Bleeding Whisper

Author: Razan Mahayri

This is Beirut, this is Dimitri Hill, it's Achrafieh. Its pavements are covered with yellow tree leaves that fell due to yesterday's winds. It is autumn in my homeland, it is autumn in Lebanon, bringing with it some frost and sometimes some heat. The effects of the explosion are still visible on Achrafieh's face. "I parked my car on Mar Boutros and Boulos Street and walked through the streets of Achrafieh heading towards Mar Mitr in a narrow alley facing 'Spinneys'. The old houses, painted pink and yellow, caught my eye… Their stones tell me about their history when Achrafieh was part of Beirut's eastern suburb, a hill rising above Beirut city. Hence, it was called 'Achrafieh Farm' because most of its lands were agricultural, cultivating olives and mulberries. It is also said that its name dates back to Al-Ashraf Khalil, son of Sultan Al-Mansour Qalawun, who liberated the city of Beirut and the Syrian coasts from the Crusaders in 1291 AD.