Dora () also spelled Doura or Daura, is a suburb north-east of

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

in the Matn District of Mount Lebanon Governorate. The suburb has commercial and residential zones. Dora is administered by Bourj Hammoud municipality.

History

During the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

, Dora came under the control of the Lebanese Forces. In early April 1989, there was a massive fire at a fuel depot in Dora. The sound of one of the liquid gas containers exploding was heard 40 km away in

Sidon Sidon ( ) or better known as Saida ( ; ) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the South Governorate, Lebanon, South Governorate, of which it is the capital. Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre, t ...

Demographics

Dora is a mainly

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

suburb of Beirut but Lebanese of other faiths also call the suburb home. Foreign laborers, especially

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ians,

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is and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

ns also live in Dora due to the lower-cost rents available.

Economy

Dora is one of Beirut's busiest suburbs with many companies and factories located in the suburb. The Dora Commercial Centre is a mixed-use commercial establishment and one of Lebanon's largest malls, City Mall, which formerly housed a branch of Giant, a European hypermarket chain based in

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, now called TSC Mega. The center also hosts Cinema City, a nine-screen

multiplex Multiplex may refer to: Science and technology * Multiplex communication, combining many signals into one transmission circuit or channel ** Multiplex (television), a group of digital television or radio channels that are combined for broadcast * ...

of 1,789 seats arranged around a central sky-lit atrium.

Hospitals

The suburb is home to Hôpital Saint Joseph des Soeurs de la Croix, which was founded in 1952 by the

Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...

Père Jacques.

Religious Institutions

There are numerous churches in Dora, including the Church of

Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...

and the Christian Endeavor Young Adults Association of the

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

Evangelical Emmanuel Church.

Transportation

Dora is a major transport hub for buses, minibuses and service taxis to destinations north of Beirut.Beirut Travel Guide: Overview - Lonely Planet WorldGuide

References

{{Matn District Populated places in Matn District Christian communities in Lebanon Christian cities in Lebanon