Introduction

The “Egg” of Beirut, is a heavily scarred monument drastically imbued by Lebanon’s socio-political history. Only a fraction of the supposed mutlti-use complex “Beirut City Center”1 was built; the name of the structure was deduced from its egg-like structure, which also derived other names such as “the Dome” and “Sabouneh”2 — Lebanese lingo for “soap”. Beginning its construction during Lebanon’s heyday in 1965, it was destined to be the first mall in the Middle East3, at a time where Beirut was considered “The Paris of The Middle East” by virtue of its vibrant cultural and intellectual life4. Mirroring the deteriorating socio-political situation, the construction of the “Beirut City Center” in symbiosis with the city’s attributed title have halted in April 1975, with the start of the Lebanese Civil War, leaving only the egg —the center’s Cinema—, its platforms and pilotis, underground parking, and only one tower out of two, which ended up being demolished after the war.

Joseph Philippe Karam’s Proposal Drawings for the complex. The Arabic calligraphy in the image on the left reads as “City Center” and the description in the one on the right reads as: “City Center, Biggest Commercial Center in the Middle East contains hundreds of different stores: clothing, jewelry, restaurants, bakeries, snack bars, supermarkets, shoes, etc… Source: Joseph Philippe Karam’s Website.

Designed by architect Joseph Philippe Karam (1923-1976), this recreation center is located in the heart of Beirut, next to the iconic Martyr’s Square, which took its name to commemorate the Martyrs executed there under the Ottoman Rule. Since the Civil War, the city’s been bathing in corrupt political and economical instability, followed by many other devastating events such as the Israeli-Lebanese War, the Lebanese Revolution and Economic Crisis, and the recent Beirut Port Explosion. However, its cultural diversity and its collectivistic population is known to prevail no matter the circumstances, highlighting its substantial socio-political contrasts. Lebanese people will always be complaining about all the country’s negative aspects (there are plenty) but however will always tell you that there is no place like here! Beirut’s people always know how to live life to the fullest even when it seems, to the rest of the world, that they are on the edge of death. This essay aims to explore how in times of social-political conflict, human interaction in the specific public monument case study of the Beirut Egg defines its architecture usage as a socio-political condenser rather than its initial recreational intent.

The Egg. Photographed in collaboration with Paul Rafih.