Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Monday, May 19, 2025
    961
    Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok
    • Breaking News
    • Guides
    • Food & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Join the Team
    • Whatsapp
      • 961
      • 961 News
    • AUB Outdoors ☀️
    Advertise with Us Get the App
    961
    Home»Magazine»Old Lebanon
    @oldbeirut.lb | @oldbeiruthlebanon
    5 Mins Read

    20+ Pictures That Show A More Developed Lebanon Back In The Days

    By Souad LazkaniFebruary 3, 2021Updated:February 4, 2021
    Facebook WhatsApp Copy Link

    With the world moving forwards, it seems that Lebanese often live in the past of the once brilliant golden days. Bogged down by wars and political corruption, Lebanese can only dream of better days.

    Today’s young generation has what’s left of a vibrant booming past scattered in pieces around Lebanon – most of which were destroyed or halted due to war.

    Abandoned railways, train stations, hotels, an unfinished aquarium, and more, all stand haunted with ghosts of an advanced past that are begging to come to life once again.

    Don’t let the old fashion clothes deceive you, these people had a much more advanced experience of Lebanon when it was regarded as ‘Switzerland of the Middle East’ and when Beirut was ‘Paris of the Middle East’.

    The Lebanese had tramways in the 30s, possibly even before!

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    It was easier for people to commute…

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by نافذة على لبنان القديم (@oldbeirut.lb)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by نافذة على لبنان القديم (@oldbeirut.lb)

    Possibly the most striking ‘advances’ that failed to survive to our present time was Lebanon’s well-developed public transportation system.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by نافذة على لبنان القديم (@oldbeirut.lb)

    Lebanon had functional trains we wish existed today

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by نافذة على لبنان القديم (@oldbeirut.lb)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by نافذة على لبنان القديم (@oldbeirut.lb)

    While a large sum of money still gets paid annually to the railway administration, Lebanon struggles with heavy daily traffic jams and many daily car accidents.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    The Beirut International Airport was modern, welcoming, and well maintained

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old Lebanon🇱🇧 (@lebanonold)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    The Lebanese population had more money!

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by نافذة على لبنان القديم (@oldbeirut.lb)

    The streets of Lebanon were cleaner, neater, and more organized than they are now

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by نافذة على لبنان القديم (@oldbeirut.lb)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old Lebanon🇱🇧 (@lebanonold)

    Lebanon was a popular location for shooting international films

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    There was more appreciation for well-kept public gardens in the city

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    More open spaces

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old-lebanon❤️ (@lebanon.oldies)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old Lebanon🇱🇧 (@lebanonold)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old Lebanon🇱🇧 (@lebanonold)

    Lebanese aspired to send a rocket to space! Their opportunities were endless

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by نافذة على لبنان القديم (@oldbeirut.lb)

    Lebanese back then had opportunities presented before them which they could bring to life without having to leave the country, such as almost sending a rocket into space.

    Today, Lebanon is losing young brilliant minds, including hundreds of doctors and nurses as well as engineers who look for better chances elsewhere and success living abroad.

    Lebanon’s beaches were cleaner

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Lebvintage? (@lebvintage)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Lebvintage? (@lebvintage)

    Lebanon’s economy in the 60s was the most dynamic in the region

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    Reference “Economic Dislocation and Recovery in Lebanon, 1995,” IMF report.

    Lebanon had a strong macroeconomic position

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Old beirut lebanon (@oldbeiruthlebanon)

    According to the same report by the IMF, Lebanon’s economy 50 years ago (in the early 1970s) “registered relatively high rates of growth, low inflation, and overall
    balance of payments surpluses.”

    Lebanon GDP was insignificant

    Al-Rifai
    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Lebvintage? (@lebvintage)

    Lebanon today is among the topmost indebted countries in the world, with a 171.67% debt to GDP ratio, projected by Trading Economics to trend in 2021 at around 185%.

    The Lebanese have proper electricity around the clock!

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Lebvintage? (@lebvintage)

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Lebvintage? (@lebvintage)

    Of course, we had tramways!

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Lebvintage? (@lebvintage)

    The Lebanese Pound was strong

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Areej Khaddaj | أريج خداج (@areej.khaddaj)

    During 1957 -1974, “the Lebanese pound appreciated by about 35 percent against the U.S. dollar, and the maximum monthly increase and decrease in the LL/US$ exchange rate were both limited to about 6 percent,” according to an IMF report.

    It is no wonder that the Lebanese today are demanding better living conditions, better governance, job opportunities for all, sustainable waste management, proper conservation of the environment, and you name it.

    Lebanon Live Paris Switzerland
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email

    For You

    Lebanese talking-stage

    15 Things Your Lebanese Talking-Stage Will Tell You, And What It Actually Means

    Nawaf Salam

    Nawaf Salam Just Selected As Lebanon’s New Prime Minister

    Michel Hayek

    Michel Hayek 2025: Predictions For Lebanon

    adroee

    There’s An Avichay Lookalike In Lebanon, And People Are Freaking Out

    Christmas

    Lebanon’s Biggest Christmas Event Is Finally Coming Back!

    lebanese teta with Alzheimer's 961

    Watch This 94-Year-Old Lebanese Teta With Alzheimer’s Remembering Fairuz Songs

    Ampere Cinema Reopens Its Doors In North Lebanon After 28 Years Of Absence

    20 Celebrities You Probably Didn’t Know Had Lebanese Roots

    April 22, 2019
    saint levant aub outdoors 2025 961

    Saint Levant Is Officially Headlining AUB Outdoors 2025!

    May 7, 2025

    Lebanon’s Shawarma Is Going Viral in The Philippines

    April 21, 2019

    20 Typical Lebanese Slang Expressions

    April 21, 2020
    dew apparel nada koussa miss lebanon 961

    Miss Lebanon Nada Koussa Just Launched A Sportswear Brand

    May 3, 2025
    Lebanese boutiques

    25 Boutiques In Lebanon To Find Your Dream Evening Dress This Wedding Season

    June 9, 2024
    nada koussa miss world miss lebanon 961

    Nada Koussa Just Left To Represent Lebanon At Miss World

    May 7, 2025
    arabic words

    30 Beautiful Arabic Words You Probably Want To Learn

    April 22, 2020
    Fattoush

    Lebanon’s Fattoush Ranked One of the Best Salads in the World (Again!)

    April 16, 2025
    961 Logo
    Facebook WhatsApp TikTok Instagram

    Popular Topics

    • Guides
    • Eat & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Lebanon News
    • Diaspora
    • Explained

    961

    • About
    • WhatsApp Channel
    • News WhatsApp Channel
    • Corrections Policy
    • Ownership & Funding

    Services

    • Advertise
    • Careers
    • App Waitlist
    • Contact Us
    • Newsletter
    961™ | All Rights Reserved ©2025
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Okay