Home Mobility Lost in Trainslation

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Lost in Trainslation

A history in pictures

by Greg Demarque

Kan ya ma kan (once upon a time), Lebanon had a well-developed railway network established by the different foreign authorities that governed the country before its independence.

The first major rail line was developed during the Ottoman period in 1895 and ran from Beirut to Damascus. It was constructed by the French upon a concession from the Sublime Porte.

The second major rail line ran from Haifa, a port city in Palestine to Tripoli, north Lebanon and was constructed in 1942, during the second world war, by the Australian army.

In between those major lines, smaller lines or links were also developed. The first was constructed in 1904 and connected Riyaq (Rayak) in the Bekaa to Syria’s Homs passing through Baalbek. The other was constructed in 1911 and ran from Tripoli to Homs to Aleppo.

Trains in Lebanon continued to function regularly until the onset of the civil war in 1975 when infrastructure gradually deteriorated. Since the end of the civil war, until now, there have been no functioning trains in Lebanon.

The photos in the photo essay were taken by Greg Demarque during an educational field trip organized by I Learn Academy. Information for text and captions was provided by Train/Train.

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Greg Demarque

Greg Demarque is a photo journalist based in Beirut.
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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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