All That Glitters

The centre of Beirut is being rebuilt again after the devastation of past wars. The aim is to maintain the traditional but in a modern style. Tall elegant buildings from the Ottoman period, with majestic fronts and carved balconies are being lovingly restored in honey-coloured stone. From the rubble a modern city is being reborn brick by brick

Where once there was a bustling market now there are shops and cafes catering for the international set, for Lebanon relies heavily on tourists from the Gulf and beyond. It is best to look elegant as you sit in the sunshine and and drink your machiato alongside modern day Jackie Kennedys and Sohia Lorens. Cool, pampered teenagers gather in groups on their 'Bike Beirut' cycles before heading off to their next agreed destination. Toddlers enjoy the freedom of ther pedestrianised streets, mothers close at hand, nannies discretely further back holding the cumbersome paraphernalia of child raising.

All the old now has a new interpretation. Where the Souk once stood, the street names have been maintained but instead of specialised retailers, clustered together selling cloth, hardware, fruit and vegetables or other essentials of life, now you have shops displaying the Versacci, Gucci or Burberry brands.

These streets may be open to the skies but with panels that automatically deploy to protect their valuable shoppers from sun and showers. In past times, porters were available to take the goods back to the house. Now shop assistants and chauffeurs carry Amani-labelled bags to the BMW, waiting nearby, so that the shoppers can carry on, to their next machiato.

But there is another side from the glitz... Nun  Better