Twice a year Gemmayzeh is home to cultural exhibitions that take place on the historic Saint Nicolas stairway linking the popular Gouraud Street with the aristocratic Sursock Street. These two hundred and two stairs were built towards the end of Lebanon’s Ottoman reign and, incredibly, they remain the Middle East’s longest staircase.
Before the stairs were built, the local residents used to use the sandy passage as a shortcut through the lush surrounding areas. Then under the French mandate, authorities paved the stairs with marine stones bearing animal illustrations. Finally they were modernised in the 1960s.
In 1986, ADG (Gemmayzeh Development Association) organised the first art exhibition on the stairs. Lebanon was in the midst of a fiery whirlwind of battles, and this event was meant to mark a revolt against the ongoing conflict. Organisers hoped to recover the image of the Land of the Cedar as a beacon of culture and art rather than the then dominating picture of terror and violence.
Ever since the exhibitions have become an eagerly anticipated yearly events, with one festival for the arts and another for music. The Saint Nicolas steps have become a platform for a diverse array of artists, from veterans and amateurs, to students and new graduates from Lebanon’s private and public universities. The culture festivals have become commonly known as ‘Daraj el Fann’, which translates as the stairway of the arts.
During the arts festival, visitors may browse the selection and buy works such as paintings and handicrafts or get their portrait done on the premises. The music festival is open to all and chairs are set up on every one of the staircase’s twenty three separation levels.
Finally in 1999 the stairs, as well as surrounding buildings, were restored by ADG. With the help of the local residents and domestic NGO’s, Gemmayzeh was revived. ADG hopes to turn the stairs into a tourist and cultural landmark, a Lebanese Montmartre, and has taken serious steps to implement this. The stairs may be a proof that history, culture and entertainment can make a lasting, enriching and lucrative combination.
