Lebanon in a Picture

Doors Within Doors. Rusting rebar. Flaking paint. Layers of grime. The... (Sawfar, Mont-Liban, Lebanon)

Doors Within Doors. Rusting rebar. Flaking paint. Layers of grime. The... (Sawfar, Mont-Liban, Lebanon) Doors Within Doors. Rusting rebar. Flaking paint. Layers of grime. The traces of long-gone floor tiles in pitted concrete floors. A bricked-up lift. Pile of leaves and an empty plastic water bottle. The Sawfar Grand is majestic, even in decay. The last time I visited, the interior was a mess of rubble and rubbish and the garage in the ground floor rooms was still operational. This time, it was gone and new gates and protective railings had been put in place. At first, I thought that it might no longer be possible to poke around inside but to my joy, I discovered that the gates had not been locked. Better yet, temporary stairs had been put in place, bridging the massive holes that had previously interrupted the flights, a simple but effective way of keeping uninvited visitors like myself from the upper levels. That last time, we’d found a rickety ladder propped up against the back of the building and so I’d been able to have a quick poke around the first floor, but getting up higher had not been possible. This time, they were mine. I noticed the interior had been tided, the piles of detritus swept away. Though barren and broken, the hotel is in good condition. It has excellent bones. The clean-up must have been arranged by the hotel’s owners, the Sursocks, who also have a palace on the hill and it got me to wondering if they have decided to restore or are in the process of securing a buyer. I remember hearing that the family were holding on in the hopes of finding a buyer prepared to restore it to its former glory. I read today that Beirut’s Pink House has found such an investor, so there’s hope. A bright, modern hotel might bring Sawfar more visitors but the town would be diminished by the loss of its grand old dame.
by wsinghbartlett / Instagram