Saifi Village, commonly referred to as Le Quartier des Arts, is a residential upscale neighbourhood in Beirut

Beirut

Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...

, Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

. Saifi Village is located at the southeastern periphery of Centre Ville

Beirut Central District

The Beirut Central District or Centre Ville is the name given to Beirut’s historical and geographical core, the “vibrant financial, commercial, and administrative hub of the country.” At the heart of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut Central District is an area thousands of years old, traditionally a...

. The village is bordered by Rue Charles Debbas

Charles Debbas

Charles Debbas was a Greek Orthodox Lebanese political figure. He was the first President of Lebanon and served from September 1, 1926 till January 2, 1934, under the French Mandate. He also served as speaker of the Lebanese Parliament from January 30 to October 31, 1934....

 to the south, Rue George Haddad to the east, Rue Gouraud

Rue Gouraud

Rue Gouraud is a mixed residential and commercial street in Gemmayzeh, a neighborhood in the Achrafieh district of Beirut in Lebanon. The street, which was named after the French General Henri Gouraud, has become one of Beirut's trendiest streets with numerous high-end restaurants, French cafes,...

 to the north, and Rue Ariss & Kanaani to the west.

The neighbourhood was completely destroyed during the war in Lebanon. However, Solidere

Solidere

Solidere s.a.l. is a Lebanese joint-stock company in charge of planning and redeveloping Beirut Central District following the conclusion, in 1990, of the country’s devastating civil war...

 has rebuilt the neighbourhood and restored its historic, French-colonial buildings and winding cobblestoned streets. The buildings are painted in various pastel colors. It was initially planned by French architect François Spoerry

François Spoerry

After the war ended, he opened his first architectural firm in Mulhouse where he associated with a significant number of reconstruction projects. In Mulhouse, he was the planner of the new town centre. He also built in Mulhouse the Tour of Europe, the largest structure in contemporary France whose...

, and includes buildings by prominent Lebanese architects such as Nabil Gholam

Nabil Gholam

Nabil Gholam is a Lebanese architect whose firm, Nabil Gholam Architecture & Planning , is one of the few widely recognized young architecture firms in the Middle East region....

. Saifi Village is a perfect example of a New Urbanist-style neighbourhood with apartment buildings, town houses, and shops.

The neighbourhood is also known as Le Quartier des Arts due to its numerous art galleries, antique store, artisan shops, and speciality boutiques. Every Saturday morning, farmers sell their fresh organic produce and other products at Souk el Tayeb

Souk el Tayeb

Souk el Tayeb is an open-air weekly farmers market in Lebanon that specializes in organic food products. The market has three locations. Two locations are in Beirut, one at the Saifi Village and one at Rue Verdun...

in a little square in the village.