The Rachid Karami International Fair stands tall in the heart of Tripoli, Lebanon, and should be an iconic symbol for this aspiring city. Yet very few people seem to know much about this architectural masterpiece, designed by the world famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. The fair was part of an ambitious plan to modernize Lebanon at large, to focus on the areas outside of Beirut in the 1960s. The master planners nearly achieved their ambition but were foiled by the Lebanese Civil War. Fifty years later, the fair stands as a poignant reminder of what could have been and how stagnant the modernization process of Lebanon remains, with its dilapidated concrete structures holding firm but desperately in need of investment. Brazilian curves in Tripoli Oscar Niemeyer, who turned 102 last year, is renowned for his work in his home country Brazil and its capital city, Brasilia. Niemeyer was appointed
