Reclaiming History: The Fight to Save Lebanon's Rashid Karami International Fair

The Rashid Karami International Fair, an emblem of Lebanon's stride towards modernity in the 1960s, now stands as a monument to potential and neglect. The site, designed by the acclaimed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and executed by leading Lebanese engineers, has been dormant since the outbreak of war in 1975.

The fair, whose structures are deteriorating, was intended to be a permanent regional exhibition space, but today it reveals a different image: abandoned buildings whose economic and cultural purposes have been indefinitely suspended.

Ahmed Nabulsi, a director who has maintained a relationship with the site since his childhood, shares his experiences and connection with the area.

The fair, never fully utilized, has been included on UNESCO's World Heritage and Endangered Heritage lists since the start of 2023. This classification indicates the international community's awareness of the site's exceptional global value and the urgent need for its preservation.

A UNESCO director stated that the site serves as a "reality check for the government that attention needs to be channeled into rehabilitating the site so the community can utilize it and enjoy it." Furthermore, funding from the Getty Foundation for the conservation plan is essential for the government to preserve the site. A collaborative initiative between the Ministries of Economy and Culture is underway to formulate a vision for the fair's future.

As the formal restoration and activation plans for the site are awaited, UNESCO has issued recommendations for its preservation. These stipulate that any project that could affect the fair's value should be preceded by environmental and heritage impact studies.

UNESCO consultant Maya Hmeidan underlined the urgent need to stabilize the structures to prevent their collapse, highlighting the desperate need for funding.

Meanwhile, architect Wasim Nagi expressed that the private sector has shown interest in revitalizing the fair through cultural or economic projects. He noted that the new law enacted for the fair in March, along with its World Heritage classification, has made the site more appealing to investors. "All we need is a stable political climate in the country," Nagi commented.

Despite the fair's general neglect, the Guest House, one of the site's components, underwent restoration last year and earned the prestigious Aga Khan Award, setting a positive precedent for the fair's potential reactivation.

In a bid to encourage restoration work, the cultural attaché at the Brazilian embassy has announced a photography competition and offered logistical support for the restoration.

According to UNESCO, the Rashid Karami Fair represents a "distinctive example of intercontinental exchange." To shake it from its current stagnation, the vision for its future role must unquestionably incorporate this principle of exchange at its core.