Expats in Lebanon

The stunning but dilapidated Villa Mokbel is hosting a special kind of exhibition: seeking someone new to love it. With its grand Ottoman-era palaces and mansions, Beirut’s historical Sursock Street in the heart of the Achrafieh district – dotted with pockets of greenery, winding streets and small eateries – is a magnet for architecture and heritage lovers. Most people know of the stunning stained glass windows of the Sursock Museum and the magnificent stucco ceilings of Sursock Palace, buildings that sit opposite each other. These were the homes of the aristocratic Sursock family, wealthy merchants with political ties to the Ottoman Empire, who were among Beirut’s seven founding families. However, a lesser-known historical gem sits on the same street. Tucked behind iron gates covered with trailing plants, the slate-blue Villa Mokbel, a former Sursock property that dates back to 1870, has rarely been seen by the public – although a compelling photo of the wrecked villa taken after the