The old port district of Al Mina in Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-largest city, is best known for its art cafes and bars. But its narrow alleys with stone houses are also home to the city’s carpenters. From his workshop, Elie Mouchaham adds the finishing touches to wooden latticework panels, or moucharabiya. These have been rebuilt for the Villa Linda Sursock, a 19th-century townhouse in Beirut. The original panels, composed of three arched windows and a large double door, were destroyed by the August 4 Beirut port blast last year. “The biggest challenge is trying to restore all the original details exactly as they were,” Mouchaham says. He is among the many Tripolitan carpenters who are contributing to the reconstruction of Beirut’s heritage homes after the explosion. “I’m doing it because I love Lebanon and it makes my children proud,” he says.
How historic carpenters of Tripoli are carving out a survival plan for traditional Lebanese woodwork
Kadmous Lebnen 