Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. As of 2014, Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region and the thirteenth-largest in the Arab world. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast. Beirut has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world.
The music of Lebanon has a long history. Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, has long been known, especially in a period immediately following World War II, for its art and intellectualism. Several singers emerged in this period, among the most famous Fairuz, Sabah, Wadih El Safi, Nasri Shamseddine, Melhem Barakat, Majida El Roumi, Ahmad Kaabour, Marcel Khalife, and Ziad Rahbani, who—in addition to being an engaged singer-songwriter and music composer—was also a popular playwright. Lydia Canaan was hailed by the media as the first rock star of the Middle East.
Nouhad Wadie Haddad, known as Fairuz, is a Lebanese singer. She is widely considered an iconic vocalist and one of the most celebrated singers in the history of the Arab world. She is popularly known as "The Bird of The East", "The Cedar of Lebanon", "The Moon's Neighbor", and "The Voice of Lebanon", among others.
The culture of Lebanon and the Lebanese people emerged from Phoenicia and through various civilizations over thousands of years. It was home to the Phoenicians and was subsequently conquered and occupied by the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Ottomans and the French. This variety is reflected in Lebanon's diverse population, composed of different religious groups, and features in the country's festivals, literature, artifacts, cuisine and architecture of Lebanon. Despite colonization by different entities genetic testing has revealed that 89% of Lebanese people today descend from the Phoenicians. Regardless of religion or colonization which were layers of paint on top.
The Lebanese American University is a secular private American university in Beirut and Byblos, Lebanon. It is chartered by the board of regents of the University of the State of New York and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). It has two campuses and offers 33 bachelor's degree programs and 24 master's degree programs in addition to Pharm.D. and M.D. degrees.
Majida El Roumi Baradhy is a Lebanese-Egyptian soprano singer and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.
The Beirut Central District is the historical and geographical core of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Also called downtown Beirut, it has been described as the “vibrant financial, commercial, and administrative hub of the country.” It is thousands of years old, with a traditional focus of business, finance, culture, and leisure.
The Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Center is a multi-purpose facility, hosting exhibitions, conferences, concerts and private events. It opened on 28 November 2001. It moved from what is now called the Arena Waterfront to its current location on Emile Lahoud highway in 2018.
Philippe Aractingi is a Lebanese author, director, producer, actor and photographer. Aractingi is Franco–Lebanese. He has directed more than 70 documentaries and 4 feature films. Two of his films, Bosta and Under the Bombs, were the only Lebanese entries in the 2006 and 2009 Oscar ceremonies, respectively.
The National Museum of Beirut is the principal museum of archaeology in Lebanon. The collection begun after World War I, and the museum was officially opened in 1942. The museum has collections totaling about 100,000 objects, most of which are antiquities and medieval finds from excavations undertaken by the Directorate General of Antiquities.
The tourism industry in Lebanon has been important to the local economy historically and comprises a major source of revenue for the country.
Television in Lebanon arose as a private initiative and not a state-institution. Lebanon was the first country in the Middle East & the Arab world to have indigenous television broadcasting. Various Arab televisions emulated the Lebanese model.
Mashrou' Leila was a Lebanese four-member indie rock band. The band formed in Beirut, Lebanon in 2008 as a music workshop at the American University of Beirut.
Hiba Michel Tawaji is a Lebanese singer, actress, and director. Since 2008, she has established herself in the Lebanese and Arab music scene with her 4-octave vocal range.
Tania Saleh is a Lebanese singer-songwriter and visual artist who has been active in the Arabic independent musical scene since 1990.
The architecture of Lebanon embodies the historical, cultural and religious influences that have shaped Lebanon's built environment. It has been influenced by the Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Umayyads, Crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans and French. Additionally, Lebanon is home to many examples of modern and contemporary architecture. Architecturally notable structures in Lebanon include ancient thermae and temples, castles, churches, mosques, hotels, museums, government buildings, souks, residences and towers.
Oussama Al Rahbani is a Lebanese musician and composer. He is the son of the Lebanese composer, musician, and poet, Mansour Rahbani.
Mouna Bassili Sehnaoui is a Lebanese painter, writer and artist.
Eliane Raheb is a documentary filmmaker and director from Lebanon. She made her debut as a director with her 2012 film, Layali Bala Noom. Her latest film is Miguel's War from 2021. That film received the Teddy Award for best LGBTW film at the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival.
Nada Sehnaoui is a visual artist and political activist. Her artworks, spanning painting, mixed media works, sculpture and installations, have been widely exhibited internationally, and have been featured in the press and print publications worldwide.
