Walking Tour of a City’s History, Assassinations Included
- 6 years ago
Walking Tour of a City’s History, Assassinations Included
But before they set off, their guide, a bearded, pony-tailed man who resembled a storybook Jesus, warned them in jest: "There is no insurance for this tour, which makes it very Lebanese." Over the next four hours, the guide, Ronnie Chatah, pointed out sites associated with Lebanon’s civil war, discoursed upon the protests and assassinations
that have punctuated the city’s more recent history, and even showed his guests what may or may not be the birthplace of Keanu Reeves.
Most people on the tour knew Mr. Chatah’s history but said it made little difference in how he laid out the city’s history.
While he mentions his father’s killing during the tour
and points out his grave next to a mosque downtown, he does not dwell on it and refrains from casting blame, seeking to give what he calls "an impartial tale of a complicated city’s past." "The hardest thing to do is to access Beirut’s history," he said.
The group passed the First Armenian Evangelical Church, where he talked about the Lebanese diaspora — Lebanese expatriates greatly outnumber
Lebanese living inside the country — as well as the country’s complex political system and its 18 recognized religious sects.
Its last century alone has been packed with momentous events involving the Ottomans; the French; the Palestinians; a 15-year civil war; a war between Israel
and Hezbollah, the militant group and political party; and a large refugee influx from neighboring Syria.
Nearby, Mr. Chatah pointed out the private family home
that was turned into Trad Hospital, where he said he had reason to believe — if no definite confirmation — that Mr. Reeves, the actor, was born.
In 2013, a car bomb killed his father, Mohamad B. Chatah, a former finance minister
and ambassador to the United States, a short walk from where the younger Mr. Chatah now leads his tours.
But before they set off, their guide, a bearded, pony-tailed man who resembled a storybook Jesus, warned them in jest: "There is no insurance for this tour, which makes it very Lebanese." Over the next four hours, the guide, Ronnie Chatah, pointed out sites associated with Lebanon’s civil war, discoursed upon the protests and assassinations
that have punctuated the city’s more recent history, and even showed his guests what may or may not be the birthplace of Keanu Reeves.
Most people on the tour knew Mr. Chatah’s history but said it made little difference in how he laid out the city’s history.
While he mentions his father’s killing during the tour
and points out his grave next to a mosque downtown, he does not dwell on it and refrains from casting blame, seeking to give what he calls "an impartial tale of a complicated city’s past." "The hardest thing to do is to access Beirut’s history," he said.
The group passed the First Armenian Evangelical Church, where he talked about the Lebanese diaspora — Lebanese expatriates greatly outnumber
Lebanese living inside the country — as well as the country’s complex political system and its 18 recognized religious sects.
Its last century alone has been packed with momentous events involving the Ottomans; the French; the Palestinians; a 15-year civil war; a war between Israel
and Hezbollah, the militant group and political party; and a large refugee influx from neighboring Syria.
Nearby, Mr. Chatah pointed out the private family home
that was turned into Trad Hospital, where he said he had reason to believe — if no definite confirmation — that Mr. Reeves, the actor, was born.
In 2013, a car bomb killed his father, Mohamad B. Chatah, a former finance minister
and ambassador to the United States, a short walk from where the younger Mr. Chatah now leads his tours.