Lebanon’s abandoned Ottoman-era mansions – Green Prophet
Abandoned house in an olive grove, James Kerwin
It’s not unusual for an intrepid foreign explorer to uncover hidden gems in Lebanon. Like Honduras artist Adrian Pepe who explores the design and craft in ancient textile making in Beirut. Now James Kerwin, an Englishman in Lebanon, shows us the scale and beauty of abandoned palaces, mansions, and houses in his photography series called Lebanon Falling.
I’ve always experienced great joy slipping under a rusting gate in the Levante. Mansions and family homes stay standing, attesting to a more opulent time when conflict and Ikea were unknown to the region. When there was a train between Tel Aviv and Beirut and people’s homes were adorned with handmade crafts and designs from hand-poured cement tiles to hand-painted ceilings with ornate balconies and sheltered gardens.
Kerwin gives us a peek into this past as Lebanon’s traditional architecture lays abandoned and neglected calling out for a younger generation to repair the gaps. Unlike the Disney-like abandoned castles in Turkey, these homes are calling out for repair.
Kerwin says, “There is something about the Lebanese mansion. They are impossible to miss as the first thing which draws you in is the romantic exterior. Once I discovered a disused or abandoned house, it always filled me with excitement, as I never quite knew what was going to be inside. These homes were colorful, fascinating, and historic.”
He elaborates:
“The traditional house in the ottoman style could be hidden anywhere, and in many towns throughout Lebanon. this house typology first flourished in the 19th-century ottoman era and has a special relationship with nature — usually set in and around picturesque landscapes or towns.
“At first glance, such heritage buildings may look alike, but their individual personalities and unique traits can be discerned if one takes a closer look.
Similar Ottoman era homes can be found in Israel in cities like Jaffa, Haifa and Lod. They were built in the early 19th century when Europeans were settling around the Middle East area. The Europeans settled in the eastern Mediterranean region for trade. This community was known as “Levantine,” which means “eastern Mediterranean” in French.
If you love abandoned buildings and you are in Lebanon some buildings worth checking out include an abandoned Hilton Hotel. Not sure if you can go inside, but you can imagine.
::Jameskerwin
Lebanon’s abandoned Ottoman-era mansions
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The kingdom announced the launch of ‘Let’s Make it Green’ – a plan that seeks to plant 10 million trees across the country by April 2021.…
Japan builds desalination plants for Bahrain and the Emirates
Two dry Persian Gulf countries are amping up their desalination capacity: Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. Both have access to…
The blueprint for Noah’s Coral Ark
If Noah would have had the challenge, this is what his living ark might look like to save the coral reefs.
Infarm raises $170 million to add “farm” to cities
Infarm, a company that grows fresh produce inside supermarkets, has recently announced a $170 million USD funding round to help the company…
Estée Lauder shows the planet beauty is more than skin deep
The niece of a Hungarian chemist, Estée Lauder, nee Mentzer, was trained in the art of face creams at an early age. She founded what is…
Hard Kombucha, The New Eco-Cocktail
Hard kombucha, a healthy alternative to beer and wine.
Israel approves 30% renewables goal for 2030: Revolution or low bar?
Israel lays down a plan to produce 30% of its energy by 2030 by renewables. Energy experts say this aim is too low.
10 Soups For Winter 2020
Here are 10 comforting soups to get you through the winter. One or two may be a pleasant surprise.
Secret oil pipeline deal revealed between Israel and the Emirates
A new deal in the wake of a blooming love story between Israel and the UAE has led to a landmark oil deal allowing UAE crude oil to be…
This ancient Arab irrigation system invented before Rome’s aqueduct
An ancient water management system engineered 3000 years ago is still keeping farms and oases green in the UAE and Oman.
Wind turbine power company nixed for biosphere risks in Israel
Israel is known as a solar energy pioneer, but wind in some locations, is not lacking in the small Middle East nation. But after seeing the…
The Cedars of God are dying
Greenpeace is promoting a new film about the trees, the ‘Cedars of Lebanon’. This is the second film that was produced to document and…
At the Four Seasons Casablanca? Learn about desert oases at risk
You are having an adventure of a lifetime.
But if you weren’t at 5 Star Four Seasons Casablanca or Marrakech – what would you know about…
Getting cadmium out of my chocolate through the roots
Simran Sethi is a writer and activist who writes about protecting food we love like chocolate and wine. Scientists too are working to food…
Vegan cheesemaker eyes IPO
It’s a sign of the times: a vegan cheesemaking company in Israel is considering listing on the TASE – or Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Two meat…
US oil giant Chevron buys Israel’s natural gas
Israeli offshore gas fields are now under control of one of the world’s biggest energy companies, Chevron. It irks activists, but might…
Dubai’s Sustainability Pavilion for Expo 2021 revealed in real
Dubai will host the World Expo 2020 in 2021. We show off first look of the Sustainability Pavilion.
Nature study: Bacteria could be best vaccine against Covid-19
Bacteria can be added to fashion, as living eco-couture, those working with Eshel Ben-Jacob discovered. A team at an Israeli university…
Flip flops take over shores of the Seychelles
Your tuna is contributing to more than 80% of the plastic waste clogging up the Seychelles Islands. It would make David Attenborough cry.
Middle Eastern vices
Middle Eastern vices are not the same that you find in America or Europe. In the Middle East it’s about hashish. Americans and Canadians…
5 Ways To Use Air-Conditioner Water
Air conditioners pull water from the air, literally. It’s distilled so not great to drink, but useful in other ways.
