There’s something about Beirut Souks that makes you come back to it over and over again.
It is true that the reconstruction of the old souks did not even get close to what my parents remember. It is also true that it if you’re searching for authenticity or stumps of memory lost somewhere in the alleys, you’re obviously in the wrong place.
Despite all this, my –unchanged- opinion on Solidere and its vision of Beirut, and despite the load of romantic collective memory inherited and its projection on what I would have wanted to see in “my” Beirut, I would have to confess that Beirut Souks are after all… not so bad.
In the sense that though not old nor reminiscent of a lost past, somehow the souks have succeeded in defying the dubai-ish architecture and become a space of confluence for many people.
The Souks have also become the place to be for street photographers, allowing rich and funny encounters.
Old men, skating (YES skating!) or biking…
Kids appropriating the space and making of it their own playground…
Lovers hiding between the lines of the pavements…
People having coffee, shopping, waiting for someone, dreaming…
And pets yawning or simply enjoying the sun after long (very long) rainy days.
There’s one thing missing, and I can’t wait for it to open: The Library! Maybe then we would see more people with books 🙂