Beirut, Lebanon

Beirut (Arabic: بيروت‎ Bayrūt, Greek: Βηρυττός, French: Beyrouth) is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million (as of 2007). Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan area, which consists of the city and its suburbs. The first mention of this metropolis is found in the ancient Egyptian Tell el Amarna letters, dating to the 15th century BC. The city has been continuously inhabited since.
Beirut holds Lebanon's seat of government, and plays a central role in the Lebanese economy with its city centre, Hamra, Verdun, and Ashrafieh-based corporate firms and banks. The city is the focal point of the region's cultural life, renowned for its press, theatres, cultural activities and nightlife. After the destructive Lebanese civil war, Beirut underwent major reconstruction and the redesigned historic city centre, marina, pubs and nightlife districts have once again rendered it a tourist attraction. Beirut was named the top place to visit in 2009 by The New York Times.It was also listed as one of the ten liveliest cities in the world by Lonely Planet in 2009.
In 2011, MasterCard Index revealed that Beirut had the second highest visitor spending levels in the Middle East and Africa. Dubai came in first with $7.8 billion, followed by Beirut with $6.5 billion, Tel Aviv with $3.8 billion, Cairo at $3.7 billion and Johannesburg with $3.3 billion. At the same time it was listed as the ninth most-visited, and as such it is still considered a "high-end" destination.

Archaeology and Prehistory

Several prehistoric archaeological sites were discovered within the urban area of Beirut, revealing flint tools of sequential periods dating from the Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic, through the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.

Beirut I or Minet el Hosn was listed as "Beyrouth ville" by L. Burkhalter and said to be on the beach near the Orent and Bassoul Hotels in central Beirut on the Avenue de Français. The site was discovered by Lortet in 1894 and discussed by Jesuit Father Godefroy Zumoffen in 1900. The flint industry from the site was described as Mousterian and is held by the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon.

Beirut II or Um el Khatib was suggested by L. Burkhalter to have been north of Tarik el Jedideh, where P.E. Gigues discovered an Énéolithique (Chalcolithic) flint industry at around one hundred meters above sea level. The site was built on and destroyed by 1948.

Beirut III, Furn esh Shebbak or Plateau Tabet was suggested to have been located on the left bank of the Nahr Beirut river. L. Burkhalter suggested that it was west of the Damascus road although this determination has faced criticism by Lorraine Copeland. P. E. Gigues discovered a series of Neolithic flint tools on the surface along with the remains of a structure suggested to be a hut circle. Auguste Bergy also discussed polished axes that were found at this site which has now completely disappeared due to construction and urbanization of the area.

Beirut IV or Furn esh Shebbak, river banks was also on the left bank of the river and on either side of the road leading eastwards from the Furn esh Shebbak Police Station towards the river that marked the city limits. The area was covered in red sand that represented Quaternary river terraces. The site was found by Jesuit Father Dillenseger and published by fellow Jesuits; Godefroy Zumoffen, Raoul Describes and Auguste Bergy. Collections from the site were made by Bergy, Describes and another member of the Society of Jesus, Paul Bovier-Lapierre. A large number of Middle Paleolithic flint tools were found on the surface and side gullies that drain into the river. These included around 50 varied bifaces accredited to the Acheulean period, some with a lustrous sheen, now held at the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory. Henri Fleisch also found an Emireh point amongst material from the site, which has now disappeared beneath buildings.

Beirut V or Nahr Beirut was discovered by Father Dillenseger and said to be in an orchard of Mulberry trees on the left bank of the river, near the mouth and said to be close to the railway station and bridge to Tripoli. Levallois flints and bones were found amongst brecciated deposits along with similar surface material. The area has now been built on.

Beirut VI or Patriarchate was a site discovered during building operations, somewhere on the property of the Lebanese Evangelical School for Girls in Beirut's Patriarchate area. It was notable for the discovery of a finely styled Canaanean blade javelin suggested to date to the Néolithique Ancien or Néolithique Moyen periods of Byblos and held in the school library.

