Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, set on the Mediterranean coast at the foot of the Lebanon Mountains. Settled for more than three thousand years and repeatedly conquered, destroyed, and rebuilt, it has alternated between periods as one of the Arab world’s major commercial and cultural centers and periods of severe conflict, a pattern that continues to shape how the city is understood today.

Where Is Beirut Located?

Beirut lies on the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Lebanon Mountains, which form a backdrop to the city’s east, with beaches lining its coastline. It has a subtropical climate with dry summers. As of a 2017 estimate the city itself held about 433,000 people, with roughly 1.65 million in its wider metropolitan area.^[1]

A Brief History of Beirut

Beirut was probably founded before 1500 BCE by Phoenician settlers, who built ships from cedar grown in the nearby mountains. Over the following centuries the city was conquered, destroyed, and rebuilt many times. It became a Roman colony in 14 BCE and flourished as a center of trade and education, before earthquakes destroyed it in the sixth century CE, after which it went unrebuilt for more than a hundred years.^[1]

In the centuries that followed, control of the city passed among Arab rulers, Christian Crusaders, the Ottoman Turks, and, in the modern era, the British, the French, and Egyptian forces at various points. Growth picked up again during the Industrial Revolution, when Beirut became a trade link between Europe and the Middle East. France governed the city under a League of Nations mandate from 1920 to 1941, and in 1941 Beirut became the capital of the newly declared Republic of Lebanon.^[1]

After the founding of Israel in 1948, large numbers of Palestinian refugees arrived in Beirut, adding to tensions between the city’s Christian and Muslim communities. Civil war broke out in 1975, and the following period left the city’s downtown devastated and divided into a predominantly Christian East Beirut and a predominantly Muslim West Beirut. Syrian and United Nations peacekeepers took up positions in the city after 1976, though fighting among militias continued, and Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 to push out Palestinian armed groups based there. Syrian military control eventually brought the civil war to a close in 1991. Lebanon and Beirut suffered further damage in a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, and again in 2020, when an explosion in the city’s port district, caused by stored ammonium nitrate, killed more than 190 people, injured thousands more, and left roughly 300,000 residents homeless.^[1]

Government, Economy, and Culture

As Lebanon’s capital, Beirut is the seat of national government. For much of the twentieth century it was the most important port in the eastern Mediterranean, handling trade with Syria, Iraq, and Iran, and it served as a major banking center and transportation hub until the mid-1970s. Tourism, banking, and other services remain significant today, alongside the port itself, printing, food processing, and cement production.^[1]

Most residents are Arab, and the population is divided roughly evenly between Muslims and Christians, with a sizable Armenian Christian minority and communities of Kurds, Syrians, and Palestinian refugees as well. This mix has at times fueled conflict, but it has also made Beirut a long-standing center of Arab intellectual and cultural life, home to institutions such as the American University of Beirut that have drawn students from across the region.^[1]

What Is Beirut Known For?

Beirut’s most recognizable natural feature is Raouche, also called Pigeon Rocks, two large rock formations rising from the sea just off the city’s westernmost point. The rocks are among the most photographed sights on the Lebanese coast and a fixture of the city’s visual identity, alongside the Roman-era ruins, including columns and bath remains, that still stand among Beirut’s modern buildings downtown.^[1]

Why Beirut Matters

Beirut matters as a case study in how a single Mediterranean port city can serve, in different periods, as a hub of regional trade and education and as a flashpoint for sectarian and regional conflict. Its layered history, from Phoenician settlement through Roman rule to the civil war era and beyond, continues to inform discussion of Lebanon’s politics and of the wider eastern Mediterranean.

Key Takeaways

• Beirut was probably founded before 1500 BCE and became a Roman colony in 14 BCE.^[1]
• France governed Beirut under a League of Nations mandate from 1920 to 1941, when it became capital of the Republic of Lebanon.^[1]
• Civil war from 1975 to 1991 divided the city and devastated its downtown; a 2020 port explosion later killed more than 190 people.^[1]
• Beirut’s population is roughly evenly split between Muslims and Christians, with sizable Armenian and refugee communities.^[1]
• Raouche (Pigeon Rocks), two sea-rock formations off the city’s coast, is Beirut’s most recognizable natural landmark.

Sources

• Encyclopaedia Britannica for Students | “Beirut” | Undated | https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Beirut/273154 | Accessed 2026-10-21
• Encyclopaedia Britannica | “Beirut” | Undated | https://www.britannica.com/place/Beirut | Accessed 2026-10-21

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed October 21, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue