Do you know why Beirut was once called the Mother of Laws?

Did you know that Beirut once hosted a Roman Law School? And it was the  preeminent center of jurisprudence of the Roman Empire?

No one knows for sure when the Law School was established, the earliest mentions date back to 239, when the school was already recognized throughout the Roman Empire. The school attracted students from all over the Empire. Its professors made major contributions to the Justinian Code, and Beirut was one of the few schools allowed to continue teaching jurisprudence when Byzantine Emperor Justinian shut down other provincial law schools. Because of the wide recognition of the school, Beirut -the city- was known as the Mother of Laws.

The School was destroyed in the A.D. 551 earthquake. It was moved to Saida but did not survive the Arab conquest of 635.

Ancient texts point out that the school was located near St Georges Cathedral, downtown Beirut.

Sources: Historia, Wikipedia, Lebanese University

Pic: wikimedia