Bab el Saray Square Saida, Lebanon
The Bab el Saray Square is the largest public space in the old city of Saida. It was built by Emir Fakhreddine II in the early 17th century and forms the central connecter between what was once the Serail of Fakhreddine to its southeast (the seat of political power), the port to the west, the city’s principal caravanserai and the French Consulate (Khan el-Franj) the city’s oldest mosque (Bab el Saray Mosque), and the city’s souks and markets. The square consolidates the major axes that run through the old city and was the center of Saida’s commercial activity in the mid to late Ottoman Era. The area surrounding the square greatly damaged by the 1956 Roum earthquake and was renovated in its aftermath. In 2008, the Hariri and Audi foundations, and the UNDP renovated the square and upgraded the infrastructural systems beneath it. Today, the square is a bustling open space where children play, and locals congregate around historic cafés. During Ramadan of every year, the square hosts the city’s main festivities and communal feasts.
The Bab el Saray Square is the largest public space in the old city of Saida. It was built by Emir Fakhreddine II in the early 17th century and forms the central connecter between what was once the Serail of Fakhreddine to its southeast (the seat of political power), the port to the west, the city’s principal caravanserai and the French Consulate (Khan el-Franj) the city’s oldest mosque (Bab el Saray Mosque), and the city’s souks and markets. The square consolidates the major axes that run through the old city and was the center of Saida’s commercial activity in the mid to late Ottoman Era. The area surrounding the square greatly damaged by the 1956 Roum earthquake and was renovated in its aftermath. In 2008, the Hariri and Audi foundations, and the UNDP renovated the square and upgraded the infrastructural systems beneath it. Today, the square is a bustling open space where children play, and locals congregate around historic cafés. During Ramadan of every year, the square hosts the city’s main festivities and communal feasts.