Timeline of Beirut

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Beirut, Lebanon.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

Prior to 20th century

• 140 BC – City destroyed by Diodotus Tryphon.
• 64 BC – Beirut conquered by Agrippa.
• 14 BC – During the reign of Herod the Great, Berytus became a colonia.
• 551 CE – Earthquake.
• 635 – Beirut passes into Arab control.
• 759 – Prince Arslan bin al-Mundhir founds the Principality of Sin-el-Fil in Beirut.
• 1110 – Baldwin overtakes city, is absorbed into the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
• 1187 – Saladin re-takes city.
• early 17th.C. – Fakhr al-Din II fortifies the town.
• 1763 – Ottomans reclaim the city.
• 1772 – Russian occupations of Beirut.
• 1832 – Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt in power.
• 1840
  • October: Battle of Beirut.
  • Settlement of the hills surrounding the walled city begins, notably Moussaitbeh and Achrafieh
• 1853 – Grand Serail built.
• 1858 – Hadiqat al-Akhbar newspaper begins publication.
• 1860
  • Druze–Maronite conflict.
  • Sursock House built.
• 1866 – Syrian Protestant College established.
• 1868 – Archaeological Museum of the American University of Beirut established.
• 1875
  • Saint Joseph University founded.
  • Thamarāt al Funūn newspaper begins publication.
• 1877 – Lisan al-Hal newspaper begins publication.
• 1883 – Hôtel-Dieu de France founded.
• 1888 – Beirut was made capital of a vilayet (governorate) in Syria,[37] including the sanjaks (prefectures) Latakia, Tripoli, Beirut, Acre and Bekaa.
• 1894
  • Saint George Maronite Cathedral constructed.
  • Harbour, constructed by a French company.
• 1895 – Railway completed "across the Lebanon to Damascus."
• 1898 – Population: 120,000 (approximate).

20th century

1900s–1960s

• 1999 al-Iqbāl newspaper begins publication.
• 1907
  • Railway to Aleppo completed.
  • René Moawad Garden established.
  • Baidaphon (record label) in business (approximate date).
• 1916 – Place des Canons renamed Martyrs' Square.
• 1920 – Beirut Stock Exchange founded.
• 1920 – 1 September: Lebanon Republic (Greater Lebanon) proclaimed a state.
• 1921 – Beirut Traders Association founded.
• 1924 – Al Joumhouria newspaper begins publication
• 1925
  • National Conservatory of Music established.
  • Maghen Abraham Synagogue built.
• 1927 – American Junior College for Women opens in Ras Beirut.
• 1933
  • Parliament of Lebanon building erected.
  • An-Nahar newspaper begins publication.
  • L'Orient newspaper begins publication.
• 1934 – Population: 162,000 (approximate).
• 1936 – Kamel Abbas Hamieh takes office as Governor of Beirut.
• 1937
  • Académie libanaise des beaux-arts founded.
  • Ararad newspaper begins publication.
  • Zartonk newspaper begins publication.
• 1938 – Al Akhbar newspaper begins publication.
• 1941 – Eastern Times newspaper begins publication.
• 1942 – National Museum of Beirut opens.

  

  View of Beirut in 1950

• 1943 – Beirut becomes capital city of independent Lebanon.
• 1946
  • Nicolas Rizk takes office as Governor of Beirut.
  • Al-Hayat newspaper begins publication.[1]
• 1950 – Population: 181,271.

  

  Beirut in 1950

• 1951 – Lebanese University and Lycée Franco-Libanais Verdun founded.
• 1952
  • George Assi takes office as Governor of Beirut.
  • The Daily Star newspaper begins publication.
• 1954 – Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport opens.
• 1956 – Bachour Haddad takes office as Governor of Beirut.
• 1957 – Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium opens.
• 1958 – Population: 400,000 (estimate).
• 1959
  • Télé Liban (television) begins broadcasting.
  • Philip Boulos takes office as Governor of Beirut.
  • Al Anwar newspaper begins publication.
• 1960
  • Beirut Arab University established.
  • Emile Yanni takes office as Governor of Beirut.
• 1961
  • Orient-Institut Beirut established.
  • Sursock Museum and Phoenicia Beirut Hotel open.
• 1963 – Gallery One (cultural space) opens.
• 1964 – Saint Nicolas Garden opens.
• 1966 – Al Ahed football team established, headquartered in Beirut.
• 1967 – Chafik Abou Haydar takes office as Governor of Beirut.
• 1968 – "Israel raids Beirut airport."

