Hariri’s favorite Koraytem Palace in Beirut sold

Hariri’s Koraytem Palace in Beirut

The palace in the Hariri’s favorite Koraytem Palace in Beirut sold region which was reportedly the dearest to late PM Rafic Hariri has been sold .

Hariri, began his political career in the nineties at the end of the 1975-90 civil war. He purchased the Al Salha Palace in Koraytem , which was built by the late Najib Salha, a prominent Lebanese businessman  , who founded the famous Phoenicia Hotel ion Beirut

Hariri initially used used the place as his home and headquarters and when he became Lebanon’s PM in 1992, he moved to the government palace in Sanayeh.

Hariri decided to expand the palace to include a place for residence, reception, and work, while preserving the old headquarters, which he turned into a guest place for VIP visitors. He also added a building adjacent to the main building and made the first three floors as offices for his work team .

It should be noted that many institutions belonging to Hariri were also closed after his assassination , including educational institutions.

Former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri , father of former PM Saad Hariri was assassinated in downtown Beirut on February 14, 2005. Three Hezbollah operatives Salim Ayyash were indicted in the killing of Hariri by a UN backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon and sentence in absentia for life in prison but Hezbollah refused to hand him over to the court .

Hariri was assassinated February 14, 2005 .

On March 14, 2005, a month after Hariri’s assassination , over a million Lebanese headed to downtown Beirut to demand the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon after a nearly 29-year of military presence. The mass rally was later dubbed the Cedar Revolution or Independence Uprising. The Iranian backed Hezbollah militant group whose operatives were convicted in Hariri’s assassination has replaced the Syrian occupational forces . The majority of the Lebanese now consider Hezbollah an Iranian occupational force

Museum ?

The name of the buyer has not been disclosed but In a statement, the “Civil Associations and Leagues in Beirut” which is headed by Nazik Hariri the widow of former PM Rafic Hariri called for “to preserving the cultural and historical legacy left by the martyred PM by transforming Koraytem Palace into an international Lebanese museum managed by a special national committee”

Many prominent Arab and foreign leaders and personalities from various countries of the world either visited or stayed at this palace