The map of Beirut was drawn by the cadastral office of the French Army of the Levant in February 1922, at a scale of 1/10,000.
Highlighted in red are residences, institutions and populated areas at the time, in addition to bridges and street names, the tramway line, the hippodrome, and agricultural lands the majority of which were planted with vineyards, berries and cactus.
We also see on the map some landmarks that no longer exist, namely:
Place des Canons: Currently known as the Martyrs’ Square, it was called at the time as the Cannons’ Square, in reference to the cannons that were installed therein to protect Beirut against naval invasions.
During World War I, Jamal Pasha executed death sentences in the square for an elite of Lebanese and Syrian intellectuals, and since then it was known as the Martyrs’ Square. In 1937, May 6 was declared as the Martyrs’ Day in honor of their memory and to pay tribute to their pure souls.
The Petit Serail: It was called the Petit Serail (literally the ‘small serail’) to distinguish it from the Grand Serail; it was built on the northern side of the Cannons’ Square (now opposite the Le Gray Hotel), and it was inaugurated in 1884 as the seat of the governor of Beirut, then the seat of the French rulers, and finally the seat of the Presidency of the Republic.
The most powerful image in the memory of the Lebanese is the one that represents the demonstrators on the morning of November 22, 1943, climbing the roof of the Serail to raise the new Lebanese flag before the return of President Bechara El-Khoury along with the men of independence to the Petit Serail after being arrested in the citadel of Rashaya.
In order to expand the Martyrs' Square, the Grand Serail was demolished in 1950.
Call Number: USEK_ML_B1_003
Format: Digital
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