Lebanon: Four Seasons is an entrancing visual journey that presents the uncovered beauty found in the four seasons of the Mediterranean gem that is Lebanon.

Captured through the lens of renowned Lebanese photographer Jamal Saidi, these vivid images tell the story of a precious natural heritage to be cared for, cherished, and shared with the world.

While much of Lebanon’s beauty is boldly visible, far more lies hidden from the hustle and bustle of humanity, awaiting discovery. Lebanon’s Four Seasons showcases how much the people of Lebanon have to be grateful for, and how much nature helps to define what it truly means to be Lebanese.

24 cm x 28.5 cm, English, 2017.

Articles parus sous la rubrique 'La Carte du tendre, L'Orient Le Jour 2019-2021'

Date of Publication: November 2022.

'Avant d'oublier' est un véritable album de famille que je remets entre vos mains.

Avant d'être des pièces de collection appartenant au monde de la photo d’amateurs anonymes, ces objets nous viennent de personnes disparues, de greniers abandonnés, de caisses jetées aux ordures pour débarrasser une maison à détruire, parfois de ruines de guerre; vous en avez certainement de similaires chez vous, dans les albums de vos parents ou de vos grands-parents. Ces photos vous toucheront profondément: vous ne manquerez pas, au fil des pages, d'y reconnaître des personnages, une ambiance, un quartier qui ne sont plus, un décor familier qui, telle la madeleine de Proust, remuera en vous, parfois jusqu'aux larmes, des sensations oubliées. Ces photos vous parleront d'un monde aboli. Elles sont les traces poignantes d'une époque qui s'est abruptement terminée le dimanche 13 avril 1975.

Le livre 'Avant d’oublier' est un recueil des chroniques 'La carte du tendre' de Georges Boustany publiées dans L’Orient-Le Jour entre 2017 et 2019, enrichi de nombreuses photos d’époque inédites.

24,5 x 29.5 cm, French, 208 Pages.

Publishing Date: January 2020

'Avant d'oublier' volumes 1 and 2, in a bundle.

In Beirut Guilty Pleasures (Kif ma Kent Bhebbak), author Zaven Kouyoumedjian and photographer Ali Shehadi document the rise and fall of many Beiruti landmarks before, during, and after the 1970s Lebanese Civil War, up until the October 17, 2019 uprising and subsequently the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020 and the 'COVID19 Era'.

They follow the map of Beirut in a circular motion, starting with the Port’s Silos, L’Orient, Saint Georges Bay, The Holiday Inn, Burj el Murr, the Teatro, Martyrs’ Square, the Fist, the Egg, the Connection mural, Beit Beirut, and ending with the National Museum.

This demarcation area which constituted Beirut’s golden days and was severely damaged by the war is dissected into rich and rare photographs dating from early 20th Century until the early 21st Century Beirut. Last but not least, the book’s added value is the background story and unprecedented info about each monument and landmark that might be surprising to some, while interesting to everyone.

Languages: English and Arabic
Format: 24 x 16.5 cm, 296 pages
Publication Date: September 2022

Edited by Clémence Cottard Hachem and Nour Salamé

With 40 contributors, including: Walid Sadek, Yasmine Chemali, Jacques Aswad, Fouad ElKoury, Christine Khouri, Gregory Buchakjian, François Cheval, Oliver Rohe, Bernard Khoury, Vartan Avakian, Ghada Waked, Lévon Nordikian,… The approach of this publication is both alternative and transversal.

With the collection of possible essays, it proposes - in order to better question it - a wide arborescence on the evolution of photographic attitudes in Lebanon since the arrival of its first photographic explorers until its recent artistic usages and practices.

On Photography in Lebanon is a book in which forty contributors share their perspectives on photography in Lebanon, evoking its equally numerous forms of existence.

Examining techniques, practices, uses, objects, images, histories, and artistic approaches, this publication presents 380 photographs produced between the end of the 19th century and the present day.

Format: 24 cm x 29 cm, 384 pages, English

Published: October 2018

(Also available in French)

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Land - Le Liban à vol d'oiseau.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s land présente des photographies aériennes du Liban prises par drone et qui donnent à voir une diversité étonnante de paysages sous des aspects peu connus.

A travers cet ouvrage, le lecteur découvre un pays « autre », éloigné des clichés véhiculés par les photos de guerre ou de vacances, dont la richesse se trouve
dans une rencontre souvent décalée entre une nature sauvage, une urbanisation galopante, des ruines livrées à elles-mêmes.

