Reshaping the City Image: Impact of the French Colonial Architecture on the Contemporary Identity of Beirut Central District

War destruction and post-war construction has provided an excellent opportunity to rebuild the contemporary identity of Beirut Central District (BCD). Due to the occupation by other cultures, the identity of the city has always come from abroad, from Italy, France, Ottoman dynasty. During the late 19^th century and early 20^th century Beirut has witnessed new transformations and shaping forces that affected the built environment. As the seat of the French Mandate in the region, the city was influenced by the hybridization of local architecture with the western oriented trends and styles, in addition to imported construction materials and techniques. Therefore, this period represents a significant stage in shaping the architectural legacy of Beirut, which has an apparent impact on the new developments in the city. The project of reconstruction of Beirut central district (1994-2000) is one of the most significant examples that reflect the clear influence of this colonial legacy on the contemporary identity of the city. The objective of this research is to determine to what extent the colonial architectural legacy can play a significant role in shaping the contemporary identity of the Arab city. The research aims also to identify the most appropriate approach for dealing with the issue of architectural legacy in addressing the dilemma of contemporary identity in the Arab city. To achieve these two objectives the research focused on two issues. Firstly, tracing and analyzing examples of the colonial architectural legacy of the early 20^th century in Beirut, and secondly, investigating and analyzing the experiment of the reconstruction of Beirut central district. The investigation and analysis of this experiment focused on the approaches that were adopted to deal with the architectural expression, character, and reflections of the heritable elements on the new buildings of the central district. This research relies on the theoretical investigation, in addition to a photographic survey carried out by the author. A documentary analysis of secondary data was used to attain the objectives and answer the research questions. This research concluded that the colonial architectural legacy is a significant motive in the process of shaping the contemporary identity of Beirut as an example of the Arab cities. The research concluded also that there are two approaches for dealing with the issue of architectural legacy in addressing the dilemma of contemporary identity in the Arab city. The first approach is based on the absolute adoption of the historical model, and the second approach is based on the perfect re-use of the historical model, where the model is researched, studied, and analyzed to learn from the experiment. The second approach could be adopted at two levels: (a) the re-use of the traditional thought, and (b) the re-use of the traditional elements. This research proposed a number of recommendations for municipalities of the Arab cities, schools of architecture, practicing architects, and developers who are dealing with the historic contexts.