AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT (AUB)

With a 300,000 square meter campus, the AUB is a green haven in the heart of Beirut. Students enjoy a splendid setting with huge green spaces, a cafeteria, historical buildings, sports fields, and even a swimming pool. A stroll through the park allows you to find some peace and quiet, which contrasts with the cacophony of the neighborhood. To get to the AUB, just walk down Rue Jeanne d'Arc or Abdel Aziz.

In 1862, American missionaries in Lebanon and Syria asked Daniel Bliss to establish a college of higher learning that would include medical training. On April 24, 1863, while Dr. Daniel Bliss was raising funds, New York State granted a charter for the Syrian Protestant College. The college, which would be renamed the American University of Beirut in 1920, started on December 3, 1866 with a class of 16 students. Finally, the Americans acquired land overlooking the sea in 1870. The first classes were given there in 1873. Dr. Bliss was the first president, from 1866 until 1902.

The AUB enjoys a local and regional reputation. The university trains the elite: presidents, prime ministers, deputies, ambassadors, central bank governors, presidents and deans of colleges and universities, businessmen, engineers, doctors, teachers.

The entrance to the campus is generally quite guarded: to enter the university grounds, an identity card must be given to security.