This public square is adjacent to the oldest archaeological site in the city of Beirut (which includes finds dating back over 6,000 years, and is the site of the ancient city of Berytus, the origins of the Iron Age of the city), initially chosen because of the defensible promontory, the protected port and the access to drinking water.

Although considerably reduced in size, this rock still houses visible ruins, including parts of a medieval castle and an Ottoman barracks. The design solution was to highlight the promontory in order to celebrate it as the origins of the city.
Although considerably reduced in size, this rock still houses visible ruins, including parts of a medieval castle and an Ottoman barracks. The design solution was to highlight the promontory in order to celebrate it as the origins of the city.
promontoire afin de le célébrer comme les origines de la ville.

Cette stratégie est réalisée grâce à un certain nombre d’interventions: créer des plans d’eau de chaque
This strategy is achieved through a certain number of interventions: creating bodies of water on each side of the rock to evoke both the old port and the medieval moats; the creation of a "secret garden" in the area where the promontory had been removed over the ages, thus serving as a visual continuation of what once was; and, finally, specially designed retaining walls, temporary in nature but heavy in appearance, which allow visitors to view the city and the archaeological park from above the rock.
« jardin secret » dans la zone où le promontoire avait été enlevé au cours des âges, servant ainsi de
continuation visuelle à ce qui était autrefois; et, enfin, des murs de soutènement spécialement conçus,
de nature temporaire mais d’apparence lourde, qui permettent aux visiteurs de voir la ville et le parc
archéologique d’au-dessus du rocher.

In association with Machado Silvetti Associates.