A hundred years later, we decided to open our collection of that era and bring their memories to Instagram.
Lebvintage is a social media page that posts old pictures and historical facts of Lebanon's golden age.
Most places have had a “Golden Age,” a period in time that evokes nostalgia and memories of better days. With the turmoil that has engulfed the Middle East in the last two decades, it’s easy to see why people reminisce about cities like Baghdad, Damascus, and Aleppo, some of which have become unrecognizable.
Beirut, and Lebanon itself, were the first in the region to fall to the throes of war and destruction, so the good old days are now memories of another lifetime, especially for the youngest generation which has no recollection of the pre-war era.
To understand what was lost, it's helpful to recall the period before, when Beirut was known as "the Paris of the Middle East." One of the oldest cities in the world, Beirut has often been under the rule of foreign powers, be it the Roman or Ottoman Empire.
After Lebanon gained its independence in 1943, Beirut became its capital and flourished as an intellectual and financial center, as well as a tourist destination.
Lebanon’s Golden Age started in the mid-1950s and lasted until 1975, the beginning of the civil war. The country’s physical backdrop could not have been more spectacular with its snow-capped mountains, warm sunny beaches, and charming capital.
