Al Murr Tower is one of the many
abandoned buildings in Lebanon
. Located in Beirut, its construction began in 1974, a year before the beginning of the civil war. It was meant to be the Trade Center of Lebanon. Like most of the towers in the city, militias took over it during the war.
It has always been sad, empty, and haunted by the past. This 40-story unfinished tower stood still while the urban landscape in Beirut changed many times. The Lebanese street artist Jad El Khoury proposed a
project that added a splash of color on the tower
. With the help of his friend Bassel Dalloul, he hung balcony shades in the windows of the tower from top to bottom. The result is quite impressive! The project was received positively by the public. However, this joy did not last long. According to a
, Soldiere, the owner of the building, asked the artist to remove the installation which was supposed to be displayed until September.
Jad received mixed reactions from the company. Two days after he installed the curtains, Solidere asked him to stop the project for safety reasons. In a meeting, the representatives of the company they asked him to remove the installation for the same reasons they mentioned before. However, Solidere told him he could keep the installation until September in a second meeting a few days later.
The artist said that he does not know the motives behind this decision. All he wanted was to see the city bright and colorful again. This is how the building looks now.
