A MUST SEE: CHARLES CUSHMAN: Beirut, 1965- 90 high-quality color photos

LostInTheZone · #1 Posted **Feb 13, 2007, 9:21 PM**

Much like Dresden, Beruit is a formerly cosmopolitan metropolis, the mention of whose name in present times is more likely to bring to mind images of bombed out ruins and war, than images of vibrancy, beauty, uniqueness and history. Dresden used to be known for its beatiful porcelain dolls and china, and Beruit used to be called the Paris of the Middle East, Lebanon was known for its cedar forests instead of Hizbullah terrorists, and it was a popular mediterranean resort. It was well along its way to rebuilding that image before the Israeli war rained bombs on its poor neighborhoods (largely sparing the wealthy and tourist areas) and further set back Lebanon's image internationally.

So here's a look at the cosmopolitan aspect of the Middle East we don't think about much anymore, a culture struggling to stay in existence after more than 30 years of war and religious fanaticism.

Brought to you by Charles Cushman, who surely was an SSP forumer who somehow managed to go back in time and photograph city scenes in the middle decades of the 20th century, and leave his archive to Indiana University for us to find here in the future.

1. From top of Excelsior Hotel BEIRUT

2. Mediterranean in morning form top of Excelsior Hotel

3. BEIRUT apartment house in MINET EL HOSN

4. BEIRUT Minet el Hosn section rasperry colored apartment house near Sea

5. Residential section near Sea Minet El Hosn section of Beirut

6. MINET EL HOSN section BEIRUT

7. BEIRUT water front

8. Evening sunlight along sea wall of BEIRUT

9. Along sea-toward Prince David Restaurant

10. Sea front

11. Sea front with Hotel St. George

12. Narrow building Port area

13. Minaret of Mosque Marechal Foch

14. Minaret of Mosque Marechal Foch, showing street

15. Mosque near Parliament Square

16. Sidewalk vendor Parliament Square

17. Parliament Square

18. Arabs, Parliament Square

19. Parliament Square

20. Parliament Square

21. Sidewalk merchant, Parliament Square

22. Sidewalk merchant, Parliament Square, with customer

23. Native market

24. Native at market

25. BEIRUT seen from mountain road south east

26. BEIRUT from mountain road S.E. of city

LostInTheZone · #2 Posted **Feb 13, 2007, 9:53 PM**

27. Lebanese valley and mountains seen from moving coach nor-eastwards Beirut to Baalbek

28. Group in small town along road from Beirut to Damascus

29. Central Lebanon seen from moving coach. Baalbek to Beirut

30. Central Lebanon seen from coach traveling from Baalbek to Beirut

31. Same rock as earlier, without fisherman:

32. Native gentleman, BEIRUT

33. Fishers and net

34. 3 children and chaperon

35. Open house

36. BEIRUT (These captions aren't mine, for the most part. Either Cushman or his archivist had miketoronto-type issues with capitalisation)

37. House with balcony

38. BEIRUT

39. Narrow street; high buildings

40. Tram on Parliament Square

41. Trolley car:

...more to come.

VivaLFuego · #3 Posted **Feb 13, 2007, 9:56 PM**

Cool

TheMeltyMan · #4 Posted **Feb 13, 2007, 11:18 PM**

Beirut still has pockets of its former glory, and nearby cities in Turkey and Syria also have some of the "glamour" of the past, but its no longer an area cosmopolitan westerners visit.

