Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Monday, June 16, 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»Lifestyle»Arts & Pop Culture
    2 Mins Read

    Victims Of The Great Famine Of Mount Lebanon Finally Have A Memorial Monument In Beirut!

    By Grace HovsepianJuly 21, 2018Updated:March 14, 2021
    Facebook WhatsApp Copy Link

    Yazan Halwani is a famous Lebanese street artist whose creations are spread all over Lebanon. His art honors Lebanese legends, such as Fairouz and Sabah, and promotes national cohesion.

    Recently, he created his first monumental sculpture.

    Located in Beirut, The Memory Tree is the national monument for the Great Famine of Mount Lebanon that happened between 1915 and 1918. It resulted in the migration and death of more than half of the Lebanese population.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Yazan Halwani (@yazanhalwani)

    The renowned Lebanese author Gibran Khalil Gibran wrote a letter to Mary Haskell which read:

    “The famine in Mount Lebanon has been planned and instigated by the Turkish government. Already 80,000 have succumbed to starvation and thousands are dying every single day.”

    Gibran Khalil Gibran wrote a poem entitled “Dead Are My People” which he dedicated to the victims.

    The situation in Mount Lebanon was horrifying: bodies were piled in the streets, and people were eating animals. Some even resorted to cannibalism.

    Unfortunately, there is not a single memorial that commemorates the victims of The Great Famine. That’s why Yazan designed the Memory Tree: to remember what happened and not repeat it.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Yazan Halwani (@yazanhalwani)

    “It is said that the Lebanese suffer from collective amnesia and that Beirut finds it difficult to recall its brutal past,” the artist said. This artwork will help people be aware of this brutal event that is barely covered in our textbooks.

    The leaves of “The Memory Tree” are made of writings of many authors that lived during that time such as Gibran Khalil Gibran, Tawfik Yousef Awwad, Anbara Salam Al-Khalidi, and many others.

    “The Memory Tree” is officially the first national monument that commemorates the victims of the Great Famine of Mount Lebanon. It took the state a long time to build one, but it’s better late than never!

    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email

    For You

    Musicians

    14 Lebanese Musicians You Should Watch In 2024

    Metropolis Cinema To Open New Theaters In Mar Mikhael This Summer

    USEK Just Granted George Khabbaz An Honorary Doctorate

    10 Lebanese Artists Whose Work You Should Check Out

    Wael kfoury street in Zahle

    A Street In Zahle Was Just Named After Wael Kfoury

    Broadway Play ‘Chicago’ In Arabic Is Coming Back To Lebanon

    lebanon cybergames 2025 hacking 961

    Lebanon Just Won A Global Hacking Competition

    lebanon jounieh cyprus by ferry 961

    You’ll Soon Be Able To Travel Between Lebanon & Cyprus By Ferry

    June 8, 2025
    whish pay lebanon 961

    You Can Now Use Whish Pay At Shopify Stores

    June 13, 2025

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

    June 30, 2022
    Michel Hayek

    Michel Hayek 2025: Predictions For The World

    December 31, 2024

    20 Celebrities You Probably Didn’t Know Had Lebanese Roots

    April 22, 2019
    Michel Hayek

    Michel Hayek 2025: Predictions For Lebanon

    December 31, 2024
    lebanese beer brands almaza beirut beer 961

    Lebanese Beer Brands Are Publicly Throwing Shade, And It’s Getting Frothy

    June 7, 2025
    visa whish money partnership

    Visa and Whish Money Just Partnered To Push Digital Payments in Lebanon and Abroad

    May 6, 2025
    Michel Hayek

    Michel Hayek 2025: Predictions For The Middle East

    December 31, 2024
    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