BEIRUT SOUKS

To the west of Weygand Street is a vast commercial complex of about 100,000 ^m2 called The Beirut Souks. This space is composed of multiple covered and uncovered shopping alleys. The project, which resumed in early 2005 after a six-year hiatus, was inaugurated in the summer of 2010. On this occasion, Jean-Michel Jarre gave a concert on the Ajami esplanade. The Beirut Souks include two archaeological sites: the medieval wall at the level of the Bab Idriss souk and the Phoenician-Persian quarter (north of Fakhry Bey Street). The project follows the ancient alignments of the souks of yesteryear. That is why the different alleys of the shopping centre take the names of the old souks: Jamil, Arwam, Tawilé, Sayyour, Ayass, Bustros, Arwad. In total, the centre has 60,000 ^{m2 of} pedestrian space and about 150 shops. The Beirut Souks have several sites with works of art including The Visitor by the Belgian artist Arne Quinze, who is known for his large wooden constructions that he has built on the public highway. The Visitor is 12 m high and has a total of 6 km of wooden planks. In the Bab Idriss square there are fifteen basalt sculptures by the Spanish artist Xavier Corbero. The Beirut Souks, which are aimed at an upscale clientele, are an elegant space where it is pleasant to stroll. A new commercial space should soon open its doors to the north of the souks: the Aishti Shopping Center, with its futuristic architecture.