# Timeline of Beirut

33°53′13″N 35°30′47″E﻿ / ﻿33.88694°N 35.51306°E﻿ / 33.88694; 35.51306 The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Beirut, Lebanon.

## Prior to 20th century

* 140 BC – City destroyed by Diodotus Tryphon.
* 64 BC – Beirut conquered by Agrippa.
* 14 BC – During the reign of Herod the Great, Berytus became a colonia.
* 551 CE – Earthquake.
* 635 – Beirut passes into Arab control.
* 759 – Prince Arslan bin al-Mundhir founds the Principality of Sin-el-Fil in Beirut.
* 1110 – Baldwin overtakes city, is absorbed into the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
* 1187 – Saladin re-takes city.
* early 17th.C. – Fakhr al-Din II fortifies the town.
* 1763 – Ottomans reclaim the city.
* 1772 – Russian occupations of Beirut.
* 1832 – Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt in power.
* 1840
** October: Battle of Beirut.
** Settlement of the hills surrounding the walled city begins, notably Moussaitbeh and Achrafieh
* 1853 – Grand Serail built.
* 1858 – Hadiqat al-Akhbar newspaper begins publication.
* 1860
** Druze–Maronite conflict.
** Sursock House built.
* 1866 – Syrian Protestant College established.
* 1868 – Archaeological Museum of the American University of Beirut established.
* 1875
** Saint Joseph University founded.
** Thamarāt al Funūn newspaper begins publication.
* 1877 – Lisan al-Hal newspaper begins publication.
* 1883 – Hôtel-Dieu de France founded.
* 1888 – Beirut was made capital of a vilayet (governorate) in Syria,[37] including the sanjaks (prefectures) Latakia, Tripoli, Beirut, Acre and Bekaa.
* 1894
** Saint George Maronite Cathedral constructed.
** Harbour, constructed by a French company.
* 1895 – Railway completed "across the Lebanon to Damascus."
* 1898 – Population: 120,000 (approximate).

## 20th century
### 1900s–1960s

* 1999 al-Iqbāl newspaper begins publication.
* 1907
** Railway to Aleppo completed.
** René Moawad Garden established.
** Baidaphon (record label) in business (approximate date).
* 1916 – Place des Canons renamed Martyrs' Square.
* 1920 – Beirut Stock Exchange founded.
* 1920 – 1 September: Lebanon Republic (Greater Lebanon) proclaimed a state.
* 1921 – Beirut Traders Association founded.
* 1924 – Al Joumhouria newspaper begins publication
* 1925
** National Conservatory of Music established.
** Maghen Abraham Synagogue built.
* 1927 – American Junior College for Women opens in Ras Beirut.
* 1933
** Parliament of Lebanon building erected.
** An-Nahar newspaper begins publication.
** L'Orient newspaper begins publication.
* 1934 – Population: 162,000 (approximate).
* 1936 – Kamel Abbas Hamieh takes office as Governor of Beirut.
* 1937
** Académie libanaise des beaux-arts founded.
** Ararad newspaper begins publication.
** Zartonk newspaper begins publication.
* 1938 – Al Akhbar newspaper begins publication.
* 1941 – Eastern Times newspaper begins publication.
* 1942 – National Museum of Beirut opens.View of Beirut in 1950
* 1943 – Beirut becomes capital city of independent Lebanon.
* 1946
** Nicolas Rizk takes office as Governor of Beirut.
** Al-Hayat newspaper begins publication.
* 1950 – Population: 181,271.Beirut in 1950
* 1951 – Lebanese University and Lycée Franco-Libanais Verdun founded.
* 1952
** George Assi takes office as Governor of Beirut.
** The Daily Star newspaper begins publication.
* 1954 – Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport opens.
* 1956 – Bachour Haddad takes office as Governor of Beirut.
* 1957 – Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium opens.
* 1958 – Population: 400,000 (estimate).
* 1959
** Télé Liban (television) begins broadcasting.
** Philip Boulos takes office as Governor of Beirut.
** Al Anwar newspaper begins publication.
* 1960
** Beirut Arab University established.
** Emile Yanni takes office as Governor of Beirut.
* 1961
** Orient-Institut Beirut established.
** Sursock Museum and Phoenicia Beirut Hotel open.
* 1963 – Gallery One (cultural space) opens.
* 1964 – Saint Nicolas Garden opens.
* 1966 – Al Ahed football team established, headquartered in Beirut.
* 1967 – Chafik Abou Haydar takes office as Governor of Beirut.
* 1968 – "Israel raids Beirut airport."

