City history
From ancient Phoenician freshwater wells to Ottoman clock towers and modern Eastern European Time, Beirut's timekeeping reflects thousands of years of Levantine history.
Chapter one
Indigenous name
"Wells or Cisterns"
Derived from the ancient Canaanite and Phoenician word for wells, referencing the site's abundant natural groundwater springs and accessible coastal water table.
Wells or Cisterns
Recorded in Akkadian cuneiform in the Amarna letters sent by King Ammunira to Egyptian pharaohs, denoting the ancient Canaanite and Phoenician coastal port.
Laodicea in Canaan
Renamed under Seleucid rule after destruction by Diodotus Tryphon, honoring Laodice of the Seleucid royal dynasty.
Julian Augustan Happy Colony of Berytus
Refounded as a Roman veteran colony by Emperor Augustus, evolving into a major Latin-speaking legal and commercial center known as Mother of Laws.
Wells (Arabic transliteration)
Restored to its Semitic linguistic roots following the Arab-Islamic conquest and maintained through Mamluk, Ottoman, Mandate, and modern Lebanese eras.
Chapter two
Dr. Cornelius Van Dyck established star-transit measurements and weather logs at the American University of Beirut, calibrating ship chronometers entering the harbour.
A 25-meter sandstone clock tower was erected by architect Youssef Aftimus near the Grand Serail to display standard civil hours and Islamic prayer times.
Under the French Mandate, Lebanon adopted standard Eastern European Time at UTC+2 and introduced its first seasonal daylight saving time shifts.
Philanthropist Michel Abed donated an Art Deco clock tower with four Rolex faces, installed at Nejmeh Square facing the Lebanese Parliament.
The Lebanese government enacted Ministerial Decree 8837, formalizing annual transitions to daylight saving time on the last Sunday of March and reverting in October.
A last-minute governmental proposal to delay DST onset during Ramadan caused public confusion when institutions observed different times, leading to a quick reversal.
Chapter three
Akkadian cuneiform correspondence between King Ammunira of Biruta and Egyptian Pharaohs established the earliest documented reference to the city.
A severe earthquake destroyed much of Byzantine Berytus and its world-famous Roman law school, triggering centuries of regional realignment.
Founded at the Syrian Protestant College, the Lee Observatory became the first modern astronomical and meteorological station in the Middle East.
Commissioned to celebrate Sultan Abdul Hamid II, the Hamidiyyeh Clock Tower became Beirut's tall landmark for public civil time synchronization.
The four-faced Rolex clock tower was constructed in Place de l'Étoile, serving as a focal point for parliament and municipal public gatherings.