Rue Hamra: The Street of Culture and Modernism

Dana Mortada   |   27-04-2017

Hamra Street is the most popular street in all of Lebanon, and before the Civil War this infamous street was once known as the “Champs-Élysées” of the city of Beirut. Since the 1970s and till this day it is one of the major commercial districts and is renowned for being the most dynamic area within the Middle East filled with fashion stores, coffee shops, restaurants, theaters and major hotels.

Hamra Street 1974

Hamra Street 1974

It’s technical name is Rue 31 and it has a history of being the most visited street by the region’s top intellectuals, writers, poets and artists. Today, Hamra is picked as the new niche center within the  heart of the city, one of which is always in a traffic jam and its restaurants are overflowing with people out onto the street.

RUE HAMRA SIGN

RUE HAMRA Sign

This dense and populated area remains in between two of the best Universities in the country, the American University of Beirut (AUB) and Lebanese American University (LAU); and due to its close proximity to the universities it has not only influenced the culture but also inspired artist to create massive mural art pieces to illustrate stories and depict the real culture of the city on residential buildings.

Lebanese graffiti artist Yazan Halwani has taken the city by storm in effort to paint over the city’s war past. One of the most recent art pieces he created was a massive portrait of the legendary Lebanese singer and actress- Sabah, found on the building main entrance of the Hamra district.”It has a very nice symbolic presence when you take an image of this wall and you see Sabah looking back at Hamra as if she was leaving, and leaving with a smile” said the young artist. This art piece added a great positive vibe and touched the hearts of many.

Sabah- by Yazan Halwani

Sabah by Yazan Halwani

Once you’ve mastered the entire street of Hamra, end your day with some local street grub of delicious foods with the best cultural experience. Our favorite mix of traditional Lebanese food found on this street are, Abu Naim– a snug family restaurant serves classic Lebanese mezze, a must try is their signature ‘kibbeh nayyeh’ dish. If you are a shawarma fan, head to one of Hamra’s oldest food joints- Barbar and have the best shawarma sandwich you can ever have in Beirut.

Abu Naim

Abu Naim Restaurant