# Seraglio of Baabda

The Seraglio of Baabda (Arabic: سراي بعبدا; also Baabda serail), is a historic building located in Baabda, Lebanon, and is one of Lebanon's most important historical monuments and oldest official buildings. The seraglio played a key role in Lebanon's history between 1860 and 1916, during the period of the Mount Lebanon mustasarrifate. Built of sandstone, the palace features castle-like architecture, with four corner towers, and a surface area of 7,852 m$^2$ (84,520 sq ft) spread over two floors surrounding an inner courtyard. Today, the seraglio houses the headquarters of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, as well as several administrative offices. The building requires extensive restoration; it was listed as a historic monument in 2008.

## Location

The Seraglio is located in the city of Baabda, at the southeast outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon. The palace stands on the highest hill of Baabda, and offers panoramic views over Beirut and of the surrounding region. Baabda serves as the administrative capital of the Baabda District within the Mount Lebanon Governorate, it also hosts several embassies and governmental institutions, including the Baabda Presidential Palace, and the Lebanese Ministry of National Defense.

## History

The palace was built in several stages, beginning in 1775 by Emir Haidar Shihab, after the Shihab family came to power in Baabda through a marital alliance. After his death in 1851, his son, Prince Melhem Shihab, continued the construction of the palace, which remained the property of the Shihab princes until 1883. During the mutasarrifate period, the first mutasarrif, Daoud Pacha (1861–1868), used the palace of Prince Asaad Shihab, located near Baabda, as his administrative seat. In 1868, Franco Pacha rented Prince Haidar's palace in Baabda and made it the center of his administration.
The mandate of Rustem Pacha in 1872, saw the governmental offices relocate from Baada. Rustem was not popular with the local population and he personally blamed the Maronite Archbishop Pierre Bostani of violently turning the Maronite population against his authority. On 1 June 1878, he arrested the Archbishop and exiled him to Jerusalem. The inhabitants of Lebanon, particularly those of Baabda, rose up and signed a petition in protest. Rustem Pacha, in a display of defiance, moved the seat of the mutasarrifate to the Shihab palace in Haret El-Botm, Hadath, which had negative repercussions on the overall economy of Baabda, which had benefited from the prosperity under the rule of the Shihab princes. In retaliation, the residents of Baabda formed a commission to purchase the Baabda seraglio and, in order to preserve this legacy, around 250 families from Baabda decided to purchase the palace of Emir Haidar Shihab from the heirs for the sum of 1,000 gold Ottoman liras. One of the documents currently preserved by Lebanese historian Fares Mallat contains 250 signatures and states: "We, the undersigned, have entrusted Anton Effendi from our village of Baabda with the purchase of the seraglio known as the property of the heirs of the late Emir Melhem Shihab located in the village, at the price he deems appropriate—whether paid immediately or deferred—and that we will reimburse him. We, the signatories, wish to finalize the purchase and offer the seraglio as a gift without compensation to the government of the Mount Lebanon mutasarrifate, entrusting it with full management and authority over this act." The residents' commission decided to implement a progressive income tax to repay the borrowed sum. A circular issued by the municipality of Baabda stated that “Every man between 20 and 60 years of age, registered in the Baabda records, was to pay a number of piastres based on his income...”. Beirut-based businessman Selim Elias Helou agreed to lend the required amount. The tansaction was finalized in 1887, and Youssef Beik Saab finalized the agreement and contacted the new mutasarrif Vaso Pacha (1883–1982) to convince him to establish the Shihab palace as the official seat of the mutasarrifate, a proposal that he accepted after consulting the Administrative Council of Mount Lebanon. The bulk of the Seraglio was built by Vaso Pasha who tore down the old Shihab palace.In 1897 the fifth mutasarrif Naoum Pasha (1892–1902) built the North pavilion, and his successor Muzaffer Pasha (1902–1907) added the monumental gate and the marble Ottoman Tughra.
The Baabda Seraglio has played a central role in the administration of Mount Lebanon and later in modern Lebanon after its independence in 1943. It hosted Lebanon's first Administrative Councils following the declaration the creation of Greater Lebanon in 1920, before becoming the administrative center of the Mount Lebanon Governorate. In 1982, during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, known as “Operation Peace for Galilee,” the site was briefly occupied by Israeli armored units. The palace currently serves as a symbolic site and has been proposed for cultural purposes, particularly as a museum. Since 2007, efforts to renovate the palace and secure funding for the project have been widely discussed. Local authorities and cultural organizations have developed plans to restore the structure and repurpose it as a cultural center capable of hosting art exhibitions, musical events, and performances. On 30 March 2008, the seraglio was added to the list of protected monuments following advocacy by the Lebanese Association for Local Development (ALDL). The Turkish Embassy in Lebanon has shown interest in the palace, particularly due to its Ottoman architectural features. While the embassy has indicated a general intention to support the building's restoration, no specific project has been finalized. Further discussions are expected to take place with the Council for Development and Reconstruction to determine a suitable approach.

## Description

The seraglio was built of sandstone, typical of old buildings, with towers at each corner, giving it a castle-like appearance. The building covers an area of 7,852 square metres (84,520 sq ft) spread over two floors, surrounding an inner courtyard.