At long last, Beirut’s urban experience may finally be ready for visitor masses. Two projects — an entertainment center fitted with a multiplex cinema and a department store — are slated for completion at year-end 2013 and 2015, respectively. The entertainment center will go into business “in October or November; in any case before the end of the year,” says Mounir Douaidy, general manager of Solidere. The two projects comprise what is called the “North Souks”, located on the edge of the current Souks, and representing close to 40 percent of the Souks’ 118,000 square meters (sqm) after completion. The North Souks have been delayed several times, and the current projection of their delivery puts is roughly 15 years past the initial target date for opening the Souks. The uppity, well-to-do crowd among Souks’ patrons will moreover have a 16,000 sqm wellness center cum furnished apartments complex in nearby Patriarch
