Fairuz's childhood home set to become museum

Lebanon's Culture Minister, Mohammad Mortada, announced plans to convert the childhood home of iconic artist Fairuz into a museum dedicated to her extraordinary legacy.

In an interview with The New Arab on Thursday, Mortada outlined the vision for the museum, which will be located in Beirut's historic Zuqaq Al-Blat neighborhood.

The renovation will focus on preserving the home’s traditional Lebanese architectural style, featuring distinctive red roofs, stone walls, and triple arches. The museum is set to showcase exhibitions celebrating Fairuz’s life and her celebrated career in music and film.

Fairuz, whose real name is Nohad Haddad, recently turned 90 years old in November and currently lives in Rabieh, an upscale town northeast of Beirut.

The project received approval from the culture ministry and is being developed in partnership with the Lebanese National Heritage Foundation.

Mortada explained that efforts to acquire the property began in 2022, with discussions about the project commencing later that year.

“We began the process for ownership of the property in 2022, and discussions began later that year on how the project will go forth,” he stated.

However, the initiative faced delays due to the aggression on Gaza that broke out in October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli Occupation attacks on Lebanon.

Mortada emphasized that the National Heritage Foundation will manage and fund the project through various channels, including contributions from the Lebanese diaspora, similar to the recent Nuhad Es-Said Pavilion for Culture at the National Museum in Beirut, which opened last November.