On the occasion of European Heritage Day, the French Embassy in Beirut made it possible to visit the Pine Palace for anyone who wished, based on prior registration via a specific electronic link. Groups of visitors were distributed during the day, open from ten in the morning until six in the evening, due to the beauty of the place and its architectural heritage, rather than the fact that it was a theater where, from the steps of its main entrance, General Gouraud announced in September 1920 the establishment of the State of Greater Lebanon. In the heart of Beirut, it stands tall, carrying within its walls the story of a homeland. His story began in 1915, when Alfred Musa Sursock rented a neglected pine forest from the Beirut municipality, dreaming of turning it into a luxurious Ottoman club. Construction began in 1916 by talented Lebanese engineers, but World War I changed its course, and it became a military hospital. With the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Lebanon fell under French influence, so the French consul took the palace as his headquarters, giving it the name “Pine Palace.” In 1921, the French government acquired the palace to become the residence of its ambassador to Lebanon. Photos: Photographed by Ms. Inaam Khaled, Vice President of the Beirut Heritage Association.
