A beautiful work by the super-talented graffiti/street artist Yazan Halwani. I love the colors and the location that he chose as it’s an iconic building that is located at the heart of Hamra.

Here’s what Yazan had to say about it:

I painted the legendary Sabah on one of the largest murals in Beirut to immortalize the woman that was loved by all and was able to challenge the rules of society. She was not only an “icon”… I think we need to take Sabah’s drive in modern society, break taboos when need be and not be held by norms.

This mural was painted on an iconic building of Beirut pre-war era, the “Heart Of Hamra” is a building that earns its name: Before the Civil War it hosted the legendary Horseshoe Café, a literary café where Nizar Qabbani, Paul Guiragossian, and many Arab artists and intellectuals used to sit. After the war, Hamra started slowly recovering but was never able to become the Arab cultural hub it once was, this mural is an attempt to bring back that era.

Thanks to the people that made this huge mural possible: Ahla Fawda , Colortek Kassaa for providing the best paint, the Assaf family for donating their building, my team (Jeff, Joude, Ed, Rayan, Nadia and Selma)!

Ashekman also completed a beautiful tribute to the Sabbou7a in Achrafieh a week ago.