Restoration of the Al Makassed Villa in Beirut

The Villa Al Makassed a late 19th-century palatial house and the headquarters of the Sunni charitable Foundation Al Makassed, founded in 1879, suffered extensive damage following the Beirut explosion of 4 August 2020. It is home to a library of 35,000 books – the largest collection of Islamic publications in Lebanon – which is now open to the public. This project, led by the Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement (IECD), in cooperation with the General Directorate of Antiquities of Lebanon, has enabled the restoration of a building of high architectural and social importance, contributed to preserving the social fabric of the the neighborhood. The project also resulted in the training of 74 youth—nearly 30% of whom were women—in heritage restoration skills and trades to help them integrate into the job market.