Nowruz celebrations fell on a stormy Saturday this year so only a few in the Kurdish community came out:

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Later that evening, a group of activists from the Civil Campaign to Save Dalieh held a Nowruz bonfire in solidarity with the community, who stand to loose this gathering space due to a major Rem Koolhaas project planned for the site. (You can read more about the project and the politicians behind it here)

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But today, with the sun shining, crowds came out to celebrate in Dalieh, despite the barbed wire fences and concrete barricades that have been put up by the property developers.

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The concrete blocks that developers have placed here leave little room for a stage seen in previous years’ celebrations, but people still improvised in the few open spaces that remain:

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For now, Dalieh is the only surviving natural coastal outcrop in Beirut, walled in by luxury towers:

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But if developers have their way–and build a sprawling seafront project here– this space may no longer be available the public, as the free picnic and recreational grounds it has been for generations:

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You can read more about the Civil Campaign to Protect Dalieh and keep up with their upcoming activities on their Facebook page.

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