Hidden behind high-rises in the heart of Beirut, the city’s Roman baths – built in the 1st century AD – are often overlooked despite their historical significance.
Recently, the archaeological site was given new life through Of Water and Stone, a marble installation exhibition curated by Nour Osseiran that transformed the ruins into an open-air gallery of design and reflection.
The showcase explored Beirut’s layered history through themes of rejuvenation, healing and ritual. Built around natural hot springs, the baths once served as social centres celebrated for their therapeutic properties.
They were among four major thermae in ancient Beirut, with their terracotta hypocaust stacks and overall layout still visible today. Discovered in 1968 and excavated in the 1990s, the site had remained largely inaccessible since the 2000s due to nearby road closures and its proximity to the parliament building and Grand Serail.
Installations from local artists inspired by the Roman baths are being displayed alongside the structures.
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