Support Beirut, save the silos from demolition
BEIRUT’S GRAIN SILOS: AN ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENT, A SHIELD FOR THE CITY AND A MEMORIAL FOR SURVIVORS.
Photo credit Ⓒ Sophie Woeldgen, 2021
Civil society organizations and local heritage groups recognize the Beirut Grain Silos, including the site of the blast, as a place of collective memory and strongly support a non-demolition approach. The silos hold historical, architectural, and symbolic value for Beirut’s communities. If you stand with the Lebanese society in protecting this monument, please consider supporting the petition below.
On behalf of global civil society, OurWorldHeritage amplifies the call for public consultation with affected communities and with local heritage experts, including the Order of Engineers and Architects of Beirut, ICOMOS Lebanon, DOCOMOMO Lebanon, and the Beirut Urban Declaration, who have long advocated for preserving the Grain Silos as a monument.
On August 4th, 2020, one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions in history hit the heart of Lebanon’s capital Beirut. In a split second, more than 220 people were killed, 6,000 were injured, and 300,000 people became homeless. Next to the epicenter of the explosion stood Beirut’s Grain Silos, one of the country’s biggest grain storage units, and a landmark of Modern Heritage. The building absorbed significant impact, which prevented additional damage to the Western part of the city. In the aftermath of the event, the ruined silos became an international icon in national and international news outlets, and gave a face to the devastating implications of the explosion. The silos ultimately became a beacon of hope to citizens of Beirut, a monument of survival and memory. Nearly 2 years later, the Ministry of Culture released a decree to list the structure as a heritage building, which would safeguard its future existence (March 18th 2022, decree no. 49/2022).
Barely a month after the Ministry’s decision, the Lebanese Cabinet reversed its support for protection of the Silos. On April 14th, the Cabinet approved a plan for demolition of the silos, in order to clear the area for future developments, including an ‘alternative monument’. Since then, local civil society has fought to safeguard this monument, calling for help from international heritage experts and the heritage community.
In light of the sustained civil society efforts in Beirut and the immediate, irreversible threat posed by demolition, civil society organizations emphasize:
that the grain silos have irreplaceable values as a shield of impact, as a witness of the blast, and as a symbol of collective memory;
that further demolition would cause extensive suffering and trauma;
that an entire generation of citizens is marked by the atrocity of the explosions, and should become a stakeholders in the further development of the site.
Since the 2020 explosion, the Beirut Grain Silos have continued to deteriorate. Parts of the structure collapsed in phases between 2022 and 2023 due to fire, instability, and ongoing exposure, further intensifying the public debate on whether the remaining silos should be preserved or demolished.
In 2025, the remaining silos received an important recognition: they were officially declared a historic monument and added to Lebanon’s national heritage register. This designation grants the site legal protection and requires any intervention to undergo formal review. For local communities, victims’ families, heritage groups, and civil society organizations, this step is seen as a critical acknowledgment of the silos’ value as a witness to the blast and a symbol of shared trauma and resilience.
