Marjaa: The Battle Of The Hotels, by Mayssa Jallad (2024)

1.

Etelأمشي وحدي وأنظرْ إلى الآفاقْما هذهِ الشمسُ الزرقاءْ مَنْ يسكنْ هنا لا أحدْ يسكنْ هنا مدينتي رهينةُ ناطحاتِ السحابْ دهاليز دهاليز I walk alone and look at the skyWhat is this blue sun?Who lives hereNobody lives hereMy city is the hostage of skyscrapersCorridors, corridors

2.

Kharitaأمشي وحدي وفي يدي خريطَهْ لا أفهمْ منها شيء ء ء ء ء I walk the streets alone, in my hand a mapThat I don’t understand

3.

Baynana هناكَ مستشفى هنا ولكنني لا أراهْ هناك فندقٌ هنا يملأُ السماء هناك قناصٌ هنا يسقطُ منَ الفضاءْ هناك أشباحٌ هنا والقتلةُ أحياءٌ احرارٌ بيننا There is a hospital here, but I don’t see itThere is a hotel here, it fills the skyThere is a sniper, he falls in spaceThere are ghosts here and the killers and free and alive among us

4.

Mudun يُقَسِّمونَ الأحياءْ، يَضُمّونَ الأراضي يُفَكِّكونَ العائلاتْ، يُدَمِّرونَ المَبانييُوَظِّفونَ الأقرِباءْ، يُهَجِّرونَ الأهالي يَستَثمِرون المشاريعَ الكُبرى، يُشَرِّعونَها بالتَّوالي وإنْ تَجَرّأتَ أن تَفضَحَهم يُهدّدونكَ بالماضي وإنْ تجرّأتَ أن تفضَحَهُم يهدِّدونْفَيرتَفِعُ القَنّاصُ في ذاتِ المِصعَدِ ويُباشرْ بالقتالِ في غُرَفِ النّومِ الفارِغَهْ والمطابخِ الفارِغَهْوغُرَفِ الجلوسِوغُرَفِ العاملاتِودهاليزِ السماء كل هذه البيوت الفارغةومدينتي مُدنْThey divide neighborhoods, they merge plotsThey tear up families, they destroy buildingsThey hire their relatives, they displace localsThey fund grand projects, and license them afterwardsAnd if you dare expose them, they threaten you with the pastAnd so the sniper rises up in the elevator and starts to killIn the empty bedroomsEmpty kitchensEmpty living roomsEmpty maids roomsAnd the corridors of the skyAll these empty houses And my city becomes cities

5.

Haigazian (October 22) يختبئُ أحدٌ في جسديبينَ قناطريوأشعرْ به يركُضُ والسلاحُ في يدِهِ يختبئُ "أزرقٌ" في جسدييريدُ اقتحامَ البنكِ المركزيكالآخرينَ في شارع ِالمصارفِ ولكنْ أرى الحمراءَ تتصدّىويشتدُّ القتالُ في دهاليزِ القِنطاريSomeone is hiding in my body, between my arches, I feel them running with weapons in their handsBlue is hiding in my body. It wants to invade the Central Bank like they all did at Banks’ StreetBut I see Red is resisting and the fighting moves to the corridors of Kantari

6.

Burj Al Murr (October 25 to 27) يختبئُ "أحمرٌ" في جسدييتسلّقُ عَمودي الفِقَرييتنفّسُ ثقيلاً في رِئَتييصلُ إلى رأسي ينظرُ مِن عيوني، يقتُلُ مِن عيوني صَوبَ شرقِ بيروتْوالزُّرقُ في "رِزقَ" لا يطالوني فيَعبُرُ بعضٌ منهم مِن المقاطعة الرابعةِ إلى فندقِ السماءْيَدخلونَ لشراءِ السّكائرِ ولا يَخرُجونَ بعدَهاوالعرقُ يَصُبُّ على جِباهِ رِجالِ الأعمالْمِنهمْ مَن يختبئُ تحتَ الأسِرّةِ، مِنهمْ مَن يشاهدُ الاقتحامْإقتحامَ الفنادقِ منَ الشُّرُفاتِ إلى الشَّمالْ يأتي الزُّرقُ في القواربِ مِن خليجِ التِّنّينْيأتي الزُّرقُ مِن زيتونةِ الدّهاليزْويُسَيطرونَ على مِنطقةٍ ليسَتْ مِلكَ أحدٍ بالتّحديدْRed hides in my bodyHe climbs my spineHe breathes heavily down my lungsHe reaches my headLooks through my eyesKills through my eyesTowards East BeirutAnd the Blues at Rizk could never reach me So some of them cross from Sector 4 towards the sky hotelThey come in to buy cigarettes and never leaveAnd businessmen are sweating of fearSome hide under bedsAnd some observe the battle to the North The Blues invade with boats at the Dragon’s bayThe Blues invade through the corridors of ZaitunehAnd they take control of an area that is not the property of anyone in particular

