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There appears to be a lot of interesting ruins being dug up at the new Safi Gardens development.

The residential project occupies two plots at the edge of the Solidere area, at the intersection of George Haddad Street and the General Chehab (ring) highway, just across the street from Bourj Al Ghazal tower.

The site was a parking lot at the lower right corner of this obviously dated Google Map:

Today both plots have been excavated with colorful branded construction walls:

Here is a wide shot of the site (center right) with Bourj Ghazal tower in the background:

Upon approach we can see several white tarps inside the walls, used to provide shade for archeologists:

We can see dozens of plastic crates behind the workers. These are typically used to store relics, so there could be many here:

(Have another look at the first photo of this post for a closer view of the crates)

While it’s great that the archeologists are at work, I was a bit concerned to a see a massive steam shovel on site:

Let’s hope it didn’t damage any of the ruins in a bid to expedite construction:
Here’s what the site looked like earlier this summer:

Much of the grounds above seem to have been excavated. But where is this bulldozer parked?

If anyone has any info on what has been discovered at this site, please share. Unfortunately, and as I have found after being violently assaulted at a nearby dig, the ministry of culture is not very forthcoming when it comes to these excavations. For more background on why that is, see my extensive piece in the BBC last year. 
Also here are some images of what the multimillion dollar project is supposed to look like:

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Habib Battah is an investigative journalist and founder of the news site beirutreport.com. Battah has covered Lebanon and the Middle East for over 15 years and teaches journalism and media studies at the American University of Beirut. He is a contributor to Monocle, The Guardian, BBC World, Al Jazeera and others, a former fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University and two-time recipient of the Samir Kassir Press Freedom Award. Battah's investigative work was recently recognized for outstanding local reporting by the Columbia University Oakes Award for Environmental Reporting. Battah earned a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.A. in Near East Studies and Journalism from New York University.

1 comment

  1. 3azizi batta7 wjame3it draj l achrafieh…
    ya3tikon Alf 3afyi 3ala yalli 3amta3mlu bi5sus lidraj l2adimi yalli btorbot l2i7ya biba3da wsikken Hal 2e7ya, wkol Shi Illo 3ale2a bilbyout l adimi wilmase7et l5adra….
    Innama bimawdu3 l7afriyyet l asariyyi (archaelogical excavations), wba3d lpost 3an nafa2 bchara lkhoury/ sodeco wsebi2an w7aliyyan 3an saifi gardens min lwadi7 inno fi kamiyyit hayk 3azimi tijeh halmawdu3 Wil insen bitabi3to 3adu ma yajhal Whayda yalli bifassir l3adewi/ ettajani 3ala Hal 7afriyyet Wil ash5as yalli 3am y2umu fiya. Lmishkli bitballish lamma bto5olto bayn l2asariyyin 3al maw2a3 (archaeologists) wbayn lmit3ahdin (contractors) – sarit biyalli n2el 3an 7afriyyet elsodeco w3amtsir ma3ak (batta7) kil ma bit5abbir shu sar ma3ak 3al district S- whayda shi ktir mu3ib, ye3ni Hinni fi3liyyan ab3ad tnen 3an ba3don.
    Wmish sa7i7 abadan inno lmudiriyyi l3ammi Lal asar (dga) btimna3 7ada yfout 3ala hal mawe2i3 ,innama yalli wadi7 inno ma 7ada minkon baddo yfout aw min masla7to inno yfout la2an ra7 ta3rfo fi3lan w3anjad shu 3ambisir whayda yalli into MA badkon ye la2an bibatil fi ma3na La musalsal etta7ariyet witteshwi2 taba3kon ma5lut ma3 shwayyit Indiana Jones ma3 kamiyyit fiction.
    Fa l5abriyyi killa ma badda illa zyara l2ay maw2a3 ken bit7esso fi 7afriyyet asariyyi wra7 ta3rfo kil shi 3an shu sar bhalmaw2a3 wshu ra7 ysir wkif bisir esheghel w3ala ayya standards ekol ettafasil yalli badkon ta3rfuwa wse3eta lamma fi3lan badkon tis2alu 3an SHU 3AMBISIR HONNIK?! metel deyman s2alu l ash5as essa7 yalli mkarsin 7ayeton la halmawdu3 wmish 7adan é3id bi bayto w3ambinazzir.
    W iza ken fi3lan bineyyetkon- w Ana akid- inu tse3do bi mawdu3 lmu7afaza 3al ghrad Hal ballad se3du lmudiriyyi wde3duna ta na3rif bilwirash yalli m5ebeyi bil zwerib wsa3bi na3rif fiya Wil CONTRACTOR baddo yejrefa Abel ma ne7na na3rif ta yrayyi7 raso. Fa into ka majmou3it ash5as m7amasin la Hal mawdu3 3melo fera2 BA7S WTA7ARRI. Bima7alla.
    Wta nerja3 la mawdu3 saifi gardens, kil marra bit7oto post jdid 3anno fi sha5s ismo geoerge lhaybi ( lmas2ul 3an lmaw2a3 ) bi7ot comment wbi elkon ya jame3a Ana ba3dni naterkon ta tiju zyara 3al site, wtab3an ta nkaffi musalsal eta7ariyyet BITSHILO Lcomment 3assari3 Abel ma 7ada ya3rif fiya- WBISHARAFKON- ma tenekro la2an sarit aktar min marra.
    Kamen marra ya jame3t el5ayr shteghlo ma3 7imeyit l2asar mish ma3 mu7erabit ash5as aslan ma 3endkon fikra shu bya3mlo wkif….

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