Nearly 50 years ago, one of the most violent conflicts in the Middle East erupted in a country once described as the “Switzerland of the Middle East.”
Looking back today, Baz describes his images not just as documents of violence, but as fragments of collective memory © Patrick Baz
Nearly 50 years ago, one of the most violent conflicts in the Middle East erupted in a country once described as the “Switzerland of the Middle East.”
Lebanon’s civil war, which began in 1975, would last 15 years, claiming more than 150,000 lives, displacing around 800,000 people, and leaving deep scars on a society grappling with fractured identities, beliefs, and memories.
Decades later, renowned Lebanese photographer Patrick Baz revisits some of his most iconic images from the conflict. Published by Dazed, the photographs offer a stark and intimate return to a war that reshaped Lebanon and its people.
Baz’s work captures more than destruction. His images freeze moments of fear, resilience, and uneasy normalcy amid chaos: civilians navigating ruined streets, militiamen caught between youth and violence, and a city split by invisible yet deadly lines.
Shot at great personal risk, the photographs reflect the confusion of a generation growing up with war as a daily backdrop.
Looking back today, Baz describes his images not just as documents of violence, but as fragments of collective memory. They raise difficult questions about identity, belonging, and how a society remembers a conflict that officially ended in 1990 but whose echoes remain present.
This visual dive into Lebanon’s civil war is both a historical testimony and a reminder of photography’s power to preserve what time and politics often try to erase.
France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot arrived in Damascus on Thursday, marking the first stop of a regional tour at a time when Paris is reassessing its anti-jihadist strategy and closely monitoring rising tensions between the United States and Iran.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz began a tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday aiming to forge energy and arms partnerships as Europe's biggest and richest economy sought to reduce dependence on the U.S. and China.
Ukraine and Russia on Thursday started a second day of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi to discuss how to end their four-year-old war, top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.