7.

Markaz Azraq (December 6) لا أعتَقِدْ أنّني أحسَستُ بِعُنفٍ كهذارجُلٌ يصرُخْ في مداخليرجُلٌ يصرُخْ في سلالميرجُلٌ يصرُخْ في شوارعي ويحُضُّ الزُّرقَ إلى الثأرْ لا أعتَقِدْ أنّني أحسَستُ بِعُنفٍ كهذافَقَدَ ابنَهُ الأوّلَ البريءْقَتَلَهُ قاطعُ طُرُقِ زحلة-ترشيشوبعدَ ثلاثةِ أشهرٍ معَ الـ ب. ج.، قتلوا ابنَهُ الثّاني لا يَعتقدْ أنّهُ أَحَسَّ بعُنفٍ كهذا"ليسَ مِنهُمْ بَريءْ، ليسَ مِنْ مُسلمٍ بَريءْ" لا أعتقدْ أنّهُمْ أَحَسّوا بِعُنفٍ كهذاوفي غُضونِ ساعتَيْنْ قَتَلوا ثلاثَمِئَهْ بذريعةِ الهَوِيَّهْمِن أمامِ "مركزي" إلى مدخلِ المرفأِمِن ساحةِ الشهداءْ إلى شِركَةِ الكهرَباءْ فَلْتَسقُطِ المفاوضاتُ مَعْ دمشقْ وتهدئةُ القياداتْاشتعلتِ المدينةُ وَوَلْوَلَتِ النّساءُ مِن الشُّرُفاتْولكن لَمْ يَنَمْولكن لَمْ يَنَمْولكن لَن يَنامَ بَعدَ ذاكْ I do not think I’ve ever felt such violenceA man screams at my entrancesA man screams at my stairsA man screams at my streets and calls the Blues for revengeI do not think I’ve ever felt such violenceThey killed his innocent first sonKilled by a pirate on the Zahle Tarchich roadAnd three months in with the Be Jin they kill his second sonI do not think he’s felt such violenceThere are no more innocentsNo more Muslims are innocent I do not think they’ve felt such violenceAnd in the span of 3 hours, they killed 200, on identity cardFrom my headquarters to the portFrom Martyrs Square to the Electricity buildingLet the Damascus negotiations be damnedAnd the leaders’ calming voices tooThe city was on fire and women wailed from balconiesBut he never sleptBut he never sleptBut he never sleptafter that

8.

Markaz Ahmar (December 6 suite) لا بدَّ من ردٍّ أحمرْلا عودَه لصُلحٍ أكبرْ"الزُّرقُ أفشلوا كلَّ تفويضْافتعلوا مجزرَه لكي نستجيبْفكيـــْــــــــفَ نستجيبْ؟"فَرسمَ قاْئدُ الـــــْــــــحُمْرِ خطاً على الخريْطَه يمتدُّ من المرْفأِ إلى ساحةِ الشهداءْ"لا بدَّ من الردِّ لتحريرِ المقاطعة الرابعةِلا بد من الرد لتحريرِ الفنادقِ من الفاشي"لا بد من الرد... لِتُقْسَمَ مدينتيThe Reds must respondThere is no turning back The Blues have made all negotiation fail"They provoked a massacre so that we respondHow shall we respond And so the Red leader drew a line on a map from the port to Martyrs' squareWe must respond to free sector 4We must respond to destroy the fascist hotelsWe must respond to divide the city

9.

