The Faculty of Architecture - Design and the Built Environment at Beirut Arab University, Tripoli Branch, held a lecture on the Rashid Karami International Fair - Modern World Heritage in Danger - What Next!, by the President of the Niemeyer Foundation for Heritage in Tripoli and Professor of Architecture at the Lebanese University, Dr. Wassim Naghi, and organized by Dr. Khaled El-Daghar, Associate Professor of Architecture at the Faculty, within the “Cooperation Project in the Field of Urban Management and Regional Development”, in partnership with the United Cities Association of Lebanon / Technical Office of Lebanese Municipalities, the Municipality of Tripoli, the Municipality of Zgharta/Ehden, and in cooperation with the Union of Municipalities of Dunkirk and the Agency for Urban Planning and Development for the Flanders Region - Dunkirk (AGUR) - France, the French National Union of Urban Planning Agencies (FNAU), and the Port of Dunkirk with support of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
At the beginning, the Associate Professor at the Faculty, Dr. Khaled Al-Daghar, welcomed the audience, emphasizing the joint cooperation between universities, municipalities, governmental and non-governmental institutions and civil society organizations to support and build a common strategic vision for development plans and manage the development of new local development projects.
The Director of Tripoli Branch, Dr. Hani Shaarani, also noted that the University works with all local and international partners to achieve social, economic, cultural and urban development. The Rachid Karami International Fair complex is a national and global wealth that shall be preserved and continuously developed because it is a unique investment opportunity. It can also play an active role in the development of the region if is exploited effectively.”
The Mayor of Tripoli, Engineer Ahmed Kamareddine, spoke about the framework of the Rachid Karami International Fair Competition, which is part of the Tripoli Municipality's cooperation project with the Municipality of Zgharta/Ehden and French partners through the establishment of the Urban Planning and Regional development Agency for Abou Ali River Basin(AUDETA).
Mr. Ghassan Tayoun, a member and representative of the Zgharta/ Ehden Municipality Council, then reviewed the Agency's plan and objectives, which began in 2017 with the assistance of French planning agencies, taking into account all the development capabilities of the areas on the Abou Ali River Basin, which has an umbrella symbol and expands along 480 square kilometers.
Dr. Wasim Nagy started his lecture with a historical overview and brief definitions about the idea of Lebanon's permanent international exhibition in Tripoli, which began at the end of the 1950s. He, then, followed it by a comprehensive explanation of all stages and the impact of the civil war on the fair in general and the subsequent disruption of Lebanon's decision makers during the attempt to reinvigorate what has become known since the mid-1990s as the Rashid Karami International Fair in Tripoli.
Dr. Nagy continued that the death of architect Oscar Niemeyer in 2012 was the starting point for ongoing outreach and awareness activities and campaigns with a group of heritage professionals and activists to demonstrate the cultural value of the fair and its economic role, culminating in its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List in January 2023.
At the end, a discussion was moderated with attendees about their vision for the Rashid Karami International Fair as a promising facility for Tripoli in specific and for Lebanon and the region in general.
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