Lebanon

Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli

WHS Score 2.07 Votes 10 Average 2.45

The Rachid Karameh International Fair in Tripoli is a large-scale modernist exhibition complex.

It was designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and built between 1967 and 1975. It was a symbol of national pride and modernisation after independence. The fairground’s main structure, the curved Grand Canopy, is 70m wide and 620m long. The whole project wasn’t yet fully finished when the Lebanese Civil War broke out in 1975, and a new use hasn’t been found.

Community Perspective: all concrete structures are still there and appear to be undamaged. The entrance is free.

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Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli (ID: 1702)
Country
Lebanon
Status
Inscribed 2023 Site history
History of Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • ii
  • iv
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Secular structure: Civic and Public Works
Travel Information
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Connections of Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli
Trivia
  • Modelled after
    "Inspired by the Palácio do Itamaraty in Brasilia, the Lebanese Pavilion is a squared porched building with pointed arches, echoing elements of the Lebanese traditional architecture." (AB ev)
History
  • Fusion
    "the successful integration of Brazilian modernist concepts into the context of the Arab Near East in Tripoli and is a vivid example of cultural exchange in the field of architecture" (crit ii)
Architecture
  • International style
    "the successful integration of Brazilian modernist concepts into the context of the Arab Near East in Tripoli" (AB ev)
  • Designed by Oscar Niemeyer
    "the Lebanese government sought to hire an internationally renowned architect and the choice fell on Oscar Niemeyer." (AB ev)
  • Reinforced Concrete
    "Niemeyer chose a bare reinforced concrete as the construction material for all the buildings" (AB ev)
World Heritage Process
  • No Buffer Zone
    "no buffer zone according to the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention has been proposed. ICOMOS observes that consideration should be given to defining a buffer zone encircling the nominated oval-shaped area"..... goes along with the overall "Emergency inscription" but proposes that, subsequently "with the assistance of the joint ICOMOS/WHC reactive monitoring mission, the establishment of a buffer zone"
  • Inscribed during an extraordinary session
    January 2023 (18EXTCOM)

    See whc.unesco.org

  • Directly in Danger
    At the Extraordinary session of Jan 2023 (Emergency Nomination).
Constructions
  • Unfinished constructions
    "The construction works were in an advanced state of implementation, with most of the concrete structures completed and some buildings already finished with furniture and equipment, when they were suddenly interrupted in 1975 due to the outbreak of the war." (AB ev)
  • Theatres and Opera Houses
    "The Experimental Theatre is housed under a dome that measures sixty metres in diameter: it was conceived as a flexible stage with a rotating circular scene." (AB ev)
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Community Reviews

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First published: 22/11/24.

Triath

Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli

Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli (Inscribed)

Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli by triath

Visited in May 2023.
In this case, I was lucky, because the architectural project of Oskar Niemeyer received the status of world heritage in January 2023, at an extraordinary session, in a number of objects under threat, together with Odessa. The 1950s were a time of rapid development of Lebanon, which gained independence during WWII. One of the symbols of the country's economic success was planned to be a permanent International Fair Center in Tripoli, then a confident northern competitor of Beirut. The Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer, who was at the peak of fame after the creation of the new capital of his homeland, was invited for the design. The project of the fair complex was ready in 1962, but the implementation was delayed: it took a long time to buy the land, the objects were technically difficult for local engineers and contractors. Nevertheless, by 1975, 15 buildings and structures were erected in varying degrees of readiness: the entrance group, the main 750-meter boomerang-shaped pavilion, the Lebanon pavilion, a dome theater, an arch, an amphitheater, a helipad, a prototype of a collective residential unit, now quite unsuccessfully renovated into a hotel. All the buildings of the complex are made of concrete, Niemeyer's signature style.

But in 1975, a 15-year civil war began in Lebanon, then a Syrian military base was located on the territory of the exhibition center, and then Tripoli was gradually marginalized and fundamentalized, and the facilities fell into disrepair. Nevertheless, it is a typical, well-recognizable Niemeyer, with …

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First published: 21/06/24.

Bill Maurmann

Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli

Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli (Inscribed)

Photo in the Public Domain

 The site is very rundown and dilapidated. Nevertheless Niemeyer's buildings are always imaginative and interesting. The site is reminiscent of the Sputnik era when we looked to what our space age future would be like. It reminded me of the 1962 Seattle Worlds Fair designed by his disciples that I visited when a child. Unfortunately his vision of wide open public spaces never seems to attract the masses as he intended. Even Brasillia felt empty and neglected. There were virtually no other visitors here, yet the grounds could have been a lovely park for families. The good news is that it has been identified as a future Arab convention center and Qatar and other Arab countries are planning to invest heavily into refurbishing it and bringing some prosperity into this rather depressed area of Lebanon

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First published: 13/03/23.

Christravelblog

Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli

Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli (Inscribed)

Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli by Christravelblog

Tripoli is Lebanon’s second largest city and a Tripoli day trip is worth it if you're in Lebanon. It’s a completely different world compared to Beirut. I left Beirut around 08:30 and was in Tripoli at 10:00. I visited both the International Fair and also Tripoli Old Town, both worth it!

Oscar Niemeyer designed the Rachid Karami International Fair in the late sixties for the World Fair in 1976. The fair ground was never finished as the civil war broke out in 1975. Today all the concrete structures are still there and not damaged by the war. The site is a 45-minute stroll as, honestly there isn't that much to see. I did climb, the tower, which was "partially locked". I think it wasn't allowed. Access is free to all the places. All buildings are empty but you can wander around freely.

When I visited, there was some youth event going on but a real new use for the place was never put in place.

I give it a 3.5 stars, as I like this architecture and this is certainly worth a place on the WHS list.

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