Heritage souks completely destroyed in Nabatieh. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L'Orient Today)
The shocking photos of the Israeli strike that destroyed the heritage souks of the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on Saturday night has prompted an outpouring of emotion and outcry on social media, while Israel's deadly war with Hezbollah continues.
Our reporter on the ground, Mohammad Yassine, described an apocalyptic scene and total destruction. Flames rose from the buildings, a layer of ash covered the vast structures completely destroyed, and remnants of merchandise, including toys, were seen in the rubble.
Toys and goods propelled by the explosions, Nabatireh. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L'Orient Today)
The Beit al-Baraka association shared historical photos of the souk on its social media page which it said "dates back to the Ottoman and Mamluk eras.”
“Souk al-Khamis was a meeting point for all farmers and producers from southern Lebanon; its restoration had just been completed two years ago (...). Our roots are in this heritage and in these stones,” the association states.
"It was the heart of the city"
Journalist Kamel Jaber, a resident of Nabatieh who documented its heritage, is inconsolable.
“It was the heart of the city; historically, Nabatieh was a link between Sour, Sidon, Jezzine, and all the other localities in the south, and merchants all converged to this place,” he tells L’Orient-Le Jour.
What has been lost in this strike is not just the souks themselves, but also the last khans (where visitors used to stay) and the oldest hotel in the city, which had also been converted into businesses.
“This complex gave an idea of what Nabatieh's architecture was like in the past, with its arcades,” Jaber laments.
The loss of this heritage is also a tragedy for “more than 200 to 300 families who had businesses or offices there.”
The journalist estimates, based on photos (as he has not yet been able to approach the site), that “the destruction is so complete that it renders the souks irretrievable,” adding that the Israeli strike was deliberate and relentless.
“Since 1975, we have been gradually losing our heritage due to Israeli attacks, and each time, the reaction is to rebuild modern structures instead of restoring the old ones identically,” he regrets.
Strong emotions
The destruction of the souks of Nabatieh has sparked a strong emotional reaction.
“The center of Nabatieh is in ruins; many childhood and family memories are under this rubble, my father rests there. I am at a loss for words; this is barbarism”, said Carnegie researcher Mohannad Hage Ali on his X account.
“The heart of Nabatieh is on fire,” writes activist Badia Hani Fahs. She lists one by one the businesses that were located in the destroyed souks in a very moving text. “It is our heart that burns, not just a concrete site,” she concludes.
A man holding a crutch looks in despair at the ruins of the souks in Nabatieh. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L'Orient Today)
“The Israeli aggression on the souk of Nabatieh, considered one of the oldest in Lebanon, with a history of over four centuries… The destruction of heritage is part of Israeli terrorism in a hateful attempt to erase history,” writes Sahar Nasser on X.
Israeli attacks on the heritage of southern Lebanon and Bekaa are multiplying, following numerous assaults on the environment in these regions, particularly at the border. In Nabatieh, Kamel Jaber informs L'Orient-Le Jour of the “total destruction in recent days of two heritage homes of the utmost importance.”
The first was named after Ghaleb Chahine, who was briefly a deputy and minister, and was practically the first house built by an immigrant (his father) at the beginning of the last century. It featured traditional Lebanese architecture combined with Italian influence. The second belonged to Mohammad al-Fadel, also a notable figure in the city, with its stunning architecture.
The home of Mohammad el-Fadel (before its destruction) is now just ruins. (Credit: Kamel Jaber_
On Sunday, the Israeli army dynamited the mosque in the border village of Dhaira (Sour district) following a brief incursion, reports our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah. In the night from Saturday to Sunday, another mosque was destroyed in Kfar Tebnit (Nabatieh), and yet another last week in Yaroun (Bint Jbeil). All these mosques are ancient sites, emphasizes Kamel Jaber.
Even the temples of Baalbek, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage list, have not truly escaped. An attack targeting the city center on October 6 occurred not far from the site, about 500 to 700 meters away, according to the city governor Bachir Khodr. He had expressed concern to L’OLJ about the effects of the “black smoke” on the condition of the stones or the “force of the explosions,” whose tremors could affect the remains, which include one of the best-preserved Roman temples in the world.