Moussa Al-Maamari
Moussa Al-Maamari | |
|---|---|
| Born | Moussa Abdel Karim Al-Maamari July 27, 1930 |
| Died | January 31, 2018 (aged 87) |
| Occupation | Architect |
Moussa Al-Maamari (Arabic: موسى المعماري) was a Lebanese architect; born on 27 July 1930 in the lebanese village of Harat Al Saraya. He died on January 31, 2018 in Deir El Qamar.
Early life
The story of Moussa Al-Maamari starts at 14 years old, when he had a crush on his neighbor known as Saydeh. Saydeh rejected Moussa's love because of his poverty which sparked his interest in building a castle, now known to be Moussa Castle.[1]
An incident which left an impact in Moussa's life was a class assignment, by his teacher Anwar Arnouk in 1945. The class was tasked to draw a bird perched on a tree, but young Moussa decided to draw the castle which he dreamt of. This instance instigated the teacher's mockery and cruelness towards Moussa.[1] The classroom is depicted today in Moussa's castle with the teacher beating young Moussa with a stick/cane.[2]
Maamari left school to move to Saida, southern Lebanon, where he worked with his uncle, learning the masonry craft. He was commissioned by Emir Maurice Chehab, a Lebanese archaeologist and the head of Lebanon's Antiquities Department at the time, to renovate Saida's sea castle. He also worked on restoration of the Beiteddine Palace Museum.[2]
Armed with practical skills from his previously mentioned works, and working day and night to save up to 15,000LBP, Al-Maamari successfully bought a piece of land between Deir El Kamar and Beiteddine and began laying the foundations to his castle dream, Moussa Castle, in 1963.[1]
Projects
His most notable build was Moussa Castle which is located on a hill between Deir El Kamar and Beiteddine, the castle features artifacts, gemstones, clothing, and 32,000 weapons.[3][4]
Death
He died in 2018 in Deir al-Qamar, Lebanon.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "The Story: A Childhood Dream Comes True".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 Kadi, Samar (June 2, 2019). "Moussa Castle: A life dream built stone by stone".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "The man who built Moussa Castle passed away". February 2, 2018 – via the961.com.
- ↑ "The Interesting Story Behind Moussa Castle". February 27, 2018 – via the961.com.