Garden of Forgiveness

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The Garden of Forgiveness, also known as Hadiqat As-Samah (in Arabic), is a garden under development in the ancient heart of Beirut, Lebanon, where it straddles the Green Line, once the battle line where much of the heaviest fighting took place during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990).

The Garden of Forgiveness/Hadiqat As-Samah is designed to be a place of contemplation and reflection. It is inspired by the great human struggle to forgive, particularly in light of historic cycles of violence and the realization that forgiveness perhaps represents our only way out.

The garden concept was initiated by Alexandra Asseily, following a vision she had in 1997 concerning the inter-generational cycles of pain and violence present in individuals, families, tribes and nations. As a witness of the pain of the civil war in Lebanon, she decided to explore her own responsibility for peace and became a psychotherapist. She came to believe that lasting peace in Lebanon, or anywhere else, would not be achieved until people were able instill forgiveness at a deep level of memory.

The garden, which is currently under construction, was designed following an international design competition which was won by renowned landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson. Gustafson also designed the Diana Memorial Fountain in London's Hyde Park and has won many other international competitions.

The Garden of Forgiveness Project has many interesting aspects, some of which include:

  1. Members of many different religious communities within Beirut and Lebanon have participated in the planning and development of the Hadiqat As-Samah. This includes Lebanon’s main confessional groups: (in alphabetical order) Druze, Greek Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Maronite Catholic, Shiite Muslim, and Sunni Muslim.
  2. The garden is located in a site of tremendous historic richness. According to the site archaeologist, at least fifteen different civilizations have lived on the site. Most were destroyed by wars and invasions, though also by a tsunami in 551. A partial listing of civilizations include: Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Persian, Abbasid, Mamluk, Ottoman, French Colonial and Lebanese.
  3. The Garden is located directly over the ancient heart of the Graeco/Roman city of Berytus. The middle intersection of the ancient Roman cardo (running north and south) and the decamanus (running east and west) intersect within the garden.
  4. The garden is surrounded by three cathedrals (Maronite Catholic, Greek Catholic and Greek Orthodox) and three mosques, including the newly built—yet controversial—Mohammad al-Amin mosque and another which had once been a Crusader church.
  5. The area surrounding the Garden and the Garden itself are being developed by Solidere, the company responsible for developing the Beirut Central District. Solidere is responsible for creating one of the largest and most beautiful city restorations in the world today, making Beirut a sought after destination for business and tourism.
  6. Near the middle of the garden, the ancient shrine to the Virgin Mary, (who is also known in Arabic as the Nourieh, the Light, and as Mariam) was destroyed in the Civil War. Both Muslim and Christian women had prayed at this location for centuries to bring miraculous healings, healthy childbirths, etc. In 2005 this shrine was reconstructed as a small chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
  7. An ancient heart shaped well, thought to be 3,000 to 5,000 years old, is also located in the garden and is believed to be related to Astarte – the goddess of love and fertility.
  8. On November 9, 2005 three 9/11 family members travelled to Beirut where they were met by a delegation of American and Arab businessmen. On November 10, they planted an olive tree in the name of peace in the Garden of Forgiveness while remembering their lost loved ones.
  9. The Garden of Forgiveness in Beirut inspired a small group in the United States to promote the possibility of creating a Garden of Forgiveness somewhere in New York City as one response in the aftermath of 9/11. Dr. Fred Luskin, author of Forgive for Good and Director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Project, and Rev. Lyndon Harris, who on 9/11/01 was the chaplain at St. Paul's Chapel adjacent to the now former World Trade Center, are leading this effort. Together, they are the co-chairs of the Garden of Forgiveness, an organization working to build a network of Gardens of Forgiveness in communities. Their first garden is scheduled to be planted in Poughkeepsie sometime in the early spring of 2007 with hopes to build forgiveness gardens in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City.
  10. While there are perhaps hundreds, or maybe thousands of "peace" gardens around the world, Beirut is the first place to offer a Garden of Forgiveness. The Garden expresses the belief that ultimately peace is the goal that can be reached through the process of forgiveness. The Garden reminds us that to heal challenging work must be done like considering the difficult process of forgiveness. Symbolically, forgiveness could be compared to a bridge able to surmount acts of violence when one completely crosses over to the other side. Contemplating the idea of forgiveness can often seem impossible. However, if attempted it is possible that the act of forgiveness might transform the ravaging effects of violence and hatred to feelings of peace. The Garden of Forgiveness in Beirut is considered a beacon of hope to those Lebanese who believe in the process and the act of forgiveness. The Garden of Forgiveness concept attempts to forward the processes of healing, closure and peace in the heart of Beirut, Lebanon and eventually in other locations around the world.


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