Achrafieh

Achrafieh is a prominent neighborhood of East Beirut.

In the past, when it was hilly farmland, Achrafieh was settled mainly by families of the Greek Orthodox community.

In the process of urbanization, agricultural land became highly prized residential and commercial property, boasting luxurious mansions and prestigious apartment buildings.

Much of the traditional architecture that the civil war did not destroy is now threatened by high rise construction.

It may be a sense of foreboding that moved Giesen to prominently place the poisonous oleander shrub into the foreground of the arcaded windows of this 19th Century home.

(Pinterest)

Achrafieh (Arabic: الأشرفية‎‎), also spelled Ashrafieh and Ashrafiyeh, is one of the oldest districts of Beirut, Lebanon. It is owned by several Greek Orthodox Christian Beiruti families that had ruled the country and the region for centuries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achrafieh

Les historiens sont divisés sur les origines du nom d’Achrafieh.

http://www.agendaculturel.com/Vivre_au_coeur_d_Achrafieh_Il_etait_une_fois

C’est une « vieille bâtisse jaune », dans le quartier chrétien d’Achrafieh, à Beyrouth. Un immeuble qui servait autrefois aux milices, pendant la guerre civile libanaise. Et qui rouvrira bientôt ses portes comme Musée de la mémoire. Dans le Figaro de ce lundi, la journaliste Delphine Minoui brosse le portrait de ce lieu chargé d’incarner l’histoire récente du Liban.

http://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/du-grain-moudre/la-memoire-joue-t-elle-contre-l-histoire