page_title: Beirut Central District
section_title: Castle Square Belvedere Park
hierarchical_section_title: Beirut Central District / Squares and public spaces / Castle Square Belvedere Park
caption_attribution_description: English: Imam Ouzai Square in Beirut Souks
context_page_description: The Beirut Central District or Centre Ville is the historical and geographical core of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Also called downtown Beirut, it has been described the “vibrant financial, commercial, and administrative hub of the country.” It is an area thousands of years old, traditionally a focus of business, finance, culture and leisure.
  It is situated on the city's northern coast and is easily accessible from all parts of the city. This includes the adjacent Beirut Seaport and Rafik Hariri International Airport. Major roads converge on it or from boundaries to the east, south and west, or line its 1.5 km long seafront to the north.
  After the devastation of the city center by the Lebanese Civil War, it underwent thorough reconstruction and development, which restored its cultural and economic position in the region.
context_section_description: Situated in the central business district of Beirut, "Castle Square Belvedere Park" is a public plaza adjacent to the oldest archaeological site in the city, the "Tell Area". The site, which includes findings that are over 6,000 years old, is the location of the ancient city of Berytus, the Roman origins of modern-day Beirut. The design of the square was conceived by the Boston-based architecture and urban design firm Machado and Silvetti in 2005. The centerpiece of the square is the "Beirut Citadel" which, although significantly reduced in size, still houses visible ruins including portions of a medieval castle and an Ottoman barrack. Water features and fountains were created on either side of the citadel to highlight the locations of both the ancient harbor and the medieval moat.
caption: Imam Ouzai Square
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