No matter how much I love you Beirut: Guilty Pleasures - Beirut: Guilty Pleasures

In Beirut, Guilty Pleasures (How I Loved You), author Zaven Kouyoumdjian and photographer Ali Shehadi document the rise and fall of several historic Beirut landmarks before, during, and after the Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s, up to the October 17, 2019, revolution, and extending to the aftermath of the Beirut Port explosion on August 4, 2020, and the COVID-19 era. Kouyoumdjian and Shehadi trace a circular map of Beirut, starting from the Beirut Port silos and passing by the L'Orient building, the St. George Hotel and the Holiday Inn, the Murr Tower, the Teatro, the Martyrs' Square monument, the Fist, the Egg, the "Communication" graffiti, Beit Beirut, and ending with the National Museum. This seam zone witnessed Beirut's golden days during the good old days and was ravaged by war. The book illustrates it with rich and rare photographs dating back to the early 20th and 21st centuries and everything in between. Last but not least, the book has the added value of behind-the-scenes details about these buildings and unexpected information about each Beirut landmark mentioned, which arouses the curiosity and interest of every reader.
In Beirut Guilty Pleasures (How Kent Bhebbak), author Zaven Kouyoumedjian and photographer Ali Shehadi document the rise and fall of many Beiruti landmarks before, during, and after the 1970s Lebanese Civil War, up until the October 17, 2019 uprising and subsequently the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020 and the “COVID19 Era.” They follow the map of Beirut in a circular motion, starting with the Port's Silos, L'Orient, Saint Georges Bay, The Holiday Inn, Burj el Murr, the Teatro, Martyrs' Square, the Fist, the Egg, the Connection mural, Beit Beirut, and ending with the National Museum. This demarcation area which constituted Beirut's golden days and was severely damaged by the war is dissected into rich and rare photographs dating from the early 20th Century until the early 21st Century Beirut. Last but not least, the book's added value is the background story and unprecedented information about each monument and landmark that might be surprising to some, while interesting to everyone.