The Conservation Area is on the site of the fortified medieval town and adjoining Ottoman hill. Restoration has preserved its rich architectural and archeological heritage, historic monuments, public or religious buildings. Special finishing and landscaping emphasize its original character. This vibrant 'vieille ville' accommodates a broad range of office, retail, recreational and cultural uses, in addition to important civic, religious and institutional activities. It is a real showcase of the city center reconstruction.Area precincts: Serail hill, overlooking the city center and housing the Prime Minister's offices; at its lower eastern edge, Riad El Solh, the prewar financial hub of the Middle East; Nejmeh-Maarad, where Parliament and a number of key religious buildings are located; Foch-Allenby, the earliest office building sector in Beirut dating back to the 1920s and 1930s.Commanding a superb view of the sea and mountains, the Serail hill is crowned by the Grand Serail and Council for Development and Reconstruction Ottoman buildings around a square with a clocktower. The Serail, seat of the Prime Minister's offices, is a magnificent building, the fruit of meticulous renovation, with its own garden and planted courtyards. Below, a cascading open space landscaped with new and old trees preserves city memory, by integrating a basin with several fountains and an existing wall framing an ancient frieze, and evoking the Lebanese artist Omar Onsi’s garden. Facing the Serail entrance is a sloping open space landscaped with a lawn and flowery plants.Riad El Solh street is an important financial artery. A number of returnee or new banks operate there, complemented by financial institutions in and around it. At the bottom of the street is the historic Emir Munzer mosque with a landscaped garden area. The street has a distinctive architecture dating back to the fifties and sixties, with landmarks also including the Post, Telephone and Telecommunications building. Behind its western façade, the Roman Baths garden forms part of an open space developed around the restored baths. The Foch-Allenby and Nejmeh-Maarad areas are particularly notable for their stone elevations. Restoration has preserved buildings exteriors while modernizing interiors, with infill development reinforcing the scale of retained buildings.The 1930s Nejmeh area was inspired by Place de l'Etoile in Paris. Among its radial streets is the arcaded, pedestrian Maarad street. Young and old meet in Nejmeh Square, marked by its clocktower facing Parliament building. The historic St George Greek-Orthodox cathedral and St Elias Greek-Catholic church, the deputies' new office building and other landmarks complete the square. An early 20th-century eclectic architecture combines classical and Islamic revivalism with Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Together with businesses, banks and professional offices, the area is specially vibrant with shops, art and artisanat galleries, and a large choice of restaurants, sidewalk cafés, bars and clubs. Enclosed by four arteries, Foch-Allenby has pedestrian internal streets. Its architecture reflects an early 20th-century European eclectic style. The frontages exhibit a rich variety of details and stone ornamentation: arches, cornices, portals, friezes and inscriptions. On Foch street is Abou Bakr (Dabbagha) mosque. On Weygand Street are the historic Al Omari and Emir Assaf mosques and the Municipality building. A landscaped open space forms a link between these monuments. Another garden with a pool, featuring a wooden deck with a long stone bench, provides a pleasant and tranquil resting place under two old ficus trees. In addition to businesses, banks and professional services, the area is rich with shops, fashion boutiques, department stores, art and artisanat galleries, as well as bars, restaurants and sidewalk cafés.