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The Youth Zone
CARE FOR THE
LEBANESE HERITAGE AND CIVILIZATION
The
concern for our heritage has become considerably significant since
the Israeli invasion in 1982. The Hariri Foundation is bent on
restoring, renovating, and making our heritage known to all. Most
important of all the works are the following:
Renovating a
number of old buildings in Sidon, namely:
Renovating
the Great Omari Mosque in Sidon, which was shelled by Israeli
planes in 1982. It was built in the twelfth century and is thus
considered a monumental achievement in the history of Sidon. It
now stands as a great, elegant edifice from the past.
Restoring
the Katakhdah Mosque built during the Ottoman Rule in the
center of Old Sidon, which was destroyed by the earthquake that
hit the Lebanese coast in 1956.
Renovating
Khan Al-Frenj (The French Inn). Through an agreement with the
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed in 1992, the inn was
turned for 33 years into a center for cultural activities and art
exhibitions under the patronage of the Hariri Foundation. This
monument dates back to the early part of the 17th century when
Emir Fakhreddin Al-Maani built it to be a business station between
Sidon on one hand and Toscana and Venice in Italy on the other.
Preparations
of the blueprints for the grand mansion of the Turkish ruler are
well under way (presently Aa'isha Um Al Mu'mineen School).
Restoration included around 500 houses in Old Sidon. It is a joint
project with the Directorate of Antiquity.
The
Hariri Foundation contributed in uncovering antiquity hidden
under the city of Beirut. It donated one million dollars to
help the Lebanese government, and in cooperation with UNESCO, to
uncover a lot of the antiquities that date back to different eras
in history.
Strengthening
relations with international organizations
For
one of the accomplishments in the domain of heritage, Hariri
Foundation signed a protocol: "Declaration of
Intentions" with UNESCO at the time when Mr. Frederico
Mayor visited Sidon on July 24, 1995, to restore the Temple of
Ashmoun and Old Sidon.
 Signed
a cooperative project in February 1997 with the British
Organization of Heritage headed by Prince Charles, who pledged
to send a British urban design task force specialized in
maintaining archeological sites, overseeing restoration activities
that are going on in Beirut and Sidon, and making recommendations
that will help keep the historical type of both cities.
The
Hariri Foundation is presently collaborating with the Ministry of
Culture and Higher Education and the Arab World Institute
in Paris to prepare to hold an exhibition on Lebanese Heritage
in Paris, September 1998.
The
Hariri Foundation organize the holding of an international
conference on the history and heritage of the city of Sidon.
The
Hariri Foundation participated in the discussions which centered
around how to plan and organize the seafront of Sidon,
keeping intact the characteristics of its heritage which exists to
serve man rather than the other way around.
To
culminate its unique heritage accomplishments, in 1994 the Hariri
Foundation appointed MP Mrs. Bahia Hariri head of a group of
interested researchers to establish a Sidon organization
concerned with our heritage and the environment.
As
the Hariri Foundation is convinced of the abilities of the
Lebanese to create and give of themselves, it plans to establish
other cultural organizations that are concerned with man and his
social development. This way the Hariri Foundation's plans will
complement those of public and humanistic organizations in
building a better future, which the whole Lebanon looks forward to
with anticipation.
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Hariri Foundation
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