9 Strange Lebanese Street Names And Their Possible Meanings

Most of the time, it’s pretty tough to figure out the name of the street you’re on in Lebanon, but when you do it can get even weirder. Here are 11 strange Lebanese street names we found, and possible reasons behind their naming.

If there are any errors, blame Google Maps.

1. John Kennedy

A street named after an American president who got his head blown off. This one is strange because it doesn’t seem like any other American president got this honor, and also because I don’t see a Camille Chamoun street in the U.S.

Location: Hamra

2. Three Doctors

Named after the Orthodox Three Doctors Association, but when you just see it randomly on the map it’s quite funny that we would just call a street Three Doctors.

Location: Achrafieh

3. Ulpien

Must be some general like Verdun and Clemenceau right? Wrong! Ulpian (French: Ulpien) was a Roman jurist from Tyre born in 170 AD. He was one of the empire’s foremost legal experts, taking many positions in the empire’s bureaucracy. Eventually, he was murdered by the Praetorian Guard (the emperor’s personal guards) as revenge from trying to curb their power.

Location: Raouche

4. Australia

Why Australia? There’s Kuwait and Bahrain streets close by and Berlin and Vienna, but where did Australia come from, unfortunately we don’t know. Maybe it was just vibes.

Location: Raouche

5. Bernadotte

Feels like a name that should be guillotined right? Folke Bernadotte was actually a Swedish noble and diplomat who was born in 1895. He served as an important negotiator in WWII, releasing concentration camp detainees and accepting a (rejected) surrender from Heinrich Himmler. He was then made a mediator for the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948, where he would help found UNRWA and argue for the right of return for Palestinian refugees before he was eventually assassinated by the Zionist Lehi militia in Jerusalem.

Location: Ramlet el Bayda

6. Furn el Chebek

I only have one question. Where is the furn that has the chebek. Until that is answered it’s false advertising, 0/10.

Location: Furn el Chebek

7. Father Roufayel

We assumed this one was some sort of historic christian figure, but we can’t seem to find any information on his existence. Even with different spellings like Roufaiel. It would be funny if it was just some random guy’s father.

Location: Raouche

8. Venus

Women are from Venus street, and

Location: Raouche

9. Henry Ford

men are from Henry Ford street. Having a street named after a car mogul in Lebanon’s capital and it’s not you Carlos Ghosn, that must sting.

Location: Ras Beirut