BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR

Words by Marcus Ross

 

Since independence from France in 1943 Lebanon’s capital has had its fair share of hardship. Although, it has more recently seen itself become the party capital of the Middle East.

Billboards advertising pre-mix vodka, crying ‘let the good times roll’ are scattered throughout the city-even in front of Palestinian refugee camps- and no matter what night of the week it is you will find people from all over the Middle East partying in Beirut’s abundance of clubs, pubs and red-light night spots.

Only 100kms across the dividing mountain range is the Syrian capital of Damascus which feels more like a world away as the locals spend their Saturday nights sipping tea while smoking sheesha pipes as alcohol is strictly forbidden and most women would not be caught dead without their full hijabs (traditional head scarves).

For most of Beirut’s women less is more and for the men the number one accessory is a hotted-up BMW. Fireworks, nude beach parties and all night dance festivals are not uncommon in Beirut and in many of the top clubs people don’t blink an eye at dropping $1000 on a bottle of champagne.

However, scratch beneath the surface and reminders of Beirut’s troubled past are still not hard to find. Armed soldiers still line the streets and military checkpoints are a common sight.

The city’s hottest club, Sky Bar is on the top floor of the Riviera Hotel, which only four years ago, saw an assassination attempt target an anti-Syrian minister.
Behind the city’s multi-billion-dollar redevelopments are buildings either scattered with bullet holes or entirely bombed out from years of conflict.

Although most people in Beirut wear some of the world’s top designer brands, the country is also wearing a huge national debt to the USA.

Lebanon has seen it all: a bloody 1975-1990 civil war, military occupation, high-profile assassinations, and unending political instability.

Nevertheless residents of Beirut say in the last decade neither debt nor conflict can stop the parties.

Some Lebanese proudly retell the story of how during the devastating 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, the parties went on, merely relocating their venues to mainly Christian mountain suburbs like Faraya and Brummana.

“When the Israelis started bombing in 2006 we just relocated and kept our parties going for days straight. No one was going to work the next day, that’s for sure” said Nubil a local DJ.

Rather than trying to forget the county’s endless conflict, many in Beirut actually embrace this.

One of the city’s most legendary clubs, B-018 is located in a part of the city that was a refugee camp during the civil war and the scene of some violence. With the inspiration of a legendary local architect, it is set in what looks like an old bomb shelter and has an incredible retractable roof which gives a night-time view of the stars and city lights.

The tables are made of coffins, and the music runs from jazz, to house and funk.

It has been voted by many as one of the best bars in the world according to worldsbestbars.com who say “when you sip one of their martinis it’s hard to believe this used to be a war zone.”

The endless parties and the wide variety of bars and clubs have earned Beirut the reputation as the sin-city of the Middle East and as a result is attracting many with money and the zest for a party.

With a thriving red-light district and the easy access to alcohol anyone from Saudi to Egypt is being drawn to Beirut to commit the sins they are unable to commit in their own countries.

However, along with its growing popularity, this way of life in Beirut is starting to create problems throughout the region.

This year a Saudi man was arrested after a holiday in Lebanon when it was bought to the attention of authorities in his home country that he was on Lebanese television boasting about his sexual experiences.

Mazen Abdul Jawad appeared on a Lebanon based program, Red Line talking about losing his virginity at the age of 14 and having regular sex with Saudi women.

Under the strict Sharia law in Saudi Arabia women aren’t even allowed to show their face to any male but their husband let alone engage in pre-marital sex.

However, after only a few days in Beirut it becomes quite easy to forget the strict Sharia laws that govern many of Lebanon’s neighboring countries.

A record one-million-plus tourists visited Lebanon last month alone, according to the tourism ministry, which is expecting more than two million tourists by the end of 2009, a figure roughly equivalent to half the country’s population.

However, the question now remains, how long can the good times last?

On top of the endless conflict between Israel and Palestine and a strict Islamic dictatorship in neighbouring Syria, the fundamentalist Islamic organization, Hezbollah–condemned by the west as a terrorist organization- are drumming up more and more support within the country.

Only last year 100 people were killed in sectarian violence and as easy as it is to forget about the threat of war when Paris Hilton’s visit to the country is making front-page news, the party may not last forever.