Beirut VII or Rivoli Cinema and Byblos Cinema sites near the Bourj in the Rue el Arz area are two sites discovered by Lorraine Copeland and Peter Wescombe in 1964 and examined by Diana Kirkbride and Roger Saidah. One site was behind the parking lot of the "Byblos" Cinema and showed collapsed walls, pits, floors, charcoal, pottery and flints. The other overlooking a cliff west of the "Rivoli" Cinema was composed of three layers resting on limestone bedrock. Fragments of blades and broad flakes were recovered from the first layer of black soil, above which some Bronze Age pottery was recovered in a layer of grey soil. Pieces of Roman pottery and mosaics were found in the upper layer. Middle Bronze Age tombs were found in this area and the ancient tell of Beirut is thought to be in the Borj area.

Education

Higher education in Beirut, and all over Lebanon, is provided by technical and vocational institutes, university colleges, university institutes and universities. Among these numbers of institutions nationwide, the Lebanese University is the only public institution in the capital. The responsibility of the Directorate General of Higher Education is responsible for managing the university colleges, university Institutes and Universities in Beirut and nationwide.

Among the private schools in Beirut are the American Community School, the Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour, International College, Beirut, the Carmel Saint-Joseph, the Collège Louise Wegmann, Rawdah High School, the Saint Mary's Orthodox College, the Collège Protestant Français, the Lycée Franco-Libanais Verdun, the Collège du Sacré-Coeur Gemmayzé, the Grand Lycée Franco-Libanais, the Collège Notre Dame de Nazareth, the Armenian Evangelical Central High School and the German School of Beirut.

The higher education system is based on the Lebanese Baccalaureate but the French Baccalaureate is accepted as an equivalent. Before being admitted to any higher education institution, one must achieve his or her Baccalaureate examinations. Baccalaureate technique is an alternative to credentials.

Foreign students who wish to study in higher Lebanese institutions must also meet Lebanese qualifications. Their examinations must be equivalent to the Baccalaureate system before they are granted admission to higher institutions. They are not subject to any special quota system, and scholarships are granted within the framework of bilateral agreements concluded with other countries.Degrees obtained outside Lebanon must be certified by the Lebanese embassy abroad and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lebanon. Then, candidates must go in person to the Secretariat of the Equivalence Committee with required documents.[79]

Haigazian University

The American University of Beirut is the oldest university in the country and the region. In 1862 American missionaries in Lebanon and Syria, under the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, asked Dr. Daniel Bliss to establish a college of higher learning that would include medical training. On April 24, 1863, while Dr. Daniel Bliss was raising money for the new college in the United States and England, the State of New York granted a charter for the Syrian Protestant College. The college, which was renamed the American University of Beirut in 1920, opened with a class of 16 students on December 3, 1866. Dr. Bliss served as its first president, from 1866 until 1902. The American University of Beirut (AUB) has been accredited as an institution since 2004 by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, Tel. 267-284-5000). AUB’s accreditation was most recently reaffirmed in June 2009, after the completion of an extensive self-study that was reviewed by educational experts chosen in consultation with Middle States. The University’s next full accreditation cycle is due in 2018–19. Over the last several years, a number of University programs and faculties have also sought accreditation with more specialized bodies. The Faculty of Health Sciences’ Graduate Public Health program became the first such program to be accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) outside of North America. Similarly, the Rafic Hariri School of Nursing became the first nursing school beyond American territories to have BSN and MSN programs accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). In April 2009, undergraduate and graduate programs at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business were accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Most recently, in July 2010, four undergraduate Engineering programs at AUB’s Faculty of Engineering and Architecture were accredited by ABET Inc. (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). In general, the accreditation process is intended to strengthen and sustain the quality and integrity of a university, faculty, or program, confirming that it is worthy of public confidence. AUB has been registered with and recognized by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) since 1863. Its degrees are recognized by the Lebanese government through the equivalence committees of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

Beirut is also home to the Lebanese American University (LAU), which is Chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. LAU is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. LAU also offers the only Pharm.D program outside the United States of America that is fully accredited by the American Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, as well as an architecture degree equivalent to the French DEA allowing graduates to practice in the European Union. All engineering programs at LAU are accredited by the American accreditation agency ABET. The Computer Science program at LAU is the first and only ABET accredited program in Lebanon. Other universities in Beirut include the University of Balamand (Faculty of Health Sciences), Université Saint-Joseph, and École Supérieure des Affaires (business school).