The history of Beirut, both long and devastating, offers a glimpse at the the true character of the city. The liberalism and social acceptance associated with Beirut has been maintained even during periods of near complete destruction. Today, as new archeological sites are being excavated, the complicated history of Beirut is being revealed.

The original settlement of Beirut, first recorded by the Egyptians in the second millennium B.C.E., was located in the valley between the two hills. The original location of Beirut offered fertile, flat land, access to the sea for trading and food, and an the presence of an underground water table that is still "tapped by the local inhabitants for general use." Beirut's position in the valley also provided an easy crossing of the river and channeled any movement throughout the area towards through the city. In 14 B.C.E., Beirut gained prominence in the Western world when it was made a Roman Colony, the Colonia Julia Augusta Felix Berytus. The popularity of Beirut grew even further after the Romans established a law school in 300 A.C.E. that drew people from around the continent to Beirut. The Roman rule, however, came to an abrupt end in 551 AD when a series of earthquakes and a massive tidal wave destroyed the city.

In 635 A.D.E, Beirut was captured and reconstructed by the Muslims. The city, was redesigned with fortification and surrounding city walls, was controlled by the Muslims of Damascus. Much of the city layout and grid system that was created during Muslim control is still visible in today's modern Beirut. Extensive sea trading under the Muslims, beginning around the 10th century, helped to re-establish Beirut as a port city on the Mediterranean and as a growing city in the Middle East.

In 1110, Beirut was conquered by Christian forces during the First Crusade and was established as a colony of the "Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem." Beirut's trade industry developed rapidly as it began to conduct trade with an increasing amount of Western cities. The Christian Crusaders were eventually pushed out of Beirut when the Mamluks of Syria captured the city in 1291. Under Syrian rule, Beirut became the chief port in the spice trade for merchants in Italy.

In the 1500's, after the spice trade had been diverted away from the Middle East by the Portuguese, Beirut began to lose its commercial importance in the Middle East and the Western World. Shortly after, the Ottomans invaded and conquered Beirut and was organized as an Ottoman province of Damascus. By the 17th century Beirut had recovered its reputation for commercial trade by becoming the chief exporter of Lebanese silk to Europe. Under Ottoman rule, Beirut was under frequent attack by the Druze tribesman of the mountain hinterland and suffered severe damage during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774 and, as a result, fell to a population of only 6,000.