Discovered in 1988, the Roman Hippodrome in Beirut is situated
in Wadi Abou Jmil, next to the newly renovated Jewish Synagogue
in Downtown Beirut. This monument, dating back for thousands of
years, now risks to be destroyed. The hippodrome is considered,
along with the Roman Road and Baths, as one of the most
important remaining relics of the Byzantine and Roman era. It
spreads over a total area of 3500 m2. Requests for construction
projects in the hippodrome’s location have been ongoing since
the monument’s discovery but were constantly refused by former
ministers of culture of which we name Tarek Metri, Tamam Salam
and Salim Warde. In fact, Tamam Salam had even issued a decree
banning any work on the hippodrome’s site, effectively
protecting it by law. Salim Warde did not contest the decree.
Current minister of culture Gabriel Layoun authorized
constructions to commence. When it comes to ancient sites in
cities that have lots of them, such as Beirut, the current
adopted approach towards these sites is calle