Audi Foundation
Known as the capital of Southern Lebanon, the city of Sidon has lived through numerous eras, from the Chalcolithic period to the present. Today, it is worthy of being classified as part of the International Heritage: its archeological sites, fortresses, mosques, madrassas and khans award it an undeniniable historical value. Despite the jolts of history, it was able to preserve its idiosyncratic urban fabric and its social, handicraft and cultural traditions.
The old city of Sidon was bound by a rampart linking the Sea Castle in the North to the medieval Citadel in the South. Today, it is separated from the new district by the El Mutran Street. Situated between this vehicular axe and the El Chakrieh Pedestrian Street, the Audi islet is, as such, a gateway to the Medina and an access point to the souk maze.
The islet includes three distinct, yet interconnected entities: a traditional soap factory, a family residence dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, and various lodgings typical of the Medina that came to be grafted into this compound. The Audi family private initiative undertakes to renovate the facades of the El Chakrieh street and its neighborhood, transform the soap factory into a thematic soap museum, rehabilitate various traditional housing units of the Medina, and create a foundation, the Audi Foundation, housed in the family residence, dedicated to the promotion and revalorization of the professions and crafts of Sidon.
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