by theweek.co.uk -- Once known as the ‘Paris of the Middle East’, Beirut offers everything for a perfect weekend break Described as the “wild child of the Middle East” by Time Out, Lebanon’s capital city Beirut certainly has a varied history - both culturally and politically. Located on the eastern Mediterranean, Beirut is most definitely an “east-meets-west” metropolis that combines a broad spectrum of cultures and influences. Historically Beirut is one of the world’s oldest cities where inhabitants first settled more than 5,000 years ago. In the downtown area of the city there are remains from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Crusader and Ottoman eras. Lebanon was also a French colony after the First World War. However, Beirut is mostly known for its Phoenician history. The city’s name is said to have been derived from the Canaanite-Phoenician word for wells - be’erot - while another theory is that it’s named after Beroe, the Phoenician daughter of Adonis and Aphrodite, says the Lebanon-based website The961.com. This mixed history, the inspiration of past civilisations and the use of three languages - Arabic, French and English - makes modern-day Beirut the ultimate melting pot. Add in the food, wine, music, fashion, sun and ski, it’s a perfect weekend destination for any time of the year.

Head downtown

Beirut’s Central District, or Centre Ville, was all but destroyed during the Lebanese civil war between 1975 and 1990. But less than 30 years later it’s been regenerated with a plush new shopping and entertainment district. There’s also high-rise offices, residential towers and the Zaitunay Bay marina featuring a host of restaurants, nightlife and moored yachts. The Beirut Souks district is home to more than 200 shops and 25 restaurants as well as attractions such as Cinemacity, Planet Discovery - the first permanent children’s museum in Lebanon - and Cosmocity - a “futuristic entertainment centre” filled with games and activities. Besides the hip souks you will also find the remains of Beirut’s past civilisations including the 9th Century wall and moat, Byzantine mosaics and the Zawiyat Ibn Iraq Mosque built in 1517 by Mohammed Ibn Iraq ad-Dimashqi. Beirut Central District is also home to Martyrs Square and the Mohammed Al-Amine Mosque. Downtown Beirut really is the “phoenix from the flames”.

Phoenician-inspired stay

One of the most recognisable landmarks within walking distance of downtown is the Phoenicia Hotel Beirut. Inspired by the Phoenician culture and art, the 446-room hotel has a range of restaurants and bars that are used by guests, locals and businessmen and women. Views, bites and pool-side relaxation Lebanon is famous for its food, so it would be wrong not to over-indulge at the hotel’s bars and restaurants. Guests can enjoy sea views, cocktails, bites and single malt whiskies on the rooftop Eau De Vie Lounge Bar and Grill. The Mosaic restaurant offers international and Lebanese menus while the Cascade Lounge Bar is open all day for coffee, tea and cocktails. During the daytime guests can relax at the Amethyste Pool Bar and Lounge for drinks, shisha, bites and entrees. Then at night, you can enjoy a cocktail and, on the weekends, dance the night away to music from a rotating roster of local and international DJs.

by middleeasteye.net -- Belen Fernandez -- During the noisy aftermath of a basketball game in Beirut a couple of years ago, I asked my Lebanese companion when the sport had become popular in Lebanon. "When we discovered we could make it sectarian," he joked. Now, the occasion has again arisen to contemplate themes of sectarianism and athletics in the context of a short documentary film titled Lebanon Wins the World Cup, originally released in 2015 but currently available for free streaming on Vimeo for the duration of this year's World Cup competition.

Football and war The title is indeed fitting; after all, if you've ever experienced a World Cup in Lebanon, you're likely to have assumed the Lebanese won the whole darn thing based on the amount of horn-honking, flag-waving, and general ruckus that transpires. This is particularly the case following a win by Germany or Brazil, both of which play host to sizable Lebanese populations. The film's synopsis reads: "On the eve of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, two former enemies from the Lebanese civil war prepare to support their favourite team Brazil. Can the tournament unite them despite everything that's gone wrong?"

The title is indeed fitting; after all, if you've ever experienced a World Cup in Lebanon, you're likely to have assumed the Lebanese won the whole darn thing based on the amount of horn-honking, flag-waving, and general ruckus that transpires. This is particularly the case following a win by Germany or Brazil, both of which play host to sizable Lebanese populations. The film's synopsis reads: "On the eve of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, two former enemies from the Lebanese civil war prepare to support their favourite team Brazil. Can the tournament unite them despite everything that's gone wrong?" The duo consists of Edward Chamoun, a former fighter with the right-wing Christian Lebanese Forces, and Hassan Berri, a Shia Muslim who fought with the Lebanese Communist Party for several years of the conflict, which lasted from 1975-1990. The film spotlights their individual reflections on life and war, and then follows them as they meet in Beirut to root for Brazil. The answer to the question of whether or not the tournament can unite them isn’t difficult to predict. Both men, it turns out, had supported Brazil in the 1982 World Cup, which took place in the middle of the Lebanese civil war and overlapped with Israel’s summer invasion of Lebanon, a devastating affair that killed some 20,000 people, the majority of them civilians. Recalls Berri: "Your country is being invaded, it's under attack. And imagine, all I could think about was a game." Hooking up a car battery to a small television, he and his comrades tuned into the Italy-Brazil match, at which point the bombing suddenly stopped: "It was as if the Israeli Army wanted to watch the match too." Lebanon clearly didn’t win that World Cup, and neither did Brazil, with victory instead going to the Italians - who incidentally also won the 2006 World Cup, which concluded a few days prior to the launch of Israel’s bloody 34-day assault on Lebanon. Some might therefore view Italy’s failure to qualify this year as reassuring.

BEIRUT,  (Xinhua) — Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned on Monday that the country’s economy will deteriorate if the new government is not …