Al Ba’sa

Historical landmark · Beirut

Al Ba’sa

Historical landmark · Beirut

2

VFXC+6X6, Beirut, Lebanon

Photos

Al Ba’sa by null
Al Ba’sa by Sandra Rishani/Beirut Re-Collected (Used by Permission)
Al Ba’sa by Sandra Rishani/Beirut Re-Collected (Used by Permission)
Al Ba’sa by Sandra Rishani/Beirut Re-Collected (Used by Permission)
Al Ba’sa by Sandra Rishani/Beirut Re-Collected (Used by Permission)
Al Ba’sa by null
Al Ba’sa by null
Al Ba’sa by null
Al Ba’sa by null
Al Ba’sa by null
Al Ba’sa by null
Al Ba’sa by null
Al Ba’sa by null
Al Ba’sa by null
Al Ba’sa by null
Al Ba’sa by null
Al Ba’sa by null

Highlights

Beirut's skinniest building, built in 1954, a spiteful landmark  

VFXC+6X6, Beirut, Lebanon Get directions

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VFXC+6X6, Beirut, Lebanon Get directions

Features

Last updated

Aug 7, 2025

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@atlasobscura

8 Subtle Landmarks to Spite

"A sliver-thin house in Beirut, built in 1954, is the ultimate display of how deep sibling annoyance can go. Known as The Grudge, or Al Ba’sa in Arabic, the house is just a bit over 13 feet at its widest point, and just around 2 feet at its narrowest. At a side view, the “house” built of brotherly spite looks more like a wall than a place to live. But despite its narrow dimensions, Al Ba’sa is habitable, and is the skinniest building in the city.  As the story goes, two brothers inherited land from their father. They couldn’t decide how to split the land between them, a dispute complicated further by the fact that one part of the property had been cut over the years by various municipal infrastructure projects, leaving a portion of the land a small and sort of odd shape. One brother decided to take that small, oddly shaped bit of land and build on it, constructing a building that fit the confines of the land with the added bonus of blocking his brother’s ocean view. Not only would his brother not be able to enjoy his spectacular sea view, but because he was now facing what was essentially a wall his property values would sink, too. The perfect plan. Over the years, there have been some tenants in the house that sibling rivalry built. Each floor of the structure contains two apartments. For years, one was in use as a brothel, while the others served as refuge for a family fleeing the war. Today the house stands as a reminder of a long-ago feud, and it probably will for a very long time; current city zoning laws state that the plot of land the house sits on is too small to build on. If The Grudge comes down, nothing else can be put in its place, making the land more profitable with the house than without it. As architect Sandra Rishani pointed out in her essay on the house, Al Ba’sa “continues to exist grudgingly and also defiantly in one of Beirut’s most prime locations, only time will tell what will become of it.” The Atlas Obscura Podcast is a short, daily celebration of all the world’s strange and wondrous places. Check out this episode about spite houses." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/spite-houses-around-the-world
View Postcard for Al Ba’sa
@atlasobscura

8 of the Rudest Places on Earth

"A sliver-thin house in Beirut, built in 1954, is the ultimate display of how deep sibling annoyance can go. Known as The Grudge, or Al Ba’sa in Arabic, the house is just a bit over 13 feet at its widest point, and just around 2 feet at its narrowest. At a side view, the “house” built of brotherly spite looks more like a wall than a place to live. But despite its narrow dimensions, Al Ba’sa is habitable, and is the skinniest building in the city.  As the story goes, two brothers inherited land from their father. They couldn’t decide how to split the land between them, a dispute complicated further by the fact that one part of the property had been cut over the years by various municipal infrastructure projects, leaving a portion of the land a small and sort of odd shape. One brother decided to take that small, oddly shaped bit of land and build on it, constructing a building that fit the confines of the land with the added bonus of blocking his brother’s ocean view. Not only would his brother not be able to enjoy his spectacular sea view, but because he was now facing what was essentially a wall his property values would sink, too. The perfect plan. Over the years, there have been some tenants in the house that sibling rivalry built. Each floor of the structure contains two apartments. For years, one was in use as a brothel, while the others served as refuge for a family fleeing the war. Today the house stands as a reminder of a long-ago feud, and it probably will for a very long time; current city zoning laws state that the plot of land the house sits on is too small to build on. If The Grudge comes down, nothing else can be put in its place, making the land more profitable with the house than without it. As architect Sandra Rishani pointed out in her essay on the house, Al Ba’sa “continues to exist grudgingly and also defiantly in one of Beirut’s most prime locations, only time will tell what will become of it.” The Atlas Obscura Podcast is a short, daily celebration of all the world’s strange and wondrous places. Check out this episode about spite houses." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/rudest-places-on-earth
View Postcard for Al Ba’sa

Muzafar Md Yusof (Mezza films)

SerpAPI
This building is well known as "The Grudge". It's amazing how wafer thin the building is!! I wonder what it looks like inside the apartments.

Vincent Zeteliano

SerpAPI
I wish they would make repairs on this building because it is really cool. I also missed it when I was walking by. The map location pin is correct.

Mike Aoun

SerpAPI
The story goes that a brother built this thin wall of a building to spite his brother and cover his view. It’s so easy to miss so you have to be careful, you have to check it along with the old lighthouse and la maison rose, all close to each other (walking distance).

OK OK

SerpAPI
This was a cool thing to see. We had quite a tricky time locating it so when we finally did, we added it to Google maps. We actually walked by it several times! Got some nice photos and were happy we didn’t give up our search. Because it’s so thin, it’s easy to walk by. You have to have the right angle to catch it. Enjoy and take some pictures.

Sage Welte

SerpAPI
Thinnest building in Beirut! You’ll miss it if you don’t keep your eye out close for it.

Waficool

SerpAPI
Visually appealing building, beautiful landmark.

Michael McKenna

SerpAPI
I walked past this every day for a week, then my jaw dropped when I noticed. Must see.

salim Najm

SerpAPI
The review About Missing it if you dont look for it Is Priceless XD