Bourj Hammoud

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Bourj Hammoud, Beirut
برج حموﺪ
Skyline of Bourj Hammoud, Beirut
Official seal of Bourj Hammoud, Beirut
Seal
Government
 - Mayor Antranik Meserlian
Area
 - Total 2.5 km² (1 sq mi)
Population (2005[1])
 - Total ~150,000
Time zone +2 (UTC)
 - Summer (DST) +3 (UTC)

Bourj Hammoud (or Burj Hammud) (Armenian: Պուրճ Համուտ, Arabic: برج حموﺪ) is a suburb in east Beirut, Lebanon in the Metn district. The suburb is heavily populated by Armenians as it is where most survivors of the Armenian Genocide settled. Bourj Hammoud is an industrious area and is one of the most densely-populated cities in the Middle East.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

Bourj Hammoud around 1900, view from Beirut.
Bourj Hammoud around 1900, view from Beirut.

Bourj Hammoud was founded by survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and expanded mostly during the 1930s. When the sick and exhausted Armenians who had survived the death marches in Deir ez-Zor arrived in Beirut after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, they were given the right to construct shacks in the east of the city, what was then only a swamp.[2] They were then allowed to erect houses and buildings which stand to this day. In 1952, Bourj Hammoud became an independent municipality and is currently a member of the Metn-North group of municipalities.

During its founding and early settlement, Bourj Hammoud was the focus of a rivalry between two Armenian political parties, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party, who struggled to control the newly established shanty-town. This led to various altercations and assassinations that gripped the Armenian community of Lebanon.[3] This was climaxed during the Lebanon crisis of 1958, around the time where the two parties and their supporters became polarized due to a religious dispute over which catholicos would be the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church. [4] However, in the midst of increasing sectarian strife in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Lebanon's Armenian community began to close ranks, and in 1972, the Hunchakian Party ran a joint ticket with the Dashnaks.

[edit] Civil War

The Lebanese Civil War threatened the existence of Beirut's Armenian community. Armenians felt the need to stick close to each other during those turbulent times, thus, they assembled in Bourj Hammoud. Armenian presence was already evident in Bourj Hammoud, by its multiple Armenian community centers and churches.

During the Lebanese Civil War, many young Armenians took arms to defend it from the opposing forces. However, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the Armenian political party representing most Armenians in the diaspora, tried its best to remain neutral. Because of the Armenian policy of neutrality, Maronite militia groups kept the inhabitants of Bourj Hammoud under strong pressure, even attacking the quarter of Bourj Hammoud.[5]

[edit] 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, refugees were welcomed into Bourj Hammoud's churches, schools and other complexes where they were fed and given shelters. After the conflict, Turkey proposed to send some of its troops to Lebanon as a part of UNIFIL. Most Armenians strongly opposed Turkish involvement. They held demonstrations against the Turkish force in Bourj Hammoud.

[edit] Geography

Bourj Hammoud is located at 33°53′37″N, 35°32′25″E (35.540278, 33.893611) just off of the Autostradde, and surrounded by the communities of Dora, Karantina, Sin-el-Fil and Achrafieh.

[edit] Regions

Bourj Hamoud is divided into seven major regions:

  • Dora
  • Sader
  • River Beirut
  • Anbari
  • Mar Doumet
  • Naba'a
  • Gheilan

[edit] Architecture

St. Vartan Church
St. Vartan Church

Most residential buildings and houses in Bourj Hammoud were built from the 1930s to the 1970s. They are usually from two to four stories high.[1] The housing structure looks Balkan, with wooden balconies hanging over the mostly narrow streets of the suburb.[2] Most commercial activity is done at street level. The city is dynamic and industrious although it faces some environmental issues due to its location at the edge of Beirut. It is crisscrossed by motorways and turns its back to the sea, from which it has reclaimed a few hectares of land.[1] Bourj Hammoud has a large number of churches, schools, cultural centers and institutions located in its vicinity.

[edit] Armenian presence

Most streets in Bourj Hammoud are named after various Armenian cities such as Yerevan, and rivers such as Arax. A lot of streets are also named after cities in modern-day Armenia and Armenian cities now located in Turkey, such as Marash, Sis, Adana, Aragats, Cilicia, Armenia, Yerevan, etc. Many of these city names remind the inhabitants of Historic Armenia in general, and Cilicia in particular, where most Lebanese Armenians hail from.

[edit] Demographics

Bourj Hammoud has a population of 150,000 over an area of 2.5 km², making it one of the densely-populated cities in the Middle East. It has a majority Armenian population but also has a notable Palestinian and Shi'a Muslim population.

The Armenians of Lebanon speak Western Armenian, like most Levantine Armenians such as the Armenians of Syria. There are three major Armenian political parties in Bourj Hammoud; the Dashnaktsutyun to which most Armenians of Bourj Hammoud adhere to, the Ramgavars and the Hunchakians. The Armenian denominations of Christianity present are Apostolic which constitutes the majority, Armenian Catholic and Evangelical. These political parties and religious denominations have institutions, clubs, and schools within the district of Bourj Hammoud. The present mayor of Bourj Hammoud is Mr. Antranik Meserlian.

[edit] Economy

 Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (November 2007)

Bourj Hammoud is a center of the crafts and hand made industry such as jewelry, the leather made industry and garments. It is viewed as an important shopping area of Lebanon.

[edit] Notable People from Bourj Hammoud

[edit] Notable Schools

[edit] Churches

  • Armenian Evangelical Church of Marash
  • Armenian Apostolic St. Vartan Church
  • Armenian Apostolic Forty Martyrs Church
  • Armenian Apostolic Asdvadzadzin Church
  • Armenian Catholic St. Savior Church
  • Abundant Life Church
  • St. Mar Yousef Church

[edit] Institutions

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Rapport Bourj Hammoud. Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
  2. ^ a b Fisk, Robert (2001). Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War. Oxford University Press, p. 60. ISBN 0192801309. 
  3. ^ Weinberg, Leonard. Political parties and terrorist groups. Routledge (UK), p. 19. ISBN 0714634913. 
  4. ^ Hovannisian, Richard (2005). The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times. Palgrave Macmillan, p. 418. ISBN 0312101686. 
  5. ^ Federal Research, Division (2004). Lebanon a Country Study. Kessinger Publishing, p. 185. ISBN 1419129430. 

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 33°53′37″N, 35°32′25″E