Timeline / 1880 to 1920 /

Date Country Theme

1880 Lebanon Migrations

A small number of Lebanese people emigrate to the USA, the first of a wave of migration abroad.

1884 - 1919 Lebanon Economy And Trade

The old Egyptian port undergoes several important changes: buildings are extended, a commercial tribunal is constructed, and the land area is expanded by infilling with rocks brought by railway from Nahr al-Kalb.

1885 Lebanon Cities And Urban Spaces

Part of the Old Serail in Zahlé is used to house the local prison, with severe overcrowding. The prison was moved to a better location in 2009. Still known as the Old Serail, the restored monument today serves as the Town Hall and houses the offices of the municipality and a museum illustrating Zahlé’s history.

1887 Lebanon Great Inventions Of The 19th Century

The foundation, under Wassa Pasha’s rule, of the port of on the eastern part of the Saint George Bay on Beirut’s northern Mediterranean cost, west of Beirut River. It is one of the largest and busiest ports on the eastern Mediterranean.

1890 Lebanon Cities And Urban Spaces

Khan Antun Bey Square evolves after the construction of the great Ottoman jetty and quays from 1890 that changes the design of the urban area.

1897 Lebanon Cities And Urban Spaces

On 9 January 1897 and in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Ottoman Sultan ‘Abd al-Hamid II’s coronation, a clock tower is built near the Grand Serail, Beirut, to make up for the absence of a public clock indicating mandatory Muslim prayer times especially as many foreign institutions had built Western-style clock towers.

1900 Lebanon Migrations

A group of about a dozen Lebanese, dissatisfied with the dismal prospect of earning a livelihood from the stubborn northern Lebanese soil, set out to stake their claim on the mythical riches in the new land of Australia.

1902 Lebanon Rediscovering The Past

Opening of the Archaeological Museum of the American University of Beirut. It is the third oldest museum in the Mashriq, after those in Cairo and .

1906 Lebanon Cities And Urban Spaces Date Country Theme

Hotel Kadri is built in Zahlé. In 1914 it is taken over by the Turkish army and used as a military headquarters.

1906 Lebanon Cities And Urban Spaces

In celebration of the 30th year of ‘Abd al-Hamid II as sultan of the , the Tell Clock Tower is erected in Tripoli as a gift to the city. It is similar to the and many others throughout the Empire.

1906 Lebanon Great Inventions Of The 19th Century

The Ottoman government decides to build the Electric Tramway Station in Beirut. The electric tramway passes through Beirut on seven tram lines built in 1891 heading to the coast and linking Beirut and Mameltein.

1906 Lebanon Great Inventions Of The 19th Century

The second railway in Lebanon is opened connecting with the first line at Riyaq and running to Aleppo, connecting it with Beirut.

1907 Lebanon Travelling

Khalil Pasha (1864–1923), commander of the Turkish Sixth Army during World War I orders the creation of the Hamidi Public Garden, which later becomes the Sanayeh Garden. It is one of the oldest public open-air spaces in the capital.

1911 Lebanon Great Inventions Of The 19th Century

In the reign of Yusuf Pasha, the train station in Beirut begins operating and is connected to the Syrian city of Homs with a single track. From the 1920s to the 1940s It formed the terminus of the Orient Express line.

1911 Lebanon Travelling

A private residence in Beirut’s Zokak el-Blat quarter is turned into the Robert Muawad private museum, presenting precious collection of fine arts and antique pieces.

1914 Lebanon Political Context

The privileged position enjoyed by Lebanon is ended by the Ottomans in World War I: Lebanon’s semi-automous status is abolished and Mount Lebanon, an important territory at the international level, is put under martial law by the Ottomans. The Turkish commander Jamal Pasha occupies Lebanon militarily.

1915 Lebanon Political Context

Turkish commander Jamal Pasha initiates a blockade of the entire eastern Mediterranean coast. Lebanon witnesses thousands of deaths from widespread famine and plague.

1916 Lebanon Political Context Date Country Theme

Turkish authorities publicly execute 21 Syrians and Lebanese in and Beirut, respectively, for alleged anti-Turkish activities; the place of execution in each city will be renamed Martyrs' Square.

1918 Lebanon Political Context

British General Edmund Allenby and Faysal I, son of Sharif Husayn of Mecca, move into Palestine with British and Arab forces, thus opening the way for the occupation of Lebanon.

1918 Lebanon Migrations

The Lebanese buy homes from the Italians and Jews, who are moving away. They learn about clothes, home improvements, insurance and credit. Businesses are branching out, with dry goods and notions business replaced by grocery stores, butcher shops, coffee houses and sales of farm produce from vehicles.

1919 - 1920 Lebanon Economy And Trade

New currency is adopted when the Lebanese Bank is linked to the Syrian Bank.

1920 Lebanon Political Context

France takes control over Lebanese territory after the San Remo Conference.