Amal’s life in Golden Age Beirut
After a few years of living under the misery of the French mandate, Beirut was let free to bloom, change, and instill happiness among citizens.
Let me tell you an exciting story, that of Amal Abou Rjeily. Born and raised in Ras Beirut, the woman speaks of her terrific childhood as if it were yesterday and truly nothing can compare to her golden days.
Originally Greek, Amal was adopted by a Lebanese couple that couldn’t conceive. She was thought to be their gift after living a life of horror. Her father was a tailor and her mom was a housewife that cooked the best moughrabieh in town.
Whatever Amal desired, she would get on a silver platter. Day and night her father would work in his shop in downtown in Souk Ayass, which is now occupied by the global commercial brand LUSH.
Amal recalled that she would spend most of her time at her father’s shop keeping him company and listening to every customer’s enticing stories.
When she was bored, she would walk to the famous birkeh, to buy an extraordinary lemonade cup filled with shaved ice.
At the time, Downtown Beirut was not the city of ghosts but a city full of excitement and laughter. Downtown was at its peak, people of different cultures and interests would join under one voice. It was a place filled with high-end fashion, music, food and entertainment. It was the time when it was called the Paris of the Middle East.
Those were the days where she made her friends for life, the days she would dance till midnight to the tunes of her record player, watch three movies in a row in the latest cinemas and wear the most beautiful dresses.
Winters were spent in the swarming yet eclectic city of Beirut, where she would take dance lessons, study, help her father with his work and spend time with friends. Summers were spent in the village of Dhour el Choueir, a getaway filled with many hotels, cafes, cinemas, and nature.
Living in Ras Beirut was like a dream, she would do everything a little girl would dream of. On Wednesday and Sunday morning, Amal would go fishing with her cousin by the corniche, where she would also get a beautiful suntan and meet many of Beirut’s fascinating men. However, only one man caught her eye, but not there.
From her balcony, Amal fell in love with her neighbor, Sami. He would throw notes to her at night, until one day he threw her one asking her to marry him. Even though her parents disapproved of the thought, because they were still too attached to her, one night she just packed her bags, took her heels off as she walked to the door, and ran away to get married.
Beirut was filled with love and romance at the time, an influence for all Beirut’s modern art. After a while of repression, all people could count on was feeling a spark again, which wouldn’t have emerged if there wasn’t a large culture of art.
Many shared similar stories like Amal’s. Beirut was a hub. A hub for something that we still dream about today.
