Beirut

I've never heard a lot about Beirut, but since my fiance has some Lebanese ancestry, I have a new fascination for Lebanon, and its capital. Beirut, the Paris of the Middle East, is a city that rose from the ashes of a decade long civil war, ending in 1990. Beirut harbors a clash of situations, the young and wealthy live for the moment, partying, drinking and eating, probably to forget the past and the tepid future. This new generation in Beirut live among neighboring refugee camps, constantly under the shadow of fear and displacement. While the old within Beirut see the bullet holes ridden throughout the various districts as a constant reminder of the city's dark past.

It would be a fascinating place to visit, full of an energy only captured in a place living under the constant fear of volatility and violence.

Photos via Lonely Planet

The New York Times has a great slideshow about spending a weekend in Beirut, check it out if you are planning on heading to the Middle East any time soon!

Tags: Beirut