This is Beirut - heritage

Australia’s Aboriginals Ask Unesco to Protect Ancient Carvings Site

This is Beirut, 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Heritage UNESCO Aboriginal Australia France Culture

A delegation of Australia'4F As Aboriginal people that travelled to Paris to campaign for UN backing to protect a heritage site they say is threatened by harmful mining were "overjoyed" Friday as the ancient site was recognized on the coveted list. The World Heritage Committee at UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural organization, had been ...

Jane Birkin’s First Hermès Birkin Bag Breaks Auction Record

This is Beirut, 10/07 18:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Fashion Hermès Jane Birkin Luxury Heritage Culture

The first-ever Hermès Birkin bag, custom-made for Jane Birkin in 1984, was sold at auction in Paris on Thursday for €8.582 million, including fees, according to Sotheby’s. This oversized black leather tote was the original prototype of what would become one of the most iconic and expensive handbags in the world. Until now, the most ...

King Tut Treasures Restored for Grand Museum Opening

This is Beirut, 07/07 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Egypt Cairo Tutankhamun Culture Art Heritage

As a teenager, Eid Mertah would pore over books about King Tutankhamun, tracing hieroglyphs and dreaming of holding the boy pharaoh's golden mask in his hands. Years later, the Egyptian conservator found himself gently brushing centuries-old dust off one of Tut's gilded ceremonial shrines — a piece he had only seen in textbooks. "I studied ...

The Palace of Versailles Brings Statues to Life With AI Conversations

This is Beirut, 24/06 13:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Heritage Palace of Versaille AI Statues France Culture

At the Palace of Versailles, visitors now converse with statues instead of listening to traditional audio guides, thanks to an innovation made possible by two artificial intelligence (AI) partners. The château unveiled the project to the press on Monday evening: a joint effort between American AI systems developer OpenAI and French start-up Ask ...

Ancient Oualata Battles Time, Sand, Rain and Exodus

This is Beirut, 06/06 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Desert Mauritania Manuscripts Culture Art Heritage

From his roof, Sidi Mohamed Lemine Sidiya scans the mediaeval town of Oualata, a treasure that is disappearing under the sands of the Mauritanian desert. "It's a magnificent, extraordinary town," said Sidiya, who is battling to preserve the place known as the "Shore of Eternity". Oualata is one of a UNESCO-listed quartet of ancient, fortified ...

Youssef Karam Akiki: The Last Lebbedeh Maker

Yara Germany, 01/06 09:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Hrajel tradition heritage craftsman Lebbedeh

In Hrajel, high in the Keserwan mountains, Youssef Karam Akiki is the last craftsman in Lebanon still making the Lebbedeh – a traditional woolen headpiece rooted in Phoenician heritage. With patience and precision, he now passes this ancestral craft to his young daughter and nephews. In an era where social media revives forgotten traditions, ...

Luxury Perfume Bottles Go Electric in France’s Glass Valley

This is Beirut, 09/04 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Perfume Art Culture Heritage Luxury

In rapid succession, molten drops of glass fall into molds, giving shape to iconic perfume bottles from Lancôme, Chanel, and Guerlain—now produced with a lighter carbon footprint thanks to a new electric furnace at the Pochet du Courval glassworks in Normandy. An intense heat surrounds the furnace, which continuously melts a mix of raw ...

Iconic Paris hotel Lutetia Taken over by Mandarin Oriental

This is Beirut, 04/04 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

France Hotel History Heritage Culture Art

Situated in the center of the Left Bank area of the French capital, the Art Deco institution was opened in 1910 and owes its existence to its neighbor Bon Marche, one of the first department stores in the world. Real estate group Alrov, controlled by Alfred Akirov and his family, will retain ownership of the building. Originally baptized with the ...

Tom Cruise Bids Emotional Farewell to Val Kilmer

This is Beirut, 04/04 09:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Movie Cinema Heritage Culture Tom Cruise Val Kilmer

During the annual CinemaCon industry summit held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Tom Cruise paid heartfelt tribute to his late Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer, who passed away earlier this week. Before unveiling exclusive footage from his forthcoming film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Cruise led theater owners in a solemn moment of ...

Frick Collection Returns After $330 Million Renovation

This is Beirut, 27/03 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Art Exhibition NYC Culture Heritage

New York's storied Frick Collection will reopen its doors on April 17 after five years closed to the public for a major renovation, which curators hope will future-proof the collection of former coal and steel magnate Henry Clay Frick. "The Frick is back!" proclaimed Axel Rüger, director of the museum – a 20th-century mansion filled with ...

Architect Ricardo Scofidio, Visionary of NYC’s High Line, Dies at 89

This is Beirut, 07/03 11:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Architecture Culture Art Heritage

Ricardo Scofidio, an architect in New York City whose firm designed some of the city's most iconic structures, such as the High Line elevated park in Manhattan, died on Thursday at age 89, according to US media. Together with his wife, Elizabeth Diller, Scofidio founded the design firm now called Diller Scofidio + Renfro, known for its conceptual ...

Gene Hackman’s Final Days: Mystery and Suspicious Death

This is Beirut, 02/03 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Cinema Legacy Heritage Art Culture

Hollywood icon Gene Hackman was likely dead for around ten days before his body was discovered alongside that of his wife in their Santa Fe home, authorities announced Friday. The 95-year-old actor and classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, 63, were found lifeless on Wednesday, along with the body of one of their dogs. While no signs of foul play were ...

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