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Narrating Beirut Public Spaces Westernization

Towards the late 19th century, Beirut is at the crossroad of two main political powers, the Ottoman Empire and the French Mandate. Dissociated from the province of Damascus in 1888, Beirut was elevated to the rank of provincial capital of Wilâya, the geographical borders of which spanned the equivalent of four actual countries. Preceding the French regime, the Ottomans envisioned westernizing some of the Empire cities to the image of the European urban example. Alternately, the French were very prone to modernize Beirut, a city considered as their prime image in the Levant. At this moment of its history, Beirut’s urban fate was at the intersection of two visions of Westernization, the late Ottoman and the early French mandate rules. This paper taps into Beirut’s urban identity through the lens of its public spaces, in the broader geographical and political context. By framing the intersection of the Late Ottoman and French visions of Westernization, the studied intramuros and extramuros public spaces reveal the transformations of the urban fabric. Whilst tackling the public spaces spatial transformation, the paper discusses as well the urban implications of Westernization on the city as a whole, highlighting the major shift of the urban model from a medieval city with a port into a major port-city.