### 1970s–1990s

* 1970
** L'Orient Le Jour newspaper begins publication.
** Population: 474,870 city; 938,940 urban agglomeration.
** Sassine Square construction ends
* 1972 – Manoukian Center established.
* 1973 – Holiday Inn in business.
* 1974 – As-Safir newspaper begins publication.
* 1975
** April: Lebanese Civil War begins.
** Green Line established between mainly Muslim factions in West Beirut and the Christian Lebanese Front in East Beirut.
** Centre for Arab Unity Studies founded.
* 1976 – al-Murābiṭ newspaper begins publication.
* 1977 – Mitri El Nammar takes office as Governor of Beirut.
* 1978 – Syrian siege of Achrafiyeh, the main Christian district of Beirut.
* 1982
** Israeli invasion.
** 14 September: Bachir Gemayel assassinated.
* 1983 – French and US barracks bombed.
* 1986 – Centre de Documentation et de Recherches Arabes Chretiennes founded.
* 1987 – George Smaha takes office as Governor of Beirut.
* 1988 – Ad-Diyar newspaper begins publication.
* 1989 – Lebanese Center for Policy Studies headquartered in city.
* 1990 – Center for Strategic Studies Research and Documentation
* 1991 – Al Manar TV begins broadcasting.
* 1992 – Nayef Al Maaloof takes office as Governor of Beirut
* 1993
** B 018 nightclub opens.
** Future Television begins broadcasting.
* 1994 – Solidere (redevelopment company) founded.
* 1995 – Nicolas Saba takes office as Governor of Beirut
* 1997
** Arab Image Foundation established.
** Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium rebuilt.
* 1999
** Yaacoub Sarraf takes office as Governor of Beirut.
** Planet Discovery children's museum inaugurated.
** Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra and Al-Kafaàt University founded.
* 2000 – Museum of Lebanese Prehistory established.

## 21st century
### 2000s

* 2001 – Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Center opens.
* 2003
** Beirut Marathon begins.
** Music Hall opens.
** Al-Balad newspaper begins publication.
* 2004
** Souk el Tayeb farmer's market opens.
** Helem (LGBT group) active.
** Al-Saha Village restaurant in business.
* 2005
** Cedar Revolution
** Nassif Kaloosh takes office as Governor of Beirut
** Ya Libnan news website launched.
* 2006
** Political protests
** Robert Mouawad Private Museum opens.
** Sister city relationship established with Los Angeles, USA.
* 2007 – Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque built.
* 2008 – Platinum Tower built.
* 2009
** 2009 Jeux de la Francophonie held in Beirut.
** Beirut Art Center opens.
** Beirut Souks and Le Gray hotel in business.
** City named World Book Capital by UNESCO.

### 2010s

* 2010
** Bilal Hamad becomes mayor.
** Four Seasons Hotel Beirut opens.
* 2011
** Political protests
** Zaitunay Bay pedestrian area opens.
* 2012
** Violent unrest related to Syrian uprising.
** Al-Mayadeen television begins broadcasting.
** 19 October: Bombing in Achrafieh.
** 16 November: Überhaus nightclub opens.
* 2013
** 9 July: Bombing in Bir el-Abed.
** 15 August: Bombing.
** 19 November: Iranian embassy bombings.
** 27 December: Bombing.
* 2015
** 21 July: Protests.
** 12 November: Bombing.

### 2020s

* 2020
** 4 August: Explosion in port
* 2021
** 14 October: Clashes