Vintage Dabbagha Mosque

Another vintage photo from the 1965 Cushman collection.

And, here's the street today. It is very likely one of the only places in Beirut that is more green than it was nearly 50 years ago.

The Dabbagha Mosque (I've also seen it referred to as the Abou Bakr Mosque or the Al-Omari Mosque) stands on the east side of Foch Street, downtown. These days, it's a pretty swanky street--Chanel just opened a boutique on that road.

I googled my way into some interesting information about the Mosque. Sources conflict about when it was built--some say late 13th c., some say mid 14th c. What is not in dispute is that during the period of the French Mandate it was destroyed to widen the road. But instead of building a wider road, they rebuilt the mosque in 1932. It was damaged during the civil war, but by 1999 it had been restored and was again open for prayers.

You can see more vintage photos from the Cushman collection along side contemporary photos of mine by clicking here.