Engineer Emmanuel Durand laser scans grain silos damaged in the Beirut port blast of August 2020. (Credit: Dia Mrad)
BEIRUT — Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada issued a statement Friday evening listing the ruined grain silos of Beirut port as historic architecture and forbidding “any action that would change their current status without the prior approval of the Culture Ministry.”
Here’s what we know:
• Mortada added that the silos are a symbol “of a city afflicted by the [August 2020] explosion” and thus should be preserved for the future generations.
• Talking to L’Orient Today, Soha Mneimneh, a member of the representative council of the Order of Engineers and Architects, confirmed that OEA is trying to block the demolition. She added that placing the silos on the heritage list prevents their destruction, though being on the list does not itself mean that the structure will be preserved or renovated.
• She added that OEA were currently looking for ways to reinforce the structure of the silos.
• Paul Naggear, the father of a blast victim, explained that after the cabinet decided to demolish the silos, the Public Works Minister must also approve the decision. After that, public tenders must be offered to demolish the silos, followed by the demolition itself. He added that legal interventions can be taken to stop the demolition process.
• Despite opposition to the grain silos’ demolition, the cabinet approved their destruction during a meeting on Wednesday.
• Public Works Minister Ali Hamieh took receipt of a letter on March 1 from Beirut port blast lead investigator Judge Tarek Bitar, noting that “in light of the advanced stage of the forensic investigation, there is no longer a need to preserve what remains of the silos.” A few days earlier, Economy Minister Amin Salam said he would not take a decision to demolish the silos until he’d received a competent judicial ruling authorizing the demolition.
• In February, 2022, the Beirut Urban Declaration initiative started a petition pressing the government not to demolish the silos. Families of the port blast victims have also protested against such a decision.