the internet connection becomes a bit faster

The container terminal at Saida isn't going to happen.

A study was conducted not too long ago and it was concluded that Lebanon needs only two international ports and recommended focusing on developing developing the ports of Beirut and Tripoli. This is the plan they are following.

For the record, Syria's two main port cities, Latakia and Tartus, don't have container terminals. Beirut has the edge when it comes to this and it's interesting that Tripoli will soon have such a facility too. I do know that there are plans to develop the Port of Latakia, so Beirut and Tripoli may have some additional in the future.

If Sidon were to become something other than a transshipping hub, it would need new connections linking it to the interior. Might get something built in time, but even the 'Arab Highway' between Beirut and Damascus is still not finished. What chances are that a highway or railway inland from Sidon would get anywhere in the next 15 years?
Anyway, I won't believe the port has a chance of getting built until that garbage mountain is taken care of... Absolutely amazing that something that horrendous (it really overwhelms the senses) is still growing after 17 years.

I took a picture of the renders and the project when me and my cousin passed by Saida last week. Ill upload it as soon as the internet connection becomes a bit faster

Looking forward to it !

Saudia Arabia this week annouced a 20 mil donation in addition to HH alwaleeds....The garabage mountain will be gone...I think Sidon may be viable if peace broke out..

some pics of the [Sidon Shopping And Recreational Center] going up in the plot adjacent to the izzat daouk building you can make out the renderings from the photos ...sorry if they seem unclear i was in a moving car wen i took the pics :
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/4066/08122008011yf2.jpg
http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/4752/08122008010dc5.jpg

I didnt notice Abu 3leish posted this! The Saida shopping and Rec centre, Looks good for saida. I noticed that they spelt Center..Centre UK English

courtesy of me, I have a pic of it underconstruction however its not uploading, as soon as it does ill post it up
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu287/Nadini234/P1100600.jpg

courtesy of me (taken by my cousin :P)
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu287/Nadini234/sd.jpg

Thats awesome !! It has some very nice stores opening. It will be nice if they had more shops but there placing good ones judging by the pictures. ( I miss the stores in Lebanon GS and Springfield and Jack and Jones)

^^ That's actually the Le Mall project, I believe it is not the same as the recreational mall of sidon

ohhh. Well both projects are great for the city that needs it. I just noticed that the Le Mall logo is the same one in Sin el Fil. ABC looks like they have a competitor now.

courtesy of me (taken by my cousin :P)
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu287/Nadini234/sd.jpg

^^ those are old pics ??

^^ No it was taken May 1st

If Sidon were to become something other than a transshipping hub, it would need new connections linking it to the interior. Might get something built in time, but even the 'Arab Highway' between Beirut and Damascus is still not finished. What chances are that a highway or railway inland from Sidon would get anywhere in the next 15 years?
Anyway, I won't believe the port has a chance of getting built until that garbage mountain is taken care of... Absolutely amazing that something that horrendous (it really overwhelms the senses) is still growing after 17 years.

but u have to know that there already exists a new modern highway between saida & jezzine ( it was built 2 years ago ),
so half of the saida-jezzine-masna3 highway is already finished
jezzine will benifet alot from the inauguration of this highway, it will walk in aley's exact footsteps when the beirut-damascus was first inaugurated:cheers:
oh and btw the port will be in the exact place of the garbage mountain so i think they will find a solution for it whithin the whole sea reclaimation plan !!!

Le Mall - Saida will be ready to open end of this year .

^^ not really, its not even topped out yet, and they still have a lot to do.

^^ The CEO ( or soemthing like that )of Le Mall told the press that yesterday.

^^ There's several Le Mall projects across the country including the one in Beirut, they need a miracle if they want to finish this Le Mall in Sidon by the end of this year.

i passed today by the siada recreation center and le mall
and these is noticeable progress in both projects
the recreation center is like a bee hive; tens of workers are working there
in some parts the have reached the 3rd floor, and in other parts they have barely finished the 1st floor
but i think they will finish by the end of this year if they keef working at this pace

and on other news, a freind of mine told me that "burger king" bought from her dad a peice of land on the East Boulevard in Saida last summer; also another friend told me that he heard from the employees in "subway" in beirut that they are searching for a location in saida to open a new branch in saida
so i think we might see a burger king & subway in siada !!!!!! :):):):)

^^ any nightclubs opening in Saida?

^^ a couple of years ago Spinneys had a bomb next to it cause it was selling alcohol ..
the city is to a certain level controlled by Islamic radicals... at least that's what i v noticed... we wont be seeing a nightclub for a long long time

^^I find Saida to be more open than Tripoli.

^^ a couple of years ago Spinneys had a bomb next to it cause it was selling alcohol ..
the city is to a certain level controlled by Islamic radicals... at least that's what i v noticed... we wont be seeing a nightclub for a long long time

Thats just retarded..... lol Saida with nightclubs dont think so.

nightclubs exist only in Beirut, Jounieh and Batroun actually.

Actuallythey exist in all Christian areas of Lebanon... I remember going to a cozy really fun one in Zahleh. There are also some clubs in 2lay3at and some Mixed areas (Christian and Druze). Sad to see that there are so much difference between the people of a same nation... I honestly think that the mentalities are so different, that it shouldn't even be the same country, but hey... this is political, so let's not start a discussion here... Just my opinion...

nightclubs exist only in Beirut, Jounieh and Batroun actually.

I would have assumed Byblos to a few night clubs.

^^ a couple of years ago Spinneys had a bomb next to it cause it was selling alcohol ..
the city is to a certain level controlled by Islamic radicals... at least that's what i v noticed... we wont be seeing a nightclub for a long long time

mmmmmmmmmmm............actually that's not totally true
i mean yes some extremists are forcing a certain policy in the city but they r not getting lots of support from the people
the sidonians are fed up with them
and they r slowly leaving to live in the suburbs and the christian areas where it is more convenient (u can actually notice that the pop. dencity in those areas is much higher than that is the city itself)
and many restaurants and cafes that serve alcohol are thriving in those areas (the overwhelming majority r owned by muslims from siada ) and 90% of the people who attend them r sidonians ( & on a frequent basis)
so it is not far to see a nightclub in siada in the next couple of years

Actuallythey exist in all Christian areas of Lebanon... I remember going to a cozy really fun one in Zahleh. There are also some clubs in 2lay3at and some Mixed areas (Christian and Druze). Sad to see that there are so much difference between the people of a same nation... I honestly think that the mentalities are so different, that it shouldn't even be the same country, but hey... this is political, so let's not start a discussion here... Just my opinion...

as a muslim i find that extremely insulting

mmmmmmmmmmm............actually that's not totally true
i mean yes some extremists are forcing a certain policy in the city but they r not getting lots of support from the people
the sidonians are fed up with them
and they r slowly leaving to live in the suburbs and the christian areas where it is more convenient (u can actually notice that the pop. dencity in those areas is much higher than that is the city itself)
and many restaurants and cafes that serve alcohol are thriving in those areas (the overwhelming majority r owned by muslims from siada ) and 90% of the people who attend them r sidonians ( & on a frequent basis)
so it is not far to see a nightclub in siada in the next couple of years

Well i agree.. but i can assure u there wont be any nightclub in the city in the coming years...
maybe as you said we will see a nightclub opening in the "Cristian suburbs" as u said but not in the city it self..

as a muslim i find that extremely insulting

I did not mean it in an offending way what so ever, I just said that I was SAD to see the big differences in mentality between the Lebanese People...

To come to a forum on developpement and construction, you must care about Lebanon as much as anyone else on these pages. So I assume that our views of things related to the good being of our country is a priority for both of us. Having this said, I think it is very important that you understand whom I ment by the statements I implied. I was thinking about the people who are ready to set up explosives and kill innocent people for a liquid that we pour in a glass... I don't really see myself as a person who have the same retarded values as those extremist people who live to destroy and not build. I really don't understand how one same country can be the nation of such different schools of thinking... I live for life and not death. I repeat that I did not intend to aim my claim on any religion in particular, and I have the biggest respect for anyone from any faith. It is just that the people who in this case have issues with nightclubs are the muslim extremists! I would have made the same comment if the christian patriarch took a similar direction in his ways of thinking! When the christian church made negative remarks about the nightclubs in DT and gemayzeh I took a similar position as the one I took in my earlier statement.

Now back on topic....:)

^^thanks for clarifying:)
and i take back what i said about being insulted
and i want to say that those extremists that u speak about about are the minority of the minority; especially in saida their numbers do not exceed the hundreds and the absolute majority of the muslims in the area reject them

sidon is actually very open than most people think ..although alcohol and nightclubs are scarce in the area the city booms with shops and cafes
still the thing we should be most concerned about is that hideous trash mountain

I don't know why people ( I mean the "other" Lebanese) think that the South is like Iran or something. I dont agree. Yes, when you go deeper in the villages, it is more conservative, but in Saida, Sour, Sarafand you can easily find restaurants serving alcohol.

