DOCOMOMO International strongly supports the the concept of non-demolition of the silos of Beirut, which acts as a memorial and a carrier of the collective memory. 

DOCOMOMO International has been contacted by a group of 25 Lebanese Heritage experts regarding the possible demolition of the silos of Beirut. The silos is considered a remaining symbol from the August 4th, 2020 explosion in Beirut and has been deemed “…part of the heritage of humanity, a symbol embodying the image of a city aggrieved by the explosion, which necessitates preserving it and transmitting it to future generations” in the statement issued by the Lebanese Ministry of Culture on March 18th, 2022.

However, on April 14th, 2022 the Lebanese Cabinet issued a decree to demolish the silos and erect a new monument to commemorate the victims.

DOCOMOMO International shares the concern of the Lebanese Heritage experts that “the demolition of this modern architectural heritage, a witness of the August 4th explosion and the guarantor of the preservation of collective memory, will accelerate the forgetting of this tragic event which marked an entire generation and will erase the memory of the space, and how to mourn what no longer has a place?”