Did you know that Horsh Beirut’s timbers were widely used by the diverse conquering armies throughout the ages to build ships and weapons? 
In the 17th century, it was a full fledge pine forest (hence it’s Arabic name, Horsh al Snoubar) which covered around 1,250,000 m². Today, it covers about 300,000 m² of green space.

It was bombed and burned by the Israelis in 1982 and parts of it were turned into a Palestinian camp.
It was rehabilitated in 1992 by the Regional Council of Ile-de-France. 

For a very long time it was closed to Lebanese while foreigners could get in. The municipality argued that Lebanese people would litter the place and only granted a special permit to some Lebanese older than 35. But a coalition of activists pressured the municipality to make it available to all, and the municipality relented at last, in 2016. 

It is a very good spot for a jog, or just a walk, and to get away from everyday’s pollution and worries. So what are you waiting for?  🙂

Sources: Nahnoo, Wikipedia