1970s–1990s

• 1970
  • L'Orient Le Jour newspaper begins publication.
  • Population: 474,870 city; 938,940 urban agglomeration.
  • Sassine Square construction ends
• 1972 – Manoukian Center established.
• 1973 – Holiday Inn in business.
• 1974 – As-Safir newspaper begins publication.
• 1975
  • April: Lebanese Civil War begins.
  • Green Line established between mainly Muslim factions in West Beirut and the Christian Lebanese Front in East Beirut.
  • Centre for Arab Unity Studies founded.
• 1976 – al-Murābiṭ newspaper begins publication.
• 1977 – Mitri El Nammar takes office as Governor of Beirut.
• 1978 – Syrian siege of Achrafiyeh, the main Christian district of Beirut.
• 1982
  • Israeli invasion.
  • 14 September: Bachir Gemayel assassinated.
• 1983 – French and US barracks bombed.
• 1986 – Centre de Documentation et de Recherches Arabes Chretiennes founded.
• 1987 – George Smaha takes office as Governor of Beirut.
• 1988 – Ad-Diyar newspaper begins publication.
• 1989 – Lebanese Center for Policy Studies headquartered in city.
• 1990 – Center for Strategic Studies Research and Documentation
• 1991 – Al Manar TV begins broadcasting.
• 1992 – Nayef Al Maaloof takes office as Governor of Beirut
• 1993
  • B 018 nightclub opens.
  • Future Television begins broadcasting.
• 1994 – Solidere (redevelopment company) founded.
• 1995 – Nicolas Saba takes office as Governor of Beirut
• 1997
  • Arab Image Foundation established.
  • Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium rebuilt.
• 1999
  • Yaacoub Sarraf takes office as Governor of Beirut.
  • Planet Discovery children's museum inaugurated.
  • Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra and Al-Kafaàt University founded.
• 2000 – Museum of Lebanese Prehistory established.

21st century

2000s

• 2001 – Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Center opens.
• 2003
  • Beirut Marathon begins.
  • Music Hall opens.
  • Al-Balad newspaper begins publication.
• 2004
  • Souk el Tayeb farmer's market opens.
  • Helem (LGBT group) active.
  • Al-Saha Village restaurant in business.
• 2005
  • Cedar Revolution
  • Nassif Kaloosh takes office as Governor of Beirut
  • Ya Libnan news website launched.
• 2006
  • Political protests
  • Robert Mouawad Private Museum opens.
  • Sister city relationship established with Los Angeles, USA.
• 2007 – Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque built.
• 2008 – Platinum Tower built.
• 2009
  • 2009 Jeux de la Francophonie held in Beirut.
  • Beirut Art Center opens.
  • Beirut Souks and Le Gray hotel in business.
  • City named World Book Capital by UNESCO.

2010s

• 2010
  • Bilal Hamad becomes mayor.
  • Four Seasons Hotel Beirut opens.
• 2011
  • Political protests
  • Zaitunay Bay pedestrian area opens.
• 2012
  • Violent unrest related to Syrian uprising.
  • Al-Mayadeen television begins broadcasting.
  • 19 October: Bombing in Achrafieh.
  • 16 November: Überhaus nightclub opens.
• 2013
  • 9 July: Bombing in Bir el-Abed.
  • 15 August: Bombing.
  • 19 November: Iranian embassy bombings.
  • 27 December: Bombing.
• 2015
  • 21 July: Protests.
  • 12 November: Bombing.

2020s

• 2020
  • 4 August: Explosion in port
• 2021
  • 14 October: Clashes

See also

• Beirut history
• List of governors of Beirut
• Timeline of Lebanese history

References

This article incorporates information from the French Wikipedia.

Bibliography

Published in 19th century

Published in 20th century

• – literary criticism
• Projecting Beirut. 1998.

Published in 21st century

External links

• Fulltext articles related to Beirut (via HAL, Centre pour la communication scientifique directe, France)