BOOKS 2025 #וילאית ביירות

In 1914, on the eve of World War I, Mehmet Cemal Azmi Bey, governor of the Vilayet of Beirut (the Ottoman province of Beirut), decided to send two young Arab scholars on a unique mission: a documentary journey through the provinces of the province. The authors describe in detail the life that took place in the country – of Muslims, Christians, Samaritans and Jews; of residents of villages, Bedouin tribes, towns and cities. Their report includes data and interviews, excerpts from official sources, memoirs and folk songs.