En ressortent des images atypiques, des géométries variables, des villes, des villages, des ports,
des vallées, des montagnes, méconnaissables. Au-delà de la valeur artistique de ces photos, certaines primées internationalement, c‘est avant tout un regard curieux, amoureux, aventurier pour un pays qui ne cesse d’étonner et de se dévoiler nouveau avec chaque cliché, que le lecteur découvrira.

Le livre de Elio Sassine cache également un autre engagement, toujours pour le Liban : celui de venir en aide aux enfants touchés par la guerre.

Format: 28,5 cm x 24 cm, 208 pages.
Language: French / English
Published: November 2018

Co-edition with Louvre Abu Dhabi and Musée du Quai Branly

The catalogue is both a reflection of the exhibition and a publication that acts as a reference, with its assessment of the questions and thinking that arise from the research carried out for this project.

It is not encyclopedic on the subject of the first photography practices in the world, however it provides a certain number of historical and technical elements, which gives an understanding of the geopolitical circumstances in which photography was introduced then practiced in the different geographic areas of the world.

This publication puts forward a global and documented
vision of the practice of photography in the first decades of the medium, highlighting the key elements and chronological boundaries of the appropriation of photography outside of Europe.

The publication also aims to present the work of local photographers and studios, in showing certain “original images” made in a particular region, while also outlining the role played by governments in power in the development and appropriation of
this modern medium on a local scale.

The publication is made up of an essay by the curator introducing the intention of the exhibition and the main lines of thought, two essays by specialists of Asian and Middle Eastern photography, and a translation of Emir Abdelkader selection of texts on photography with commentary.

This publication gives prominence to the works,
coming mainly from the Musée du Quai Branly collection, and also the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and the Musée Guimet.

The quality of the approximate 100 reproductions reveal the diversity of photographic objects presented in the exhibition (daguerreotypes,
prints, albums, negatives).

It also includes bibliographic entries of the
photographers represented in the exhibition, entries for works of the exhibition, and a geo-historical chronology.

Format: 24 cm x 28.5 cm, 192 pages, 94 photographs and reproductions (colored and black & white), English

Published: April 2019

(Also available in French and Arabic)

27 ans, la plupart des week-ends, on ne voyait que la corde qui nous rattachait au ventre de Houet Qattîne Azar.

C’est là où l’on a appris la technique… on a progressé sans arrêt… on a affronté plusieurs épreuves pénibles… on a franchi les obstacles grâce à notre obstination… on a triomphé de la fatigue…on a dominé la peur… on a accepté la perte impromptue de nos amis… on a su comment immortaliser leur mémoire dans notre vie…

Houet Qattîne Azar est un abîme unique en son genre. Plusieurs générations l’ont fréquenté ; plusieurs hypothèses ont été lancées; plusieurs expériences ont été appliquées. C’est un beau gouffre; dans ses ténèbres surgit une mystérieuse beauté.

C’est un magnifique site d’entraînement qui offre l’opportunité de vivre un moment hors du commun, coupé de la routine. Cet abîme ouvre la voie à un grand potentiel et à de nouvelles aventures.

Pour nous spéléologues, le désir de satisfaire notre volonté d’explorer sans cesse les coins les plus reculés est extrêmement fort. Pour ceux qui n’ont pas la latitude d’exercer cette activité nous leur proposons dans cette revue, une visite guidée par le texte et illustrée par les photos et les plans.

Publishing Date: January 2024

"The Trails of Bkerzay, in pursuit of the Levantine charm".

A kid released on the pathways of life clears all obstacles on his way. He is a carefree teenager who is nonetheless attentive to his surroundings. He is a man pampered by fate, at times and at other times battered by it. He is a citizen appalled by his country’s destiny. He is a big child driven by the need to act. Feelings, music, friendships and love come together in these pages to converge on a place bearing dreams and reminiscences: Bkerzay.

Date of Publication: August 2022

Un voyage à la découverte de l'architecture, du design et de l'art de vivre oriental du Liban au Qatar en passant par la Syrie, la Jordanie et le Maroc.

De luxueuses demeures y associent les traditions locales et la décoration occidentale pour créer un style unique.

Published: Nov 2021.

A photographic guide to wetland birds of Lebanon. By Ghassan Ramadan-Jaradi and Fouad Itani

This book is the first photographic bird guide that addresses all the waterbird species observed in the wetlands of Lebanon up to August 2022.

It is designed to help both Lebanese and visiting birdwatchers to identify birds observed in wetlands such as lakes, dams, swamps, marshes and ponds in the country.

It is intended to be a reference to help distinguish between species that may be similar in appearance but are not necessarily closely related.

Published in October 2022. Hard cover.