I hope the South demonized image be destroyed. In my opinion Saida and Sour are more liberal than Tripoli for instance.

As for the villages in the South, I could say it is not that scary as you all may think :ohno:

Just try to understand the "other" Lebanese better. It is like always I have to say to my Bulgarian friends here, "We dont ride camels, and no, we dont have deserts and we dont sleep in tents".

:cheers: to all ;)

^^lol we think like that of Bulgarians here in Italy...you see it's all relative :P

Cornerstone laid for Sidon archaeological museum

The project will be executed and supervised by Lebanon's Culture Ministry and funded by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, which allocated around $5 million to build the museum.

The laying of the foundation stone was held on the same excavation site where the British Museum delegation has been uncovering ruins for many years now.
The reception was attended by caretaker Premier and Sidon MP Fouad Siniora.

An array of political and social figures attended the reception, which was opened by both the Lebanese and Kuwaiti national anthems.
The head of the Council for Reconstruction and Development (CDR) Nabil al-Jisr stressed the importance of the project in displaying to the public the "valuable ruins uncovered in Sidon over the years."

"The project is also an integral part of the CDR's developmental projects, " he added.

The director general of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development Mohammad Sadiqi said Sidon deserved to have such a museum, while Culture Minister Tammam Salam stressed the importance of the project.

Meanwhile, Siniora said he was "happy and proud" to lay the foundations for the museum.
"I hope it will be the first step toward inaugurating other vital developmental projects in our beloved city," he said. "This museum is worthy of our great historic city."

"Everyone is saying that the June elections are far behind us now but I say that what lies ahead is for us to work toward implementing the program that MP Bahia Hariri and myself promised the residents and people of Sidon," he added.

Siniora explained that the city's growth and development depends on "collective effort and continuous work."
"We should all be aware that while archaeological preservation is to be revered, humanitarian development and human awareness about cultural issues are a must," the caretaker premier said.

"This project is deeply rooted in the work I had started as a prime minister and this through supporting the Lebanese in their battle for an independent and flourishing Lebanon," he added.

Siniora expressed hope that during his tenure as Sidon MP he would best serve the interests of his city, and thanked President Michel Sleiman and the citizens of Sidon for making the project happen.
Siniora also thanked the British Museum delegation and its head Claude Serhal for all efforts made in order to uncover "Sidon's hidden archaeological treasures."

Sidon's archaeological museum will be built on a 1600-square-meter surface with a green area to accommodate visitors. Building works will start beginning July 2009.

It will house a range of pieces dating back to the Greek and Roman periods and be open to the public in 2012.

destination lebanon

Excavation in Lebanon aims to uncover ancient ruins

Beirut (Lebanon), July 12 - ANI: The Directorate-General of Antiquities, Lebanon, has said that it plans to resume excavation at the Freres archaeological site in the old city of Sidon in collaboration with a delegation of the British museum, in order to uncover more ancient ruins.

Earlier excavation procedures at the site led to the discovery of several of the citys underground layers, which dated back to 1,000-4,000 B.C.

Claude Doumit Serhal, the head of the British museum delegation, told The Daily Star that archaeological teams would also conduct excavation works at the neighboring site of Sandaqli in order to conduct comparative research among the two sites layers.

According to Serhal, the ruins that have been discovered in recent years have highlighted Sidons role as the host of multiple civilizations throughout history.

Excavation works are expected to kick off prior to the establishment of Sidons historical museum in the same area, which would boost the citys status as a center for tourism and antiquities.

Serhal said that the excavation at the old Freres site disclosed the presence of six old layers that dated back to 3,000 B.C., eight others to 2,000 B.C. and five to 1000 B.C.

She stressed that the discovery of historical sites in Sidon will promote the citys status among other worldwide archaeological locations.

Serhal added that the British Museum delegation, in collaboration with the Lebanons DGA, have resumed work at the Freres location for the eleventh consecutive year and was recently granted permission to start digging at the Sandaqli site as well.

The work team in charge of restoration works and comparative research will include 90 individuals, according to Serhal, who expressed her hope that the excavations would result in the discovery of new layers and important findings.

Sidon is one of the most important Phoenician cities, and boasts the Phoenician temple site of Eshmoun just to its north. - ANI

http://www.littleabout.com/news/23094,excavation-lebanon-aims-uncover-ancient-ruins.html

Le Mall (pics taken in 11/7/2009 )

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0211.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0212.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0215.jpg

awesome Martyr...! The Le Mall is getting built very face. judging by the render its going to look very nice.

I wish you could take a closeup shot for the renders.nice progress,they can be ready to open by the end of this year if they kept on the same pace.

Saida Recreation and Shopping Center (pics taken in 11/7/2009)

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0219.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0218.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0230.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0220.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0221.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0222.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0229.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0228.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0227.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0225.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0226.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0223.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0224.jpg

This is an abandoned mall in the shopping area in central saida :

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0137.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0138.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0139.jpg

OMG ... that empty shopping centre can be be turned into something awesome !!! it looks amazing. You know of any plans for it ?

that would be a cool museum

that would be a cool museum

i dont think that that is a good idea !!!!
the mall is just too big for a museum
it is much more lucrative to use it as a shopping center
and besides they have plans to build a museum near the freres excavation site or something like that

^^ Is there going to be any cinemas in these new commercial projects ??

This is actually an ad for the adandoned mall ( it dates back to 1988)
the quality of the renders is bad but it gives an idea of how the mall was supposed to look like

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Picture001.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Picture011.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Picture011-1.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Picture010.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Picture009.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Picture008.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Picture007.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Picture006.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Picture005.jpg

^^ Is there going to be any cinemas in these new commercial projects ??

unfortunately no !!!!

i dont think that that is a good idea !!!!
the mall is just too big for a museum
it is much more lucrative to use it as a shopping center
and besides they have plans to build a museum near the freres excavation site or something like that

It would save them money. It reminds me of Musee D' Orsay. OK A HOT NIGHT CLUB:righton::dance:

according to saidaonline.com, the sea castle has registered 10,000 visiting tourists since the begining of the summer !!!! :):)

That sounds like allot..wow...Hey does anyone notice the water area (where the bridge is) is getting silted? I swear u can walk over to the castle in some pics...They should do some dredging

^^ ur right actually !!! :(
the water is retreating dramatically and the sea is dumping huge amounts of sand anually
if it continues like this, we won;t have a reason to call it "the sea castle" anymore !! :(

^^It just requires some dredging. Because the sea castle is right by the port wave breaker, there aren't the natural currents necessary to allow normal circulation to prevent sediment buildup. That's why ports always require regular dredging.

I guess they should..but has to be carefull for the archeology under the water..

They are preparing for a new exhibition in saida !!!
Its taking place in the area between the sports city and the Awali river
It's probably like the other exhibitions that get held every summer

More on Le Mall,Saida

Le Mall Saida
Le Mall – Saida is located on a prime scene at the heart of Saida’s Dakerman area; Le Mall – Saida will directly oversee a vibrant cross-section between the South Highway connecting Beirut to the South, the Jezzine Highway and the Seaport Highway. It is the first mall to be established in the South of Lebanon.
Le Mall – Saida will encompass over 12,000 sqm of leasable area of which 9,603 sqm are set for retail and food & beverage outlets. The remaining 2,348 sqm are designed for kids entertainment.
The architectural design of Le Mall – Saida is based on spaces that could host regular stores as well as “big” stores. As a matter of fact, the B1 level is mainly designed to fit one or two large department stores that enjoy a double access, one from the main street and the other from inside the mall. Furthermore, each shop extends to two levels.
250 parking spaces are available at Le Mall – Saida; these spaces are distributed between the B2 level (180 spaces) and the Ground Floor (70 spaces).

A few updates about the developments going on in the city :

* The famous italain restuarant "Pain De Mei" is relocating to a bigger and wider place on East Boulevard.

* Work continues on installing the foundations for a new bridge south of the city.

* Construction on the "saida shopping and recreation center" is coming along, new posters were erected on the site displaying the names of the shops that will open there ( like Timberland, Jack & Jones, Vero Moda, Starbucks, Crepaway, the famous lebanese restaurant Abdel Wahab......amongs lots more)

* Work has started on the facade of "Le Mall"

* The unknown mall on East Boulevard is almost done, last time i checked they were working on the interior decor and on the facade.

* preparations for the traditional ramadan seaside cafes has begun (a saida speciality).

