The Garden of Forgiveness (also known as ''Hadiqat As-Samah'' in Arabic) is a garden in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, close to
Martyrs’ Square
Martyrs' Square ( ; french: Place des Martyrs), historically known as "Al Burj" or "Place des Cannons", is the historical central public square of Beirut, Lebanon.
Like the Martyr's Square in Damascus, it is named after the 6 May 1916 execut ...
and the wartime
Green Line (1975-1990).
History
The area was classified as non aedificandi (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for "not to be built"), in the Master Plan of the
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
City Center.
British-Lebanese citizen Alexandra Asseily first came up with the idea for the garden in 1998 as a response to the
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...
. In 1998, the winning design of
Gustafson Porter was chosen for its construction. The design brought together different aspects of Lebanon’s ancient heritage and rich landscapes, emphasizing national unity.
Excavations on the site revealed the two main streets of the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
city of
Berytus, the
Cardo and Decumanus Maximus, and, underneath them, a sacred platform dating from Phoenico-Persian times.
Construction on the site by Beirut redevelopment company Solidere began in 2003.
In 2006, the construction of the garden was placed on hold due to the
2006 Lebanon War
The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War ( ar, حرب تموز, ''Ḥarb Tammūz'') and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War ( he, מלחמת לבנון השנייה, ''Milhemet Leva ...
. It remains on hold as of 2019.
Location
The garden is surrounded by places of worship belonging to different denominations.
See also
*
Place de l'Étoile
References
Further reading
* Curvers, Hans H. and Stuart, Barbara (2007) “The BCD Archaeology Project, 2000-2006”, Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture Libanaises 9: 189-221.
* Hadiqat as-Samah (2000) Brochure
Solidere
Solidere s.a.l. is a Lebanese joint-stock company in charge of planning and redeveloping Beirut Central District following the conclusion, in 1990, of the Lebanese Civil War. By agreement with the government, Solidere has special powers of emin ...
, Beirut.
* Saghieh-Beydoun, Muntaha, ‘Allam, Mahmoud, ‘Ala’Eddine, Abdallah and Abulhosn, Sana (1998-9) “The Monumental Street ‘Cardo Maximus’ and the Replanning of Roman Berytus”, Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture Libanaises 3:95-126.
External links
Plans and descriptions Gustafson Porter + Bowman
{{coord missing, Lebanon
Gardens in Lebanon
Parks in Lebanon
Urban public parks
Parks and gardens in Beirut