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Beirut was built on a rocky promontory, a site also occupied by prehistoric man. In ancient times more powerful neighbors overshadowed it, but when the city-states of Sidon and Tyre began to decline in the first millennium BC, Beirut acquired more influence. It was not until Roman times, when Beirut became a Roman colony in about 15 BC, that it became an important port and cultural center. During the Roman and Byzantine eras it was distinguished for its Law School, whose professors helped draft the famous Justinian Code. A devastating earthquake destroyed Beirut in 551 AD. A century later the Moslem Arabs conquered it and in 1109 it fell to the Crusaders. The city remained in Crusader hands until 1291, when the Mamlukes took it. In 1516 the 400-year Ottoman rule began. Later, in the 17th century, knew a period of great prosperity under the government of Emir Fakhreddine II. Then with the break-up of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, the city became the capital of modern Lebanon. Such landmarks as Martyrs’ Square, the souks and the Parliament Building, are part of the design, which covers 1.8 million square meters. In extensive archaeological investigations, historical periods from Canaanite (3000-1200 BC) to Ottoman (1516-1918 AD) have been revealed. |