The Greek Melkite Catholic Bishopric of Saida (the building in the pictures) is currently under renovation

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0171.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0172.jpg

note that these pics were taken last month (i.e. before renovations)

Looks nice already..what are they renovating? Windows and Shutters?:)

The Saida Festivals:

Last night marked the begining of the "Nights of the Khan" festival as part of the larger "SAIDA: City for Life" Celebrations. The celebrations are organized by the Saida International festival commitee and the Hariri Organization and will contunue till after the holy month of ramadan. Yesterday's big opening was with the melodious voice of Ghada Ghanem El-Chejy who gave an outsatnding performance of traditional Arabain "Tarab" medleys. The concert was reaching its climax while the nearby seaside cafes were swamped with visitors who kept rolling in till the early hours of the morning. The concert was attended by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Education minister Bahia Hariri, Media minister Tarek Mitri, Culture minister Tamam Salam, Unesco representative.....etc, aside to heaps of other people. At midnight, there was a spellbinding fireworks show over the Sea Castle.

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan201.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan206.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan205.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan208.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan207.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan209.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan2010.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan2012.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan2014.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan2013.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan2011.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan2016.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan2018.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan2015.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan2017.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan2023.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan2022.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/inthekhan2021.jpg

(pics courtesy of saidaonline.com)

^^ in the above post i showed u what was going on inside the Khan El-Ifranj yesterday;
now it's time to see what was going on outside: on the streets, and inside the seacastle itself.

(pics are courtesy of saidanet.com)

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/p09_20071002_pic1_full.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/rmdn23.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/rmdn204.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/saydwyet56765-saidaonline.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/rmdn2018.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/rmdn2017.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/rmdn202.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/rmdn201.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/rmdn2016.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/rmdn2015.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/rmdn2013.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/rmdn2014.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/rmdn14.jpg

inside the seacastle:

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/500dsc00056500_1.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/500dsc00014500_2.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/500dsc00028500_1.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/500dsc00003500_3.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/500dsc00005500_4.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/500dsc00010500_2.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/500dsc00051500_1.jpg

28/8/2009

As part of the "Nights of the Khan" Festival, the acclaimed Iraqi artist Sahar Taha enchanted the audience with numerous peoms of Sufi poetry. Taha was accopmanied with the "Asterate Players" band in this evening of sophistication and culture. The concert was attended by Minister and MP Bahia Hariri aside to a huge audience.

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/9_6.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/8_6.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/6_9.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/5_18.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/2_19.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/10_5.jpg

(pics courtesy of saidanet.com)

This is yet an another mysterouis mall that i found on the internet. All the site says is that this is a mini-mall (currently under the name of Zantout Lot n'2072) and that it was supposed to open in 2006 in saida. I wrote to the site to ask for more info about this project.

here are some renders:
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/vf_s201220a.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/vf_s2015a.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/vf_s2017a.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/vf_s2021a.jpg

At last, i found renderings for the initial plan for the Saida Sports City. The plan includes a stadium, a marina, beach chalets, a hotel, a beach resort ...aside to other leisure and recreational facilities. However, only the staduim was built:ohno:.

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Saida20Stadium201.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Saida20Stadium203.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Saida20Stadium204.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Saida20Stadium205.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Saida20Stadium206.jpg

Imagine if this project was actually carried on !!!:nuts:

With an audience that overflowed the inner courtyard of the Khan, the "Nights of the Khan" festival" continued with yet another enchanting night with the an amazing perfonace by the Artist Issa Ghandour and the acclaimed "El-Medina" Group. The performers presented a medley of some of Sayid Darwish's Masterpeices in a revival of the art that tells the histroy and heritage of the poeple, and the chronicles of an era gone by egypt in the twenties of the last century. For more than an hour an a half, the audience was swept by Ghandour's outsanding performance of Darwish's songs, especially those that have become a part of the people's memory and legacy. Ghandour performed the songs in their authentic accents presenting a short peice of information about each song narrating its origins and the economic, social, political coniditons that accompanied it. The evening was attended by Minister of Education and Higher Education Bahia Hariri, President of the French cultural center in Sidon and the South Olivier Long, a representative of the Future Movement, aside to prominent cultural and social figures and a huge audience of Sayid Darwish's lovers.

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/bwy1251890831n.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/viu1251890757h.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/cqs1251890553v.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/arx1251890886d.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/arx1251890644x.jpg

The acclaimed artist Ziad Sahab gave an oustanding performance along with his band marking the eighth evening in the "Nights of the Khan" festival, part of the "Saida: City for Life" celebrations. This evening of renowned Arabian Tarab music was attended by Minister of Education Bahia Hariri, Tourism Minister Elie Marouny, Director General of Tourism Nada Sardouk, Director of the French Cultural Center in the south Olivier Long, founder and President of the Abou Merhi Charity Foundation Mr. Merhi Abou Merhi...aside to other prominent cultural, educational, and social sidonian figures. The show was preceded by a tour around the khan and the seaside cafes by Ministers Hariri and Marouny, and then they sat on the famous khan roof top cafe.

Marouny's statement: "The Khan is a tourist and historical masterpeice that deserves to be visited by every Lebanese Citizen. The show that we saw today is a revival of the Arabian and Lebanese heritage; that is something we cannot hear everyday. It is something worthy of respect, and something worthy the visit to saida and to the khan to come and see. This is a re-confirmation that Lebanon remains a leading country in tourism, and that the Lebanese love life. It also shows that we always overcome all dificulties, and that our will for life, love and culture will always be stronger than the will of disruption, death and hate that they are trying to impose on our lives. Our presence here today in Saida is a confirmation that this historic city remains a city for Love, beauty, and tenderness."

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/khan4206.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/khan4202.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/khan4201.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/rr.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/normal_lmst20lhm2011.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wazir20maroni203.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wazir20maroni2010.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wazir20maroni205.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/s.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wazir20maroni204.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wazir20maroni202.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wazir20maroni201.jpg

Epic dagger battles and feirce sword fights performed by the Baalbecki "Masterpeices" Dabke group rocked the walls of the Khan El-Franj in saida. The group narrated in their dance moves the entire history of Lebanon from its north to its south passing through the mountain, the bekaa, and Beirut. The authentic lebanese baalbecki dabke accopmanied the perfomances up till the end, where as the openining act was by the song "People of the Flags" during which members of the band waved banners and flags of Lebanon. The show continued with a tour of lebanese areas dipicting each area's songs and dances in a traditional "a thousand and one nights" atmosphere.

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday15209.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday15208.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday15207.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday15206.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday15205.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday15204.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday15203.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday15202.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday152015.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday152014.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday152013.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday152012.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday152011.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday152010.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/kahanday15201.jpg

How is this development news... its about festivals

Best place to be in Ramadan, in Lebanon,is Sidon.

^^ YES, it is !!!! :)
well, maybe not the best, but definatelly one of the best :)

How is this development news... its about festivals

there is no thread for saida news, so i post all updates and developments in the city on this thread

and besides i think that it is important to post news about cultural events in the city...
(i thought u out of all people will be appreciate this stuff the most:(:ohno:)

Krispy kreme opens in saida sometime around newyears !!! :cheers:

there are plans to open 2 branches in nabatiye and tyre sometime soon too

^^ I LOVE Krispy Kreme!

The Greek Melkite Catholic Bishopric of Saida (the building in the pictures) is currently under renovation

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0171.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/100_0172.jpg

note that these pics were taken last month (i.e. before renovations)

Looks nice already..what are they renovating? Windows and Shutters?:)

The building's facade will be all stone instead of the pale pink paint, that is the 2nd and 3rd floors will be exactly the same as the 1st floor. Also there is brand new red tiles for the roof.
up till now, the part right of the door is completely restored while the part left of it remains untouched.
and for some reason the shutters are still the same !!!!:nuts:

^^ I LOVE Krispy Kreme!

ewwww

I remember one opened right near our school we used to go there... It was the first store in Victoria... a week later we all forgot about.

^^ well, when i went to Montreal i tasted it there and it was pretty good

يشهد خان الافرنج في صيدا وضمن مهرجان المدينة – أمسيات الخان الذي تنظمه مؤسسة الحريري ولجنة مهرجانات صيدا تحت شعار " صيدا مدينة للحياة "، سوقاً تراثيا رمضانيا تقيمه أندية صيدا الشعبية ، ويشارك فيه عدد كبير من المؤسسات والجمعيات الأهلية والاقتصادية والتراثية من مناطق لبنانية مختلفة بأكثر من خمسين جناحاً تتوزع عليها المعروضات من بعض الحلوى والأطعمة والعصائر الرمضانية والتراثية ومنتجات من الفاكهة اللبنانية والمربيات والعسل والمونة التي تشتهر بها بعض المناطق اللبنانية فضلاً عن صنع الخبز والمناقيش على الصاج، واشغال يدوية حرفية وأرتيزانا وصناعة حلي، وحفر على الخشب ورسم على الزجاج ولوحات فنية وتحف واكسسوارات .ويرافق حركة السوق أجواء رمضانية تراثية من وحي الشهر الفضيل ، ولا سيما لوحة المسحراتي .
وكان هذا السوق افتتح مساء الاثنين وشهد على مدى يومين وحتى ما بعد منتصف الليل من كل يوم اقبالاً من قبل رواد المدينة القديمة والزوار والضيوف الوافدين اليها ليلاً
ويتضمن السوق ايضاً فقرات خاصة بالأطفال تقدمها جمعية الحق في اللعب "Rights to play " من بينها رسم على الوجوه ولعبة الباراشوت .

