Timeline of Beirut

33°53′13″N 35°30′47″E 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 adding missing items with reliable sources.

Prior to 20th century

• 140 BC – City destroyed by Diodotus Tryphon.^[1]
• 64 BC – Beirut conquered by Agrippa.
• 14 BC – During the reign of Herod the Great, Berytus became a colonia.
• 551 CE – Earthquake.^[1]
• 635 – Beirut passes into Arab control.^[1]
• 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.^[1]
• 1187 – Saladin re-takes city.^[1]
• early 17th.C. – Fakhr al-Din II fortifies the town.^[1]
• 1763 – Ottomans reclaim the city.^[1]
• 1772 – Russian occupations of Beirut.
• 1832 – Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt in power.^[2]
• 1840
  • October: Battle of Beirut.^[2]
  • 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.^[3]
• 1877 – Lisan al-Hal newspaper begins publication.^[3]
• 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.^[1]
  • Harbour, constructed by a French company.^[1]
• 1895 – Railway completed "across the Lebanon to Damascus."^[1]
• 1898 – Population: 120,000 (approximate).^[4][1]

20th century

1900s–1960s

• 1999 al-Iqbāl newspaper begins publication.^[3]
• 1907
  • Railway to Aleppo completed.^[1]
  • René Moawad Garden established.
  • Baidaphon (record label) in business (approximate date).^[5]
• 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.^[6]
• 1924 – Al Joumhouria newspaper begins publication
• 1925
  • National Conservatory of Music established.^[5]
  • 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.^[3]
  • L'Orient newspaper begins publication.
• 1934 – Population: 162,000 (approximate).^[7]
• 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.^[3]
• 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.
• 1950 – Population: 181,271.^[8]

  

  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).^[9]
• 1959
  • Télé Liban (television) begins broadcasting.^[10]
  • 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.^[11]
• 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."^[12]

1970s–1990s

• 1970
  • L'Orient Le Jour newspaper begins publication.
  • Population: 474,870 city; 938,940 urban agglomeration.^[13]
  • Sassine Square construction ends
• 1972 – Manoukian Center established.^[11]
• 1973 – Holiday Inn in business.^[14]
• 1974 – As-Safir newspaper begins publication.
• 1975
  • April: Lebanese Civil War begins.^[12]
  • Green Line established between mainly Muslim factions in West Beirut and the Christian Lebanese Front in East Beirut.
  • Centre for Arab Unity Studies founded.^[15]
• 1976 – al-Murābiṭ newspaper begins publication.^[3]
• 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.^[16]
• 1987 – George Smaha takes office as Governor of Beirut.
• 1988 – Ad-Diyar newspaper begins publication.
• 1989 – Lebanese Center for Policy Studies headquartered in city.^[15]
• 1990 – Center for Strategic Studies Research and Documentation^[17]
• 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.^[18]
• 1995 – Nicolas Saba takes office as Governor of Beirut
• 1997
  • Arab Image Foundation established.^[19]
  • 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.^[20]
  • Helem (LGBT group) active.^[21]
  • Al-Saha Village restaurant in business.^[22][23]
• 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.^[24]
• 2007 – Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque built.
• 2008 – Platinum Tower built.
• 2009
  • 2009 Jeux de la Francophonie held in Beirut.
  • Beirut Art Center opens.^[19]
  • Beirut Souks and Le Gray hotel in business.^[20]
  • City named World Book Capital by UNESCO.

2010s

• 2010
  • Bilal Hamad becomes mayor.
  • Four Seasons Hotel Beirut opens.^[25]
• 2011
  • Political protests
  • Zaitunay Bay pedestrian area opens.^[26]
• 2012
  • Violent unrest related to Syrian uprising.
  • Al-Mayadeen television begins broadcasting.^[27]
  • 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