We’ve been hearing about plans to turn Fairouz’s old residence in Zkak el-Blat into a museum since 2015, but they’ve never materialized. Earlier in February, the former Minister of Culture announced that work is now underway to kick off the project and transform the 19th-century residence into a museum. However, it remains to be seen whether this museum will actually come to life. It was French President Emmanuel Macron who secured funding for this project during his first visit to Beirut in 2020, where he visited Fairouz at her home.

I did some digging to find out what has delayed the project so far, but the reason remains unclear. According to the former Minister of Culture, Mohammad Mortada, “This project has been pursued since 2022, and it was further developed in 2023, before finally reaching an agreement to start the process of transforming Fairouz’s heritage house into a museum.” However, there is no information on the parties who will undertake the work or the expected outcome of the project.

I hope the newly appointed Culture Minister, Ghassan Salameh, will provide more clarity on this matter as there’s no information on the renovation plans, the timeline, those in charge of the renovation works etc ..