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/bfi1252529395x.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/bwy1252529518w.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/bwy1252529610s.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/koteishfisoukkhanefranj.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/viu1252529646h.jpg

Archeological excavations have started in Saida, in a plot near martyrs square. The excavations, led by the General Diroctorate of Antiquities, come as the first step in a mega-plan to start archeological excavations in all major historical sites in Lebanon. The excavations are supposed to uncover the Hellinistic-Roman history of the city after all the roman ruins indicating Saida's history in that era perished away under the random urban development the city underwent in the 50's. Digging and construction activities for Real estate projects in nearby plots revealed several significant findings like roman columns, wells, anceint house foundations, irrigation canals...aside to what is believed to be the foundations for the great wall the romans built to guard the city. All these findings compelled the directorate to start an excavation workshop in hope of finding the roman roots of sidon, and to compliment the archeological feista going on in the city from the "le freres" excavation site (in partnership with the British Archeological Museum) to the construction of the Sidon Archeological Museum and the old city restoration and renovation works.

here is the link for the original article: http://www.saidanet.com/main.php?load=view&nid=202

After the "Nights of the Khan" festival, the Ramadan Celebrations and the Nancy Ajram concert in RH sports city, the "Saida: City for Life" celebrations continue with a first-of-its-kind-in-the-city street carnival under the name of "City Wedding", also organized by the Saida international festivals commitee and the Hariri foundation. The carnival was attented by PM Fouad Siniora and Minister Bahia Hariri aside to thousands of Sidonians and southerners (especially from jezzine) and will contunue for three more nights.

pics from the 1st night of the "City Wedding" Carnival:

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors201.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2010.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2011.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2012.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2013.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2014.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2015.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2016.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2017.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2018.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2019.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors202.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2021.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2022.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2023.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2024.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2025.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors2026.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors203.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors204.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors205.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors206.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors207.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors208.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors209.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/ors.jpg

2nd night of the "City Wedding" street carnival in Saida:

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/arx1253707836u.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/bachir-mass-8.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/bfi1253708056x.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/bwy1253708001g.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/jdv1253707883x.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr1201.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr12010.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr12011.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr12012.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr12013.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr12014.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr1202.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr1203.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr1204.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr1205.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr1206.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr1207.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr1208.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/orr1.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/s-1.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/viu1253707942s.jpg

third and biggest night of the "City Wedding" street carnival attented by over 20,000 people

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/1283127309-074c5c38011f65ee43b86304.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/1790168173-ac92fa10cbe0b6b537e8d7c8.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wedding_58.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wedding_59.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wedding_60.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wedding_61.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wedding_62.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wedding_63.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wedding_64.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/wedding_65.jpg

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Octupus Kills Giant Serpant in Saida

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/1026517556-b4b670d01b4a40fdac34a8c3.jpg

ثعبان بطول 8 أمتار يثير الدهشة والرعب في ميناء صيدا مساء يوم الخميس. ولكن تمكن الأخطبوط بالتعاون مع المواطنين من القضاء عليه بعد ثلث ساعة من المرور فوق رؤوسهم وبعد معاناة ومعركة قوية بين الأخطبوط والثعبان انتصر الأخطبوط الأصفر وابتلع الثعبان فصفق المواطنون شباباً وشيوخاً وأطفالاً مطلقين شعارات بالروح بالدم نفديك يا أخطبوط. هذه المعركة جرت على أعين العناصر المسلحة التي كانت تحمي المواطنين تحسباً من مهاجمة الثعبان لهم.

hahaha wow Clearly people in saida have too much time on their hands! BUT this is probably the best battle report I have ever read

those pictures are so exciting. I didnt know Saida did such fun things !

cuz it didn't !!!!!
those things are happening for the frist time ....thanks to the efforts of the hariri foundation (who also is behind the new corniche and the old city renovations)
they are truly trying to bring back life to the city ...this is why they dubbed them the "Saida:City for Life" celebrations :)

Hariri foundation, along with the International Red Cross, conducted a cleaning campaign in saida with volunteers from the norwegan red cross and Oxford University. The campaign covered the alleys inside the old city along with the seafront and the offshore Ziri island. The volunteers also visited the "Our Lady of Mantara" shrine in the nearby town of Maghdoushe.

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:applause::applause:

I loved Saida. What the Hariri Foundation did with the old city is fantastic (in a way he should have done the same with Beirut's city center but that's an entirely different argument). These pics make me wish I had stayed in Lebanon during ramadan but i left right before it started.

^^ i'm sure saida loved u too !!!!! :lol: ;)

well, don't worry about it !!!
there will always be next year's ramadan !!!!.....and it will be in the middle of summer :):(

How much did they pay for them? :D

^^ behhhhhhhhhhh

Embarrassing, we need to hire foreign ppl to clean our garbage. The lebanese bedon tekseer ras!

they are volunteers people
the red cross brought them along with the hariri foundation
what is the big deal ????

the fact that we need foreign aid to clean our own garbage is not ok!!

lol !!! why are we making a big deal out of this

the streets were dirty ??? yes
the sidonians deserve to be beaten to death for not being clean ??? yes
saida like the rest of lebanon needs help in cleaning ??? yes
is it ok to get foreign volunteers to clean up our city ??? no
but they came...and the streets are now clean
and yes we should work on keeping them that way
so 5alas
stop nagging about it

You have such a passive response to everything!

You know once Japanese tourists cleaned the Champs Elysees because they thought t wasn't clean enough!!

"behhhhhhhhhhh" ---> imitating Hariri Junior? :rofl:

Ok I'm out.

:hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano::hahano:

Embarrassing, we need to hire foreign ppl to clean our garbage. The lebanese bedon tekseer ras!

"We thought we were going on a holiday to Lebanon...but ended up cleaning their own mess"

Old City Renovations

pics taken today, courtesy of Mohammed Dahshe
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Ext_9983_19.jpg

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^^ Very nice, I like the authentic look

BURGER KING IN SAIDA

I passed by a store today on Riyad Solh street that had a giant BURGER KING poster covering the facade of the store and u can see workers inside working on the interior decor of the store !!!!! :banana::banana::banana::banana:

lol....Burger King.

Martyr,what's new on Le Mall ?

lol:lol:
i love how that question was directed to me

ehhhhhhhh.......work on the facade has progressed alot
bas there is still tons of work to do on the inside
at first they were working on it in extreme haste but now they have become very slow :(
maybe they decided to freeze the work on the facade and move the workers to finish the interior ??????
i donnu....bas its definately not gonna open next month...not even close:nuts:

on the other hand, Saida Mall (which used to be called Saida recreation and shopping center) will be finished probably sooner than le mall...personally i dont have high hopes for le mall, i like saida mall better :)

Le Mall, Saida, pic taken today
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/mall.jpg

^^ they hanged the "Le Mall" sign today.....it looks so sexy !! ;)

^^ Nice! Can you try and take a pic during the daytime?

^^ hehehehe i intended to get a daytime pic bas mazabatit !!!!

i saw the sign on my way into a cafe with my friends and i said to myself that i must take a pic on my out, bas by the time we left it was aready dark :( !!!

LE MALL, SAIDA

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image058.jpg

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SAIDA MALL

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I'm happy for Saida. They deserve a mall.

^^ thanks :)...its 2 malls actually !!

GREAT JOB MAN !! That was really fast progess, Saida Mall looks like it has some awesome stores opening.

Does anyone know the size of the Le Mall ?

Thanx for the updates,i guess shops at Saida mall will be better than ones in Le Mall Saida,i am really surprised that none of these malls has cinemas!!!!

I didnt think of that.... why no Cinemas ! Maybe that should be next on what Saida needs.

Burger King opened 2 days ago in Saida on Riyad Solh st. :) !!!

Saida MP Bahia Hariri stated after her meeting with some economic, social and cultural figures in the city a series of projects for Saida, some are U/C others are under planning:

*Beirut Arab University: Saida Campus - Faculty of Medicine (construction begins soon)
*New Hospital on the City's Northern Entrance (under planning)
*2 new highways connecting Saida to the eastern and northern suburbs
*Saida Historical Museum (construction begins soon)
*New Park adjecent to BAU campus (under planning)
*New Breakwater on the city's southern shoreline (construction begins in few months)
*Phase 2 of the Old City renovations: The Old City Seafront (starting soon)
*Reconstruction of the El-Mir Bathhouse near the Old City (under Planning)
*Renovation of the anceint Catholic Church in the Old City and turning it into a historic-cultural museum (work begins after the holidays)
*Renovation of the Seaside Saida Rest House (completed next March)
*New School (financed by Oman)
*2 new vocational schools: largest vocational schools in lebanon (under planning)
*There is also something for LU campus (faculty of Humanities and social science) but i dont have enough details yet !!!! :)

^^ That's incredible!

