Beirut’s secret garden

by Nabila Rahhal July 3, 2012

written by Nabila Rahhal July 3, 2012

Many older residents of Lebanon’s capital have fond memories of the Horsh Beirut, of childhood games and family picnics in one of the city’s most beautiful parks. The current generation has no such memories. While the Horsh Beirut, also known as Horsh el Snawbar or Horsh El Eid, accounts for some 77 percent of the city’s green space, the municipality has kept it closed to the public for more than two decades; but if a growing number of civil society organizations are successful in their efforts, the gates may soon be open again. Among the many victims of the civil war was the Horsh, whose ancient pine trees were burned to cinders during an Israeli assault on the city in 1982. In 1992, the municipality of L’Ile De France, working with the Beirut municipality, funded the restoration of 90 percent of the park at a cost of $191,000, according to

Nabila Rahhal

Nabila is Executive's hospitality, tourism and retail editor. She also covers other topics she's interested in such as education and mental health. Prior to joining Executive, she worked as a teacher for eight years in Beirut. Nabila holds a Masters in Educational Psychology from the American University of Beirut. Send mail

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Sustainable Cities conference bridges cultures, demonstrates shared experiences on public spaces | AFRICAN URBANISM November 17, 2014 - 2:15 PM

[…] stance toward public spaces and the work of his organization Nahnoo, which seeks to re-open Horsh Beirut, an urban park that has been closed to the public since 1992. Discussing informal […]

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Beirut’s secret garden

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