Ancient wine exporting city “Elusa” unearthed in Israel
The discovery of the name of an ancient city in archaeological investigations is a relatively rare occurrence. The name of the…
Mead: The Ancient Wine Is Back
What do you think of when you think of mead? You might imagine Vikings with braided beards quaffing something potent out of cow’s horns. Or…
Rebel, rebel: see Iranian women dance in public
Need a respite from awful news? You can opt to plunk down money for a superhero movie – or better yet – tune in to a few…
Is too much coffee good for you?
Middle Easterns love their coffee and they love it string. Brew it by the spoonful in a cup or boil it in a finjan. It’s a great morning…
As Trees Die, Cyprus Republic Looks to Lebanon for Water Import
Cyprus has one of the worst fresh water shortage than other regional countries, including Lebanon, Israel and Syria. The problem is so…
10 Free Ways to Feel Happier Super Fast
I’m no Pollyanna, but I usually maintain a healthy screen between my personal life and world events. Lately I’ve been…
Use heroin? Fund Terror
There are many ways to fund terror, and one way is by consuming opium or heroin
Is Pig-fed kosher or halal?
The European Commission (EC) approved a meat-based feedstock for farm-raised fish. Next year, your mullet and trout might contain chicken…
Morocco solar energy deals led by Saudi Arabia
ACWA rumored to win the contract to build a 160 MW CSP project in in the south of Morocco.
Bashing Dune Bashing
Dune bashing destroys nature. Here’s why Ajmal prefers dune walking over dune bashing in the region of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I…
Raphael Mechoulam, pioneer of medical cannabis chemistry
The most advanced country in the world for “legalizing it” for medical reasons, the main reason Israelis can smoke cannabis to feel better…
10 Tips to Avoid Food Waste on Passover
Jews in Israel and around the world prepare at least a couple weeks in advance for the week-long Passover holiday More than any other…
Hajj terminal for Mekkah is aviation’s green gem
Hajj Terminal, in Jedda, Saudi Arabia was built only for Mekkah by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, a Chicago-based architectural firm. It…
Moroccan love potion Majoun, spiced with cannabis
Be lonely no more. Morocco’s “love potion” candy hides a secret high note in its heart.
Why Muslims don’t drink alcohol
Alcoholism creates addiction and affects health. But for Muslims, not drinking is a command from God.
Wudu is Islam’s sustainable water ritual
Wudhu (woo-dhoo) is a Muslim’s ritual wash before any act of worship. Wudhu is a control switch, a health check, a reminder of liquid…
5 Spectacular Eco Mosques Of The World – real and conceptual
Explore the world’s five most renowned and low-key “eco mosques” – Muslim places of worship – that are either high tech or made from mud.
Make Smen: Spiced, Aged, Middle Eastern Butter
Every culture seems to have its ghee. This is smen, clarified butter from Morocco. It gives a flavor to all your food.
Despite Ban, UAE remains market hub for shark fins and their soup
Green Prophet delves into the bloody and murky business of shark fishing and fining in the United Arab Emirates Following the recent…
Bull penis stew recipe
People around the world eat the penises of bulls, sheep, and goats, without a quiver.
Cotton and oil fuel Middle East oppression
It started with cotton and oil: the Middle East oppressed now seek freedom and a future. image via AP The autocratic rule now being…
How to make etrog jam
The etrog is a stunning fruit. It’s also known around the globe as citron ––but it’s not to be confused with the French word “citron”…
Breastfeeding and Islam
Islamic states have the highest infant mortality rate in the world thanks in large part to a decline in breastfeeding.
3 Good and 3 Bad Sunscreen Tips for a Healthy Summer
So summer is here and the timing is right for dancing in the street (socially distanced, maybe), but not without first considering the…
Green Muslims who break terrorism link
Muslims everywhere can be at “peace with the earth and be at peace with heaven” by adopting environment message from the Quran, advocates…
How to make Turkish coffee in a finjan
You can add some milk or oat milk, but typically Turkish coffee is always drunk black.
Pregnancy is the new fountain of youth
Find your inner warrior, and the fountain of youth with pregnancy? Women from the western world put off pregnancy (even green ones!) for…
Sustainable coffee and Israel?
Beduin coffee in Israel. Consumption is on the rise, and in demand is the sustainable, fair trade, organic variety.
How lightning in Africa takes the pulse of the sun
Could Prof. Colin Price’s new discovery become a new tool for monitoring the effects of climate change? Sunspots, which rotate around…
Passive cooling for Syria’s beehive houses
Way before there were electronic ways to condition our temperatures, cooling methods were built into the architecture of traditional Middle…
A breath mint made from coffee
specialist Prof. Mel Rosenberg of TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine finds that a coffee extract can inhibit the bacteria that lead to bad…
Coffee grounds into energy
You know that great smell that tickles your nose when you walk into a coffee shop? The wonderful aromatic smell of roasting beans? …
6 ways to use your etrog
Just after the Hebrew holiday of Sukkot Jewish people start planning what to do with the ritual fruit called an etrog. It is one of the…
Organic coffee in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv, for those who haven’t had the pleasure of visiting the city, is a city of coffee drinkers and cafes. (Some would say bums and…
Hiria: Tel Aviv’s Garbage Dump Turned Eco Park
At 70 hectares big, the Hiria garbage dump is pretty hard to miss.It’s literally a mountain of garbage.
Rawabi offers suburban affordable housing Palestinians
A few weeks ago, we were driving our “tourist” mom from Canada around the country, when we accidentally took the wrong cut-off…
Smuggled African elephants at Abu Dhabi Zoo
Against conventions, a UAE safari and zoo are acquiring wild animals with no regards to international laws and agreements. A big surprise…
4 Ways To Get Money For Free
Honeygain will automatically generate income for you based on sharing your internet.
Advantages Of Turning Older Properties into Smart Office Buildings
As far as smart technology is concerned, most people wrongly believe that it only applies to newly built properties.
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