Where is the funding coming from?

And what about waste-management efforts and shoreline clean-up?

Makes me happy ready all the nice things that are happening in the city. Yes is there any plans about that mountain of rubbish?

^^ why is the church turned into a museum?

^^ well it is an extremely old church that nobody even uses now !!!
the catholic church abandoned it when they constructed a new large cathedral outside the old city !!!!
besides this project will not go forward without the approval of the catholic bishopric of Saida cuz they own the church after all !!!
Ministries of Culture and Tourism along with the hariri foundation and the catholic bishopric are financing the project :)

^^ That's incredible!

Where is the funding coming from?

And what about waste-management efforts and shoreline clean-up?

Funding is coming from many parties....some are privately financed like BAU, others are financed by the ministry of education or the CDR, some are financed by foreign countries like Turkey or KSA or Oman......
but most of the projects are financed by Hariri foundation :)

Martyr,here's some new for you :

Grand Cinemas,Saida soon in Saida Mall :banana::banana::banana::banana:

^^ OMG !!!!! That's amazing ...where did u hear that ????

lol, its gonna be great not having to go to beirut everytime i want to see a movie...inu yesterday i went to see avatar in verdun, i spent about 15,000 L.L. just on transport.....inu kasra ;)

^^ Kifak wla? Happy new year to you :)

i am so excited too,although i am not from Saida :D but it's good to see this happening.

i didn't hear it,i actually read it on the latest Grand cinemas movie guide :)

the "future plans" page on the grandcinamas website doesn't say anything about an expansion to Saida... it just says there are plans to open at 2 new locations: ABC dbaye and Landmark.....but no Saida :ohno: !!!
so where did u hear that hassoun ????

^^ lol, saba2itni
i didn't see ur post...happy new year to u 2 :)
eh ok...so i guess they didn't update the info their website
....i'm so excited:cheers:

Here you go

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/696/grandv.jpg

^^ yaaaaayyyyy that's so great !!! :banana:
Thanks Man :)

Southern Facade of Le Mall, Saida (courtesy of me)

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image034-2.jpg

They began to install the cladding on the eastern facade of Saida Mall !!!!

(i'm thinking of applying for a job there....i dont want to go back to KFC next summer:ohno: lol :lol:)

How many entrances for Le Mall?

donnu really !?!?!
i think just one

New project to replace luxury hotel in downtown Sidon
Daily Star


SIDON: The 6,000-year-old southern coastal city of Sidon does not lack historic monuments and tourist attractions, but it does lack hotels and lodgings ready to receive the increasing number of tourists.
But Sidon Mayor Abdel-Rahman al-Bizri said on Monday that a new project would be launched soon to build a luxurious hotel to replace the old Hotel Tanios, which was destroyed during the 1975-1990 Civil War.
Tanios Hotel, also known as Hotel Sidon, was inaugurated in the 1960s by former Prime Minister Riyad Solh but was destroyed in 1975 during the Civil War and again in 1982 after the Israeli invasion. The current project aims at building a new hotel to replace it.
Bizri said during an interview with The Daily Star that Sidon’s accommodation facilities did not match the growing tourist activity. He complained that while the city had received more than 50,000 European tourists, it only had two small hotels that could accommodate about 50 people.
He then talked about the project to build the new hotel and said several complications have been standing in the face of accomplishing it. Bizri said the municipality had to refer to the judiciary in order to buy the land from its previous owner who did not fulfill his obligation to invest, and that it also had trouble finding investors. “We presented the project to several investors but the only one who was cooperative was Ezzat Qaddoura,” he said.
The preliminary studies for the project were conducted by the company Khatib and Alami and the total cost of the investment was estimated at $25million to $30 million. The hotel will be built on a land of 7,000 to 9,000 square meters at the northern entrance of the city and will include about 85 rooms divided between three floors above the ground. “We don’t want to ruin the sea view and we want to use the land close to the sea for maritime activities,” said Bizri. He added that the hotel would include ballrooms because the wedding industry was booming in Sidon with about 250 weddings per year.
Nonetheless, more obstacles still lie in the face of completing the project such as getting a complete approval to start building and attracting more investors, preferably Sidon locals.
But many people could still be hesitating because of Sidon’s reputation of being a conservative city that doesn’t serve alcohol. Bizri denied that fact and said the municipality did not force any hotel, restaurant or shop owner to refrain from serving alcoholic beverages. “They have the freedom of choice,” he said, noting that only a few restaurants did not serve alcohol.
Bizri regretted the rumors, as well as the government’s negligence of the city. He complained that no serious investment was being made to develop Sidon’s tourist sites and end the problem of its waste dump. On the contrary, he said the city has rarely been mentioned in the media for reasons other than its security situation.
Sidon’s main tourist attractions include its maritime fort that dates back to the 13th century, the historic hotel Khan al-Ifranj, the Omari mosque, the Saint Nicholas Church, the old market, the Corniche and the Island of Zire. The city proved during Ramadan seasons it could events that attracted tourists from across Lebanon, as well as foreign countries, Bizri said.

Mabrook Saida :banana:

^^ Badak Bawse 3ala hayde l5abriyi !!!!!! :)
that is amazing news, the hotel will be built directly south of the stadium !
and yes we have been getting more tourists, yesterday i was driving by the old city seafront and i ran across more than 2 tourist groups ( about 20 people each !!), they were europeans and asians

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/hotel.jpg

should we create a thread for this hotel in the projects subforum????

should we create a thread for this hotel in the projects subforum????

yeah i guess we should saida deserves it guys remember when i proposed a plan for building a series of hotels on saida's sea front well i guess this dream is becoming a reality!

Could that be Le Gray,Saida? we know already they r planning to hotels on Lebanese cost,that would be gr8 :)

Sidon sees flood of Lebanese drawn to touristic sites
By Mohammed Zaatari
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, January 20, 2010

SIDON: The southern coastal city of Sidon witnessed this week a flood of Lebanese tourists who came to visit its historic monuments and walk down its old streets. The influx of tourists has become a familiar sight for local resdents as hundreds of people have been visiting the city, especially during the weekend. The visitors are drawn to the historic sites, streets and houses of the city as well as its beaches, restaurants and famous foul mdammas, a dish made with cooked fava beans.

The scene promises prosperity and development for the city but Sidon residents are not content, saying local authorities have not been profiting from the flourishing tourist activity and have not been making plans to make this movement more permanent.

“We want this tourist growth to be reinforced through plans and projects so that it would become permanent and not disappear after a while,” said Mahmoud Habli, a shop owner.

Sidon offers numerous tourist draws, most of which are historic sites. The old streets of the city have been witnessing several renovation projects over the past years, but most of these haven’t gone beyond the level of individual initiatives or local civil-society projects.



“These projects should have more goals than just to embellish the city or uncover its archaeological sites. They should be accompanied by a social program that helps residents and shop owners to benefit from their skills,” said local Mohammad Jomaa.

He suggested that the city’s residents be given a chance to sell traditional artifacts or that projects help restore certain houses on the verge of collapse. Jomaa blamed the government and the Sdion municipality for the negligence.

But in spite of the locals’ complaints, tourists from across Lebanon have been flocking to the old city. Mona Abu Diab is a Chouf resident and she first visited Sidon on Tuesday. “I loved the arches and the old stones. This city is perfect to shoot a historic movie,” she said.

Sidon prepares to launch its first medical waste treatment center

SIDON: Sidon Municipality is preparing to lay the foundation stone for its first ever medical waste treatment center this week. The project, sponsored by the Spanish Embassy and funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), will cost around 800,000 euros (around $1,095,500) and cover an area of about 600 meters.

The ceremony marking the commencement of work will be held this Thursday.

The waste treatment center will be the first of its kind in a city that suffers a major environmental crisis due to the presence of a massive waste dump on the seafront. Hospitals in Sidon generally do not abide by environmental laws or health and safety standards, unloading tons of organic waste on the dump site which is then carried by the sea to shore whenever a storm hits the area.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Sidon’s Mayor Abdel-Rahman Bizri said that the time had come for the end of such heinous environmental crimes. “This center will operate in Sidon at a time when we are waiting for a resolution to the whole issue of the waste dump,” he said.

Sidon is the second largest medical capital in Lebanon and a major part of the city’s economy is dependent on medical or other health services, the head of the municipality said.

