Name of Monument:

Grand Serail

Name in original language:

Al-saray al-kabir

Location:

Beirut Downtown, Lebanon

Date of Monument:

1853

Architect(s) / Master-builder(s):

Yussef Aftimus

History:

The Grand Serail, or Government Palace, is used today as the Prime Minister's headquarters. It is located on a hill in downtown Beirut, close to the Lebanese Parliament. The building itself is the most important of the three Ottoman monuments on the Serail hill, and has been consistently in use for a variety of roles since its foundation in 1832.

Description:

The Grand Serail was built in the architectural style known as the "New Order" (Nizam Cedid in Ottoman Turkish), which reflected the new Ottoman military organisation. Indeed, its elevated location and austere facade are reminiscent of the Selimiye Barracks in Istanbul. The structure itself consists of two very tall floors, and a larger, 80m long facade. The eastern side consists of two symmetrical wings with two rows of 16 windows, joined in the middle by a protruding portico.

Citation of this web page:

Hala Masri "Grand Serail" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monuments;AWE;lb;29;en

Prepared by: Hala Masri
Copyedited by: Flaminia Baldwin

MWNF Working Number: LB 031