LostInTheZone · #5 Posted **Feb 14, 2007, 9:28 AM**

42. Beirut street scenes- Redheaded fatty (their caption)

43. Natives, Parliament Square

44. City center

45. Coal-oil Johnny

46. Along Beirut-Damascus highway

47. A little shrine in a flower garden

48. Hotels along sea front from top of Starco Bldg. North

49. View up coast:

50. Mediterranean sea

51. Roofs seen from top of Starco Bldg.

52. View northward

53. View south of Starco Bldg.

54. Narrowest in Beirut: building of Ceucle fe l'Union Francaise

55. Green-clad rocks

56. Green-covered rocks along shore

57. Odd stone building

58. BEIRUT

59. BEIRUT

60. BEIRUT balconies

LostInTheZone · #6 Posted **Feb 14, 2007, 10:09 AM**

61. Waterfront cove and rocks

62. Yellow bldg. With 2 balconies

63. A narrow court

64. Tenement

65. Street scenes- shopping street

66. Kalifa girls BEIRUT beach

67. A once proud building, Ras Beirut

68. Arab in Ras Beirut

69. Native woman, Ras Beirut

70. Sunday morning near mosque, Ras Beirut

71. Pigeon Rock

72. Pigeon Rocks

73. New buildings near Pigeon rocks

76. Pigeon Rocks

77. Hibiscus

78. Little girl in Hamra

79. Crescent vendor

80. Freak turret

81. Arab with strange hat

82. Drying nets Beirut sea front

83. Old apartment building

84. Old apt. building

85. Arab school boys

86. Sea front

87. Construction workers- Old style

88. Rue de Paris - old apt. bldg.

89. Street sign RUE IBN SINA

90. "...and I do like to end the show with a kind of "Oh" feeling..."

panapty · #7 Posted **Feb 14, 2007, 3:10 PM**

jeje, i saw these on the test forum!!! good pics.

-GR2NY- · #8 Posted **Feb 14, 2007, 4:34 PM**

beirut, freekin beirut. Fabulous....

Jaroslaw · #9 Posted **Feb 16, 2007, 4:32 AM**

I don't appreciate the biased, unnecessary political aside against Israel in the first post...

Nice to see these photos, a real special atmosphere. Nevertheless, I was a little disappointed not to see much of the "lost paradise" that we always hear used to be there before the civil war of the 1980s. But then again, maybe Cushman wasn't trying to make postcards for tourists, either.

-AX- · #10 Posted **Feb 16, 2007, 6:07 AM**

Nice photos! Hard to think it's 1965...

olga · #11 Posted **Mar 12, 2007, 12:12 PM**

Great thread! I love the Cushman photos, nice that you put this together. Some funny captions too!

brett.electrician · #12 Posted **Mar 13, 2007, 2:15 PM**

Awesome! Thanks

olga · #13 Posted **Mar 13, 2007, 3:11 PM**

Looking thru this once again - I love the look of the old men wearing fez. I wonder if you still see that.

LostInTheZone · #14 Posted **Mar 13, 2007, 5:27 PM**

^thanks for bringing this back Olga. I love the people pictures too- only a few forumers can capture shots like that (Serge, Sasso and Kilgore come to mind). It's amazing that this guy was an amateur, these are straight out of National Geographic.

LSyd · #15 Posted **Mar 21, 2007, 1:00 AM**

thanks for finding these, my dad still speaks well of 1960s Beirut (best city in Asia.) too bad you injected your own political two cents.

-

Urban Sky · #16 Posted **Mar 21, 2007, 1:22 PM**

these are great! unfortunately, its a side of Beirut we wont get to see again, at least for a while. A lot of funny captions and great pictures.

These kids are funny.

Except for Mohamed Atta Jr. over there on the left.

Arriviste · #17 Posted **Mar 21, 2007, 2:20 PM**

Great thread. I need to go visit some friends over there one day soon.

CGII · #18 Posted **Mar 21, 2007, 3:26 PM**

It's like the Cote D'Azur with minarets.

Beiruti · #19 Posted **May 31, 2007, 9:27 PM**

Thanks for this thread of really rare and amazing pics. Being a young Beiruti myself, seeing these images shows me snapshots of what life and the scenery was like before I was born. The city, although not as modern or western as it is today, had a special peaceful charm about it when 18+ ethno-religious groups co-existed and appreciated the raw beauty of their surroundings.

I agree with the forumer who said he wished these pics showed more of the paradise lost, because they really dont show the full picture of how cosmopolitan and posh it was for its time (it was the most modern city in the middle east while Dubai was nothing but a desert) and rather focused on the lower-class of society (which is ok!) and Gulf Arab visitors.

I will post some comparison pics soon...

Beiruti · #20 Posted **May 31, 2007, 10:42 PM**

1960s

2007