Such dependence should compel Sidon to follow advances in the medical sector, Bizri said. That would entail, apart from providing proper medical care, Sidon officials addressing several environmental problems that arise from criminal medical practices.



“In the last two decades, we have heard a lot about the dangers of medical waste that cause contagious diseases inside and outside hospitals,” Bizri said. “All this highlights the importance of successfully and safely disposing hospital waste, which has become a science in itself.”

He noted that in the past, hospitals in Sidon used to randomly throw their garbage onto the city’s waste dump. “We are very thankful to AECID for offering to build this center and providing us with the equipment. AECID is already cooperating with the Lebanese civil organization, Arc En Ciel, which is specialized in acquiring experience related to treating medical wastes. The municipality provided the land for the project,” Bizri said.

The mayor explained that the treatment will start with the collection and transfer of medical waste to the center, where they are safely treated. In accordance to Lebanese law, the waste is then handed over to the municipality, which disposes of them as treated solid waste.

“All hospitals in the city have undergone training sessions and we agreed that a specially equipped truck will be responsible for collecting waste from the medical centers. The truck will always take a specified road so that it can be monitored. It is the responsibility of the concerned hospitals to shoulder the financial burden of submitting their wastes,” Bizri said.

-The Daily Star

^^ Badak Bawse 3ala hayde l5abriyi !!!!!! :)
that is amazing news, the hotel will be built directly south of the stadium !
and yes we have been getting more tourists, yesterday i was driving by the old city seafront and i ran across more than 2 tourist groups ( about 20 people each !!), they were europeans and asians


Saida needs to boost its nightlife if it wants people to stay there overnight.

^^ any suggestions ???

I don't think nightclubs would be a good idea. This type of nightlife should be kept for Beirut. In Sour for example, during summer, people go to the beach around 9 PM and stay there until dawn.

yeah i agree, nightclubs dont seem as a good idea !!!
what i think they should do is create a cafes/restuarants strip that willl stay open all day and night, inu something like Place d'Etoile or Maarad street !!!

courtesy of me, pics taken last monday

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image022-1.jpg

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^^ Very nice, looks like it could be on Miami Beach.

Le Mall – Saida is located on a prime scene at the heart of Saida’s Dakerman area; Le Mall – Saida will directly oversee a vibrant cross-section between the South Highway connecting Beirut to the South, the Jezzine Highway and the Seaport Highway. It is the first mall to be established in the South of Lebanon.
Le Mall – Saida will encompass over 12,000 sqm of leasable area of which 9,603 sqm are set for retail and food & beverage outlets. The remaining 2,348 sqm are designed for kids entertainment.
The architectural design of Le Mall – Saida is based on spaces that could host regular stores as well as “big” stores. As a matter of fact, the B1 level is mainly designed to fit one or two large department stores that enjoy a double access, one from the main street and the other from inside the mall. Furthermore, each shop extends to two levels.
250 parking spaces are available at Le Mall – Saida; these spaces are distributed between the B2 level (180 spaces) and the Ground Floor (70 spaces).

..

FIRST STORE IN LE MALL OPENED TODAY :banana::banana:
it's the MANGO store, and its looking amazing... also they finished removing that wrapping thingy from the facades of the last 2 floors of the mall and its all black now... It just looks stunning !! :D

^^ Oysho and Pull and Bear opened in Le Mall !!!

The eastern side of Saida Mall is almost done, and i think stores will start opening soon !!!

**Exclusive pics of Le Mall**, courtesy of me

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image001-1.jpg

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from outside:

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image032-2.jpg

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image026-2.jpg

**Exclusive pics of Le Mall**, courtesy of me

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image010-2.jpg



finally we're getting our "Dunkin Donuts".... as for pizza hut and mcdonalds i find it very wierd that they're opening there, becuase there is a mcdonalds less than a 100 m away from le mall, and a pizza hut directy across the street from le mall :nuts:

^^ Lak eeeeeh !!!!! :)

but what about the top two stories ? nothing there?

a render of Saida Mall

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/11_Saida20Mall.jpg

finally we're getting our "Dunkin Donuts".... as for pizza hut and mcdonalds i find it very wierd that they're opening there, becuase there is a mcdonalds less than a 100 m away from le mall, and a pizza hut directy across the street from le mall :nuts:

Agree , they could have opened Nando's instead of McDonald's for example.

^^ Lak eeeeeh !!!!! :)

but what about the top two stories ? nothing there?

there is definately something up there.... maybe offices ?!?!?!?

It's good that the two malls complete each others.
any mention to Grand Cinemas in Saida Mall ?

Saida MP Bahia Hariri stated after her meeting with some economic, social and cultural figures in the city a series of projects for Saida, some are U/C others are under planning:

*Beirut Arab University: Saida Campus - Faculty of Medicine (construction begins soon)
*New Hospital on the City's Northern Entrance (under planning)
*2 new highways connecting Saida to the eastern and northern suburbs
*Saida Historical Museum (construction begins soon)
*New Park adjecent to BAU campus (under planning)
*New Breakwater on the city's southern shoreline (construction begins in few months)
*Phase 2 of the Old City renovations: The Old City Seafront (starting soon)
*Reconstruction of the El-Mir Bathhouse near the Old City (under Planning)
*Renovation of the anceint Catholic Church in the Old City and turning it into a historic-cultural museum (work begins after the holidays)
*Renovation of the Seaside Saida Rest House (completed next March)
*New School (financed by Oman)
*2 new vocational schools: largest vocational schools in lebanon (under planning)
*There is also something for LU campus (faculty of Humanities and social science) but i dont have enough details yet !!!! :)

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/NewsImage_51558.jpg

^^ yeah,i saw the report on Future TV yesterday,it's called Turkish Hospital for wounds and burns,funded by the Turkish government.they mentioned it will open its doors later this year.

It's good that the two malls complete each others.
any mention to Grand Cinemas in Saida Mall ?

actually they're right across the street from each other... and Saida Mall will be finished very soon...
http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=33.5643734&lon=35.3806329&z=17&l=0&m=b

no new news on Grand Cinemas-Saida... the last time i checked the "future plans" page on their website they had no mention on future plans in Saida... bas nchala 5eir :)

how cute they have a prayer room in the mall.. so someone who wants to pray can t actually wait to get to a mosque and has to do it at the mall?
are there prayer rooms in ABC achrafieh or city mall?:nuts:

Lebanon is one F**Kep up country i tell you :)

but i m happy for saida, which unlike Tripoli seems to be moving in the right direction to get out of its shell..

how cute they have a prayer room in the mall.. so someone who wants to pray can t actually wait to get to a mosque and has to do it at the mall?
are there prayer rooms in ABC achrafieh or city mall?:nuts:

Lebanon is one F**Kep up country i tell you :)

but i m happy for saida, which unlike Tripoli seems to be moving in the right direction to get out of its shell..

There is a prayer room in Citymall.

courtesy of me
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image023-1.jpg (http://s720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/?action=view&current=Image023-1.jpg)

^^ is it a reflection of Dunkin Donuts ? or that's within the building?

it's a reflection, Dunkin Donuts is right infront of it.... the store is still empty though they've just hanged the sign !!!

^^
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image000.jpg

cafe blanc

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image001-2.jpg

Cafe Blanc !! good job

Le mall is really tres chique :) i really hope they open in Tripoli,Tyre,Zahle and Baalbeck.

tripoli ??? maybe..... baalbek???? very unlikey

LOL in Baalbek doubt it !

So,when are they officially going to open Le Mall-Saida ?

^^ it's already open... i even did some shopping there... and applied for summer job at dunkit donuts

Hey good day guys
I am new in this thing :) its my first time lol:cheers:

Can someone tell me how can I post an image?

upload ur pic to an image host website (i personally use photobucket), then copy the url of the pic and post it between

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx251/sanox_2010/le%20mall/P40405561.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx251/sanox_2010/le%20mall/P4040557.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx251/sanox_2010/le%20mall/P4040553.jpg

by sanox 04042010
thx MARTYR for the help

hey great pics man :D, very nice
did u have trouble taking them? cuz the last time i took a pic there i had the guards come up to me and request to see the pics i took... then they told me that i'm not allowed to take pics of people... so i had to explain to them that i'm only taking pics of the stores, so they gave me this wierd look like i'm crazy or something

Lol
Will honestly my bro catch them for me…he have a professional Olympus pin cam
I currently working in UAE … so I love to see my old city from time to time lol for that I love this site
P.S: he didn’t have any issue when taking the pics :bowtie:

I love the pixxx ,I gotta visit Saida ,tnx for the pix Sanox

Welcome to the forum,sanox :)
Nice update,looks so modern,i wonder how does it look like from inside,is there even an inside? lol

^^ no :lol:

^^ Seriously? lol :lol:

its 12,000 sq meters, what did u expect ???

