The last public beach in Beirut

By Ellie Violet Bramley

On the afternoon I visit Ramlet al-Bayda beach, a young bride and groom are having their photograph taken. She holds her white dress up carefully, the voluminous skirt hovering a few inches above the sand like a frilly spaceship. Their friends and relatives buzz around them excitedly, playing music from their phones. Other beach-goers sit on plastic chairs close to the water’s edge, chatting, smoking argileh (the Lebanese word for shisha) and taking in the scene. Nearby, children are making the most of a seesaw and swings.

Ramlet al-Bayda (“white sands” in Arabic) is Beirut’s only remaining public beach and one of the few spots in the city where people can mingle for free. Thanks to years of unscrupulous development and a lack of planning regulations, Beirut’s residents can claim a mere 0.8 square metres of public space each, significantly below the World Health Organisation’s recommended minimum of nine square metres. Cafés, marinas, hotels and beach clubs have been allowed to privatise large sections of the coast, closing them off for those unwilling or unable to pay the equivalent of $30 for sunbeds or $10 for a beer. In winter the beach clubs lie semi-dormant, largely empty but still severing the city from the sea. Even the view is blocked by cliff-top cafes and restaurants, which hog the sunsets for their well-heeled patrons.