Al Hisar (December 8)حاصر الحمر منطقة الفنادقرجِعوا إلى أدراج برج المراحتلوا رياضَ الصلحَ و ساحة النِّجمةِأخذوا مركزاً في البالم بيتشدخلوا خِلسةً الى الورشةِ أمام التنين (أي السان جورج)قاتلوا ... خرجت قوى الأمنِ منهُأشعَلوا النارَ في الفينيسيا حتىْ اختنقَ الزرقُ فيهدخلوا الألْكزارثمَّ الإكسلسيوراحتلوا كلَّ الفنادقِ بقيَ الهوليداي إنْThe reds encircle the hotel districtThy return to Burj el murrThey take control of Riad Al Solh and Place de l’EtoileThey take the Palm beach as headquartersThey sneak in to the construction site in front of Saint GeorgeThey fight him until Internal Security Forces fleeThey set the Phoenicia on fire suffocate them allThey invade the AlcazarAnd the ExcelsiorAll the north hotels are theirs except the Holiday Inn…

10.

Holiday Inn (January to March) يختبئُ أزرقٌ في جسدييعْزِفُ الآلاتِ، يشربُ النبيــْــــذواقفاً في المصعدِ، متّكئاً على الصواريخويدورُ المطعمُ ويدورُ التقنيصْويدورُ المطعمُ ويدورُ التقنيصْ على بُعدِ أربع ِ كيلومترْ في الكرنتينامجزرةْفي الثامنِ عَشَرْ من كانونِ الثاني وعلى بُعدِ عِشرينَ كيلومترْ في الدامورمجزرةْفي العشرينِ من كانونِ الثاني كيفَ نستجيبْ؟ كيفَ نستجيبْ؟Blue hides in my bodyPlays music on the instruments, drinks wineStanding in the elevator, leaning against missilesAnd the restaurant spins while the sniping goes on 4kilometers away, in Karantina A massacreOn the 18th of January 20kilometers away, in DamourA massacreOn the 20th of January How shall we respondHow shall we respondHow shall we respond

11.

Holiday Inn (March 21 to 29) يختبئُ ستةٌ في جسدياثنان على المدخلِاثنان على الثانيإثنان على الرابع ِ والعشرينأتى الصاروخُ الأحمرُ من المدرسةِدمرَ المِدفع الأرق على الأرضيِّمشَّطَ الحمرُ شَعري.. طابقاً ، طابقاًهربَ الزرقُ كلهم ، إلّا القناصونمسكَهُمُ الحُمرُ وألقوهُمْ من رأسي الى كعبيثم جرّوهمْ سحبوهمْ بالسياراتِ في المدينةِ هرب الزرقُ إلى مركزِ المقاطعةِ الرابعةِحاربوا في الهيلتون والنورمانديولكنهم خسِروا المعركةَ وانقسمتْ مدينتيغرباً وشرقاً أهلاً وعقلاً هرّبَ الزرقُ أهلَهُمْوتركوا باقي المسيحيينصفّهم الحمرُ على الحيطانِSix of them hide in my bodyTwo at the entrance , Two on the second floorTwo on the 24thThe Red missile came from the schoolDestroying the walls and heavy weapons on the ground floorThe Reds combed my hair floor by floorAll the Blues fled, except for the snipersThe Reds captured them and threw themFrom my head to my heelAnd then they dragged their bodies in the cityThe blues fled to the Sector 4They fought at the Hilton and NormandyBut they lost the battle and the city was dividedEast and west, people and mindThe Blues saved their families and left the rest of the ChristiansThe reds lined them up on the walls

12.

Al Irth كانتْ أولُ حرب ِ أبراج ٍ في العالمِيَدرُسونَها في الجيش الأمريكيورِثناها في حاضرنِا العنيفِحاولوا محوَها في اتفاقِ الطائفِوفي مشروع ِ وسطِ بيروتَ التجاريِّضاعت خريطتي من يديوضاع الناس في أحياء الآخرين...انتهتِ المعركةُ في آذارِ ستةٍ وسبعينوانتهت معاركٌ أخرى وانتهى غزوُ اسرائيلولكنَّ الحربَ لم تنتهِلكنَّ الحربَ لن تنتهــــــــيْما دُمنا نصوتُ للحمرِ والزرقِ في البرلمانِ لن تنتهي And it was the first highrise urban battle in the worldA case study for the American MilitaryWe inherited itIn our violent presentThey tried to erase it in the Taef AgreementAnd in the Solidere projectThe battle ended in March 76But the war did not endOther battles ended and the Israeli invasion ended But the war did not endThe war will not endAs long as we vote for the Reds and Blues

“Marjaa: The Battle of the Hotels” is a concept album born of the idea of merging singer/songwriter Mayssa Jallad’s two vocations: music and urban research/architectural history. Written in collaboration with producer Fadi Tabbal, the music builds upon Tabbal’s spatial approach to sound and Jallad’s research on Beirut’s Hotel District.