By sanox

http://www.saidaonline.com/eup/uploads/DSC_rwesdfsd8717.jpg

http://www.saidaonline.com/eup/uploads/DSC_rwesdfsd8719.jpg

http://www.saidaonline.com/eup/uploads/DSC_rwesdfsd8718.jpg

قام مدير عام "الصندوق الكويتي للتنمية الإقتصادية العربية" عبد الوهاب البدر برفقة نائب صيدا الرئيس فؤاد السنيورة ورئيس بلدية صيدا عبد الرحمن البزري والممثل المقيم للصندوق الكويتي في لبنان محمد الصادقي وممثل السفير الكويتي القائم بأعمال السفارة الكويتية جاسم الناجم بزيارة تفقدية للأرض التي سيشاد عليها مشروع " مركز الطوارىء والاسعاف لمدينة صيدا والجوار " على العقار رقم 218 دكرمان الذي قدمته البلدية، وهو المشروع الذي جاء بمبادرة من نائبي صيدا الرئيس السنيورة والسيدة بهية الحريري ، وسعى الرئيس السنيورة لتأمين التمويل له ولاقى سعيه صدى ايجابيا لدى الأشقاء الكويتيين من خلال الصندوق الكويتي للتنمية الاقتصادية ..

وبعد جولة في أرجاء المكان ، اطلع الوفد من المهندس عبد الواحد شهاب على الخرائط التفصيلية له وعلى مواصفات المركز .

مواصفات المشروع

وحسب التصميم الأولي للمشروع الذي تم اعداده من قبل مكتب المهندس عبد الواحد شهاب بتكليف من نائبي صيدا الرئيس فؤاد السنيورة والنائب بهية الحريري فان هذا المركز عبارة عن بناء مركز طوارىء واسعاف ، يتم تجهيزه وتشغيله من أجل منفعة وحماية المقيمين في صيدا والجوار ، والهدف من المشروع هو ان يكون مركزا للحماية ومكافحة الحريق وأعمال الدفاع المدني والاسعاف السريع ونقل الجرحى والمصابين الى المستشفيات . ويقع المشروع في مدينة صيدا– الجهة الجنوبية عقار رقم 218 الدكرمان، وهو سيخصص لقطاع : الدفاع المدني والاسعاف واطفائية صيدا ، والمنطقة المستفيدة من هذا المركز مدينة صيدا والجوار ، المدينة الصناعية ، الغازية، مغدوشة، درب السيم، المخيم ، حارة صيدا، الهلالية، مجدليون، دعم الاحتياجات اللوجستية الجنوبية .أما مدة المشروع فهي: سنتان ونصف: سنتان لبناء المركز وستة اشهر لتجهيزه. وتبلغ الكلفة الاجمالية للمشروع نحو ثلاثة ملايين ومائة ألف دولار أميركي .

ووفق التصميم الموضوع ، فان المركز سيكون متعدد الوظائف والتي تشمل:ادارة للطوارىء والاسعاف ، صالات للتدريب متعددة ، كاراج لسيارات الاطفاء والاسعاف مع مخازن وورش ميكانيك ، أمكنة للتزود بالمياه والمواد والوقود والمعدات اللازمة ، مواقف سيارات للموظفين والزائرين ، استراحات متعددة ، صالات للمنامة للجهاز الليلي للدفاع المدني والاسعاف . وسيجري بناء المركز على قطعة أرض مملوكة من قبل بلدية صيدا .

وتبلغ مساحة المشروع 6400 متر مربع بناء + 5500 متر مربع مواقف سيارات خارجية خاصة بالحسبة . ويتألف البناء بمساحة اجمالية تبلغ حوالي 6400 متر مربع من : طابق سفلي ثاني 4790 متر مربع، طابق سفلي أول 80 متر مربع، طابق أرضي 630 متر مربع، طابق ميزانين 325 متر مربع، طابق أول 175 متر مربع، طابق ثاني 175 متر مربع، طابق ثالث 175 متر مربع والسطح الأخير 50 متر مربع .
وتتوزع اقسام المركز على طبقاته على الشكل التالي :

*الطابق السفلي الثاني : المساحة الاجمالية 4790 متر مربع : مواقف لسيارات الدفاع المدني وآلياته وآليات خاصة بالبلدية والصليب الأحمر ، ورش ميكانيك ، صالات تدريب، مخازن للمواد والمعدات ، خزانات مياه، غرف ميكانيك، مواقف سيارات ومكاتب للعاملين .

*الطابق السفلي الأول : المساحة الاجمالية 80 متر مربع : مخازن .

*الطابق الأرضي : المساحة الاجمالية 630 مترا مربعا : الاستقبال ، الادارة والمعلوماتية ، قاعة متعددة الأغراض مع امكانية استعمالها كثلاث قاعات ، وستستخدم هذه المساحة لـ: إدارة المركز ، الاستقبال، خدمات اسداء المشورة مع غرفة انتظار ، المحاسبة ، قاعة للتبرع بالدم ، بنك الدم ، مكاتب صغيرة للمتطوعين الذين تقع على كاهلهم بعض المسؤوليات في المركز ، الحمامات ، وغرفة للرقابة الأمنية ، أدراج ومصاعد .

*الطابق الميزانين : المساحة الاجمالية 325 مترا مربعا : مكاتب ادارة .

*الطابق الأول : المساحة الاجمالية : 175 مترا مربعا : صالات منامة ، حمامات ، أدراج ومصاعد. وستستخدم هذه المساحة لإستراحة ومنامة جهاز الدفاع المدني " الدوام الليلي ".

*الطابق الثاني : المساحة الاجمالية : 175 مترا مربعا: أجهزة الصليب الأحمر -الدوام الليلي ، وسيستخدم المكان لإستراحة ومنامة جهاز الصليب الأحمر – الدوام الليلي .

*الطابق الثالث : المساحة الاجمالية 175 مترا مربعا: قاعة مطعم ومطبخ وحمامات ودرج ومصاعد، سيستخدم المكان للإستراحة وتناول الطعام .

Le Mall's grand opening is in June,still not fully operational yet ??
also it's confirmed that Grand Cinemas Saida will open in 6 to 8 weeks,anything on Saida mall ?

^^ le mall: no, not all stores have opened yet
saida mall: grand cinemas needs minimum 2 months till its ready to open, as for the mall itself, construction is done now and they're working on the claddding... it think the stores that are directly on the street will open very soon !! :)

btw where did u get this from ?

Guys ... any new updates regarding Saida mall or even le mall...maybe some pic' if you can?

le mall: most (if not all) of the big stores in le mall have opened... Lina's, Cafe Najjar and Mcdo will open soon
saida mall: work is progressing so much faster than i had expected... i think it will be open in less than a month... hopefullly :)

i just received this answer from Grand Cinemas after i asked them about the Saida Cinema: " Thank you very much for being interested in further expansion of Grand Cinemas, but as of yet there are no news on that matter. Saida Cinema is still under a development process,thus as soon as we know more, we will announce it on Facebook page."

They hanged a big Grand Cinemas sign on Saida Mall !!!! :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

pics coming this weekend !!! :)...nchala

i just received a message from Grand Cinemas, the Saida Cinema will open in september...

I preffered a summer opening, but late is still better than never... but judging from the speed of construction, it doesn't need 4 months to be done !!!

How many screens? i would say 4 maybe? any idea?

if not less....

LE MALL, SAIDA

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image000-1.jpg

*Quick Facts: Stores open from 10 am to 10 pm & restaurants from 10 am till midnight, 7 days a week

*Parking Facilities: free parking for over 160 cars and valet parking

*Cash points: ATM services available

B1

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image008-3.jpg

B1 is a versatile floor packed with brands from different categories: fashion, shoes, bags, accessories, electronics, kids' fashion, toys and deliciously fresh Lina's sandwiches under the skylight.

GF+01

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image006-3.jpg

The Ground Floor encompasses a wide selection of the most renowned names in the world of fashion, sports and restaurants.
From ZARA and Mike Sport to McDonalds and La Maison du Cafe you can always find what you need on this floor and enjoy a tasty meal while you're at it.

02

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/MARTYR_92/Image010-3.jpg

Frizzy hosts a number of facilites on the second floor that cater especially for children. The new edu-tainment concept challenges kids' brains while having a good time.
Activities unclude a girls' spa complete with makeovers, treatments, manicures and more. In addition, boys could spend their time at the Crazy Llab where they could learn and pay at the same time.

