Oscar Niemeyer's Incomplete Fairground in Tripoli, Lebanon

The Rashid Karameh International Exhibition Center in Tripoli, Lebanon, designed by Oscar Niemeyer between 1962 and 1967, remains incomplete and abandoned due to the 1975 civil war. The 70-hectare complex, one of the world's five largest fairgrounds, features iconic modernist structures including a monumental arch, a concrete dome theater, and an S-shaped exhibition hall. It was added to UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List. In 2019, an international competition was won by Beirut-based firm MDDM for its potential redevelopment. The site is a rare example of Niemeyer's brutalist architecture in the Middle East, blending Brazilian modernist forms with Arab architectural elements.