It felt like all of Lebanon came out to pay their respects to Ziad Rahbani, the Lebanese composer who died at the weekend, at the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in his hometown of Mhaydseh, near Bikfaiya.
Even by Lebanese standards, the church was particularly majestic, its white-bricked exterior and orange roof overlooking the hills and valleys opposite in the mountains that run east of Beirut.
Its wide, olive tree-peppered courtyard hosted a roll call of Lebanese society, with hundreds packing out the church and adjacent greeting rooms. Those in attendance ranged from musicians and designers, to artsy types smoking their hand-rolled cigarettes with plastic casing the filter, to former presidents, politicians and government ministers. Every Lebanese television station was there, as were the ordinary citizens who came to see Rahbani one last time. Even Hezbollah had a presence.
The soldiers, and smartly-dressed, heavily-built bodyguards for Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, joked about AI and ChatGPT while their bosses sat inside with Rahbani's family, including his mother Fairuz who was making a rare public appearance.
For about four hours the iconic singer sat, occasionally conversing with her daughter Rima in the corner of the church hall. As well-wishers circled the room to pay their respects, the 90-year-old remained subdued and seated in her black sunglasses and a veil partly covering her distinctive red hair. Often she was shielded by those standing around her. Majida El Roumi, another renowned Lebanese singer, knelt at Fairuz's feet while paying respects.
“We lost an important guy who made great music. He was different to the people we hear today,' said 46-year-old Fayez, who made the 30-minute drive from Beirut. “My generation grew up with him, we knew his work by memory."
The road leading to the church ground to a standstill, as members of the army and civil defence watched on. People, mainly dressed in black, occasionally crying, trickled in on foot, asking where the church was. Some mourners carried images of Rahbani above their head, others wore a keffiyeh.
Outside the church were reams of wreaths in the shape of a cross. Some carried the name of well-known national TV stations, others Lebanese political parties.
The composer's body had arrived in Mhaydseh earlier in the day, having been transported from Beirut’s Hamra district before ending up in the Lebanese mountains.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam arrived around 3.30pm to a frenzy, describing Rahbani as a creator of “genius” and saying Lebanon was united in grief.
He awarded the Order of Cedar at the rank of Commander to Rahbani on behalf of President Joseph Aoun, who did not come to the church although first lady Nehmat Aoun did.
Fairuz had not been seen publicly since she was photographed meeting French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited her residence in 2020 during the Covid pandemic not long after the deadly Beirut port blast.
“I'm sad for her. We've not seen her for a long time. I liked Ziad so much also,” said Pierre Boustani, another well-wisher talking of Fairuz. “He is a legend.”
Just before 4pm, Fairuz made the short trip from the hall to the church itself for the funeral mass, as the crowd parted to make way for her. She sat at the front with her daughter, near the coffin of her son at the Greek Orthodox church.