The album is a reference to Jallad’s Historic Preservation master's thesis, in which she detailed the history of the “Battle of the Hotels”, a 5-months battle that took place in Beirut at the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War, from October 22nd, 1975 to March 29th, 1976.
Jallad saw architecture as a main protagonist of the battle, as she discovered it was the first high rise urban battle in the world. The close of the battle resulted in the 15-year Green Line, an urban rift which split Beirut into “East and West”, restricting movement and communication and creating a violent divide that still resonates today.

The album comprises two parts. Part A: Dahaliz, is a stroll in the city, where Jallad tries (and fails) to follow an old map. Musician Youmna Saba is a companion in this journey of remembering the once winding corridors (“Dahaliz”) of the city, destroyed by new developments since the 1960s. Empty skyscrapers propel her onto a past filled with the violence of snipers, and a present filled with the glamorous injustice of empty luxury real estate endorsed by powerful warlords-turned-politicians.

In Part B: Maaraka, Jallad inhabits the building of the Battle of the Hotels, as its events unfold. She calls the fighting militias the Blues and Reds, respectively the Lebanese Front (Christian Nationalists) and the Lebanese National Movement (Pro-Palestinian leftists), leveling the playing field, and drawing a map of the battle through songwriting. Sary Moussa produces the conclusion of the battle in “Holiday Inn (March 21 to 29)”, which ends with the ultimate severance of the city of Beirut.

The music caters to post-war youth who have never been taught this difficult history. Once we consider the “Battle of the Hotels” as our common heritage, it provides an opportunity to teach the value of civil peace. It is also a call to protest for the renewal, rather than the recycling of the political class that has once destroyed the country and holds us, to this day, hostage of its violence.

ACCLAIM FOR MARJAA:

"Singer/songwriter and urban researcher Mayssa Jallad draws a map of the battle with her music, vocals and acoustic guitar, accompanied by Fadi Tabbal's synths, percussion and field recordings." – The Wire, #41 Best Albums Of 2023

"There’s a stoic determination in the purposeful acoustic guitar strums that hold the fractured sonic architecture of Mayssa Jallad’s “Markaz Azraq (December 6)” together. Her words carry the weight of a thousand suns. Still, her delivery is plaintive and unafraid as she tells the story of a nameless man who lost both sons during the Battle of the Hotels. Once the instrumental palette expands, the warm glow from Fadi Tabbal’s synth personifies the steely perseverance needed in the face of such destruction." – Brad Rose, Foxy Digitalis, Best Albums Of 2023

"With the help of Fadi Tabbal and a selection of Ruptured-affiliated musicians, we're treated to a highly evocative & moving collection of narrative songs (even for those of us who don't speak Arabic), which musically inhabit a space on the corner of 1970s US folk, Arabic melisma and sound-art. A haunting, engrossing work." – Peter Hollo, Utility Fog (FBi Radio, Best Albums Of 2023

"Marjaa: The Battle Of The Hotels is a record that sidesteps the pitfalls that other works concerned with atmosphere or memory fall into. Jallad’s record acts as a slow burning process of revelation." – Richard Foster, The Quietus

"Lebanese singer Mayssa Jallad showcases her incredible voice on debut album Marjaa: The Battle of the Hotels. Her breathy intimacy creates an atmospheric Arabic blues, yearning on album highlight Mudun." – Ammar Kelia, The Guardian

"In the end, the album, like the city on which it is based, feels like an infinite loop of history, relayed through the brave yet saintly voice of an artist who has taken the task of documenting the past through music." – Christina Hazboun, Bandcamp
daily.bandcamp.com/features/mayssa-jallad-marjaa-battle-of-the-hotels-interview

"Historical trauma, strings, drones, metallophones and buzuks wrap around powerful stories and gossamer vocals on Lebanese singer's tender, intimate debut. With shades of Nico, Jarboe and Elizabeth Fraser, '80s' 4AD fans will rejoice." – Andy Cowan, MOJO

