Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli

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The Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli: A Unique Blend of Modern Architecture and Cultural Exchange

The Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, stands as a testament to the rich cultural heritage and architectural prowess of Lebanon. Located in the heart of Tripoli, the city's largest metropolis in the north, this iconic structure was designed by the renowned Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer, in 1962.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Located in northern Lebanon, the Rachid Karameh International Fair of Tripoli was designed in 1962 by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer on a 70-hectare site located between the historic centre of Tripoli and the Al Mina port. The main building of the fair consists of a huge covered hall in the shape of a boomerang of 750 metres by 70 metres, a flexible space for countries to install exhibitions. The fair was the flagship project of Lebanon's modernization policy in the 1960s. The close collaboration between Oscar Niemeyer, the architect of the project, and Lebanese engineers gave rise to a remarkable example of exchange between different continents. In terms of scale and wealth of formal expression, it is one of the major representative works of 20^th century modern architecture in the Arab Near East.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (ii): The Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli expresses in an exceptional way the successful integration of Brazilian modernist concepts into the context of the Arab Near East in Tripoli and is a vivid example of cultural exchange in the field of architecture. The collaboration between Oscar Niemeyer, the architect of the complex, and the Lebanese engineers and contractors has given them valuable experience in sophisticated large-scale reinforced concrete structures and concrete shells, while a new generation of Lebanese architects was inspired by Niemeyer’s “Brazilian modernism”, which is reflected in several of their works, whether in Lebanon or in the Arab Near East.

Criterion (iv): Oscar Niemeyer’s monumental International Fair project in Tripoli is an outstanding example of world fairs that emerged in the newly independent Arab countries to express national pride and take part in the universal process of modernisation. It constitutes an outstanding architectural example of a large-scale modernist exhibition complex, which defines an architectural typology characterised by simplicity and discipline where a single main large structure hosts the pavilions; a set of smaller structures serve social- reformative and educational purposes.

Encyclopedia Record: Tripoli, Lebanon

Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in the country. Situated 81 km (50 mi) north of the capital Beirut, it is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Tripoli overlooks the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and it is the northernmost seaport in Lebanon. The city is predominantly inhabited by Sunni Muslims, with smaller populations of Alawites and Christians, including Maronites and Armenians among others.

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