Directory:

Aroma Cosemetics
Bershka
Cafe Blanc
Dunkin Donuts
Kyla
La Maison du Cafe
Mango
McDonalds
Mike Sport
Miss Poem
Moustache
Oysho
Promod
Pull & Bear
Thierry's Friends
Zara
Bata
big Syar
Cart & Toon
Class
Gali
Gamache
Houdoum
Ice Watch
Kathy Van Zeeland
Khabbaz
Lina's
Maria Pino
Mazen World
Ose
Oxygene
Pellini
Sk Nijouz
Stile
Tally Weijl
Vince Camuto
Zoughaib

Saudi accepts electoral battle in Saida
May 17, 2010



Saida Consensus for Development list head Mohammad al-Saudi said that he accepts the challenge of contesting an electoral battle in the upcoming May 23 Saida municipal elections and called on voters to turn-out in heavy numbers, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Monday.

This comes after consensus could not be reached between Saudi and Popular Nasserite Movement leader Osama Saad, who is backing the rival Popular Will list.

Saudi also said that development projects should be implemented away from politics.

Our project is to make Saida’s downtown as good as the one in Beirut, he said. He added that the southern city’s landfill should be transformed, citing the building of the BIEL convention center on the site of Beirut’s Normandy landfill.

I hope saida gets a sweet looking downtown with cafes, resturants and patios.
It is so nice there in the summer, and will spread the heavy flow of people congregating in beirut's cafe's

I have a question.. does saida have any clubs/bars/pubs of any sort? If no, what is the main nightlife thing you guys do there?

I love Saida... sorry to say... While Beirut is Grand, there is something so humble and pretty about Saida. It is a romantic city. I think its my 2nd fav city in Lebanon. I wish it nothing but the best. I can't wait to go back.

I love Saida... sorry to say... While Beirut is Grand, there is something so humble and pretty about Saida. It is a romantic city. I think its my 2nd fav city in Lebanon. I wish it nothing but the best. I can't wait to go back.

I ♥ You !!

I hope saida gets a sweet looking downtown with cafes, resturants and patios.
It is so nice there in the summer, and will spread the heavy flow of people congregating in beirut's cafe's

I have a question.. does saida have any clubs/bars/pubs of any sort? If no, what is the main nightlife thing you guys do there?

First of all, thanks for your amazing post, that is really amazing news... I dont know if anyone watched "Abil El-Akhbar" today on MTV, anyway, the guest was an FM official from Saida... he was talking about the off-shore breakwater that will get built soon infront of the Garbage Mountain in Saida, he said that its main purpose is to prevent the garbage from falling into the open waters... i think its just step nb. 1 in paving the way for a land reclamation process similar to the one in Beirut...
I really love the idea of creating a lively city center for Saida, the current one (which extends west of Nejme Square) is not that bad, half of its streets have already been pedestrianized they just need to install cobblestone instead of pavement, the buildings there are all low-rises with a 60's style facade they just need a simple facelift, some street furniture and signage, doing something about the electricity wires.... those procedures would really improve the city center aestheticly... As for general atmosphere of the city center, i think they should keep the choatic lively feel to it.... you know what i mean: a book store next to a high-end shopping store then a shoe store then a shawarma stand then a cheap clothing store then a bakery.... they should make space for a couple of restaurants and cafes though !!!

To answer your question Ramy, Saida city doesn't have pubs or nightclubs, u might find a couple in the near suburbs (rmayle, kraye...etc). The nightlife here is consisted of a series of restuarants and cafes, some of them host parties on the weekends. As for the congestion in beirut's cafes, i think that government officials should start working on directing the excess of tourists and locals to Saida to help in the city's development on one hand, and taking some of the pressure off of beirut on another hand.

martyr, i am a regular visitor of Saida, and i have to admit that the city has been improving in the last 5-6 years at a faster pace...some areas now start to look clean and several shops and restos have opened recently, streets start making sense...you have the new malls, the old souq restoration, the northern entrance...still, in my opinion, there are 4 main obstacles to Saida's full development :

1- The mountain of shit
2- 3Ain el Helwe
3- Al Jama3a l Islamiyye
4- The people's lack of cleanliness and respect for the environment

Number 1 spreads a disgusting smell all over the city, apart from being a real eyesore and dumping tons of rubbish into the shoreline and beaches...
Number 2 makes Saida one of the most dangerous cities in Lebanon after sunset...it's well known that girls cannot walk alone in the streets or take a car at night (true that lebanese are also involved in occasional fights but still most of the times it's Palestinian zo3ran)
Number 3 are constantly threatening and intimidating those who decide to spice up every day life in Saida...concerts have to be cancelled, bars and restos can't serve alcohol and music or dancing in bars is forbidden...nobody dares
Number 4...have you seen the color of the sea in the northern entrance to Saida???? it's a beautiful turquoise...just like the caribbean or the red sea...still, if you have a look at the sandy beaches, the ammount of rubbish thrown wrecklessly by the locals is embarasing...

as a Saidewi, how do you feel about all these problems???? i'm really curious to know...i might be exagerating, i don't know...what do you think?

you nailed the first 3... i dont think of nb. 4 as a problem that is only related to Saida but more of a general problem we are facing in most of lebanon especially when it comes to garbage and deforestation...
but i dont mind if u want to count it....
I think cleanliness and the Garbage Mt. are problems that can be solved with a little determination and honesty...
As for the other 2 problems, well, lets just say that they are bigger than Saida...
Al-jama3a El-Islimiyi are just a bunch of assholes with explosives who think that they can do whatever they want and the LAF does nothing.... bas shatreen yil7a2oni yis2aloni shu 3m sawir :@ !!!!
...But i have a hunch that their time is coming to an end !!!!

^^ Please feel free to continue this discussion in EAYOR, but not here - Thanks!

Martyr,any stores opened in Saida mall ?


Here's Le Mall official website

http://www.lemall.com.lb/

thnx for the link :)
no, no stores have opened yet in Saida Mall !!!

TONS OF GREAT PROJECTS: http://www.fuadsiniora.com/saidaprojects

The Beirut Arab University - Saida Campus
Faculty of Health

before:
http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/8282/makassed20.jpg (http://img541.imageshack.us/i/makassed20.jpg/)

after:
http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/9916/makassed10.jpg (http://img693.imageshack.us/i/makassed10.jpg/)

a clearer look:
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/2043/copyofmakassed10.jpg (http://img820.imageshack.us/i/copyofmakassed10.jpg/)

Architect: Abed El-Wahab Shhab
Contractor: Geneco
Cost: 3,000,000 USD
Financer: Prime Minister Saad Hariri
Current Status: Approved by the Directorate General of Antiquities, the Supreme Council of Urban Planning, and The Engineers Association. They are now waiting to get a license from the Municipality.

^^ i tagged the site: http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=33.5611908&lon=35.3679782&z=18&l=0&m=b

Model of the Turkish Hospital
http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/1825/turkish2.jpg (http://img295.imageshack.us/i/turkish2.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

The Cost of the project is 20,000,000 USD. It will be completed in August 2010

I wonder why we didn't have a thread for this ??? or for any Saida project for that matter ??

^^ If you get enough info and pics you could start one. :D the link you gave to Saniouras site has some really awesome projects

THE GRAND OPENING OF LE MALL

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/4794/dsc8139lemall8139.jpg (http://img97.imageshack.us/i/dsc8139lemall8139.jpg/)

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/6805/dsc8142lemall8142.jpg (http://img340.imageshack.us/i/dsc8142lemall8142.jpg/)

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/7433/dsc8143lemall8143.jpg (http://img815.imageshack.us/i/dsc8143lemall8143.jpg/)

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/4737/dsc8144lemall8144.jpg (http://img339.imageshack.us/i/dsc8144lemall8144.jpg/)

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/326/dsc8154lemall8154.jpg (http://img685.imageshack.us/i/dsc8154lemall8154.jpg/)

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/3750/dsc8150lemall8150.jpg (http://img517.imageshack.us/i/dsc8150lemall8150.jpg/)

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/9606/dsc8152lemall8152.jpg (http://img15.imageshack.us/i/dsc8152lemall8152.jpg/)

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/7004/dsc8155lemall8155.jpg (http://img97.imageshack.us/i/dsc8155lemall8155.jpg/)

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/3435/dsc8140lemall8140.jpg (http://img38.imageshack.us/i/dsc8140lemall8140.jpg/)

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/7949/dsc8148lemall8148.jpg (http://img441.imageshack.us/i/dsc8148lemall8148.jpg/)

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/7753/dsc8145lemall8145.jpg (http://img20.imageshack.us/i/dsc8145lemall8145.jpg/)

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/9812/dsc8147lemall8147.jpg (http://img24.imageshack.us/i/dsc8147lemall8147.jpg/)

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/1936/dsc8149lemall8149.jpg (http://img36.imageshack.us/i/dsc8149lemall8149.jpg/)

o wow... looks so nice! Mabrouk saida:)

^^ shukran shukran.....3m nit2abal ltahini jom3a sabit 2a7ad ben l2arb3a w lsab3a...:lol:

Mabrook Saida! It looks so Nice!

Die in your jealousy Tripoli !!!!
hehehhee kidding :P

looks very nice! good for Saida+ many jobs!