"Singer/songwriter and architectural historian Mayssa Jallad and a host of Lebanese musicians… have made a rich, sometimes transcendiary sonic mapping of a memory of war. This is an extraordinary record and one that you should approach with no qualms… like Matana Roberts’ work, this is a soundtrack that directly deals with traumatic memories that have ceased to inhabit their original form and need to be conjured up in ways that both lure the listener in, and allow the information to be imparted in a way history is not normally taught... utterly hypnotic… a record that can leave you initially wondering what is going on whilst realising you are listening to something really special…" – Richard Foster, Louder Than War

"In an overwhelmingly creative and critical act, Mayssa Jallad turns the destruction of the Lebanese Civil War into a stunning,
two-sided album driven by poetic songwriting mixed with historical narration, lush strings and synths, gentle drones, and her
incredible vocal prowess." – Maha ElNabawi, SceneNoise

"As it progresses, "Marjaa" seamlessly fuses folky introspection, orchestrated drama, crackling electronica and field recordings. Sometimes – again, without any incongruity – within the same song... This bold, multi-layered album is utterly accessible. A triumph." – Kieron Tyler, The Arts Desk

"(Marjaa) is, as one might expect, a sombre affair largely comprised of Jallad's delicate vocals backed by acoustic guitar and ethereal synthesizer. Elsewhere, co-composer and producer Fadi Tabbal adds the crackle of distant artillery and a ghostly wind between the high-rise blocks." – Daniel Spicer, Songlines

Marjaa included in Lars Gotrich/All Songs Considered's Best Music of 2023 retrospective (NPR):
www.npr.org/2024/01/02/1197958329/vikings-choice-2023

Marjaa included in Philip Sherburne's “Overlooked” Albums of 2023 (Futurism Restated Substack):
futurismrestated.substack.com/p/futurism-restated-44-records-i-missed

released March 3, 2023

All lyrics by Mayssa Jallad.
All music by Mayssa Jallad and Fadi Tabbal.

Additional music on “Etel” and “Kharita” by Youmna Saba.
Additional music on “Baynana” and “Mudun” by Marwan Tohme.
Additional music on “Al Hisar” by Farah Kaddour.
Additional music on “Holiday Inn (March 21 to 29)” by Sary Moussa.
Additional music on “Holiday Inn (January to March)” and “Holiday Inn (March 21 to 29)” by Pascal Semerdjian.
Additional music on “Al Irth” by Yara Asmar.

Mayssa Jallad – vocals on all tracks, nylon guitar on tracks 1, 3 & 7, piano on track 10
Fadi Tabbal – synth on tracks 1 to 8 & 10, electric guitar on track 2, acoustic guitar on track 7, sound design on tracks 9 & 12, bass on track 10
&
Yara Asmar: metallophone on track 12
Farah Kaddour: buzuk on track 9
Sary Moussa: synth and electronics on track 11
Youmna Saba: oud on track 1, vocals on track 2
Julia Sabra: backing vocals on track 8
Pascal Semerdjian: drums on track 6, 10 & 11
Marwan Tohme – acoustic guitar on tracks 3 & 4, backing vocals on track 8

Produced by Fadi Tabbal and Mayssa Jallad except “Holiday Inn (March 21 to 29)” by Sary Moussa.
Mixed by Fadi Tabbal and Sary Moussa at Tunefork Studios.
Mastered by Heba Kadry.

Cover design by Josette Khalil, Leen Sharafeddine, Maya Chams and Mayssa Jallad. Calligraphy by Ali Assi.

Based on the thesis by Mayssa Jallad (2017). Beirut’s Civil War Hotel District: Preserving the World’s First High-Rise Urban Battlefield. doi.org/10.7916/D84M9GS0

Thank you to Marie-Joe Younan, Mona Hallak and the AUB Neighbourhood Initiative, Ziad Nawfal, Samer Etyen Chami, Ely Dagher, Yasmine Sarout, Gregory Buchakjian, Paul Jureidini, Rana Abou Chacra, Aya Jallad, Mustapha Sleiman, Karim Sleiman, Maria and Rachid Jallad.

To the families of victims and disappeared, then and now.

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