Hariri memorial

Hariri grave
Originally uploaded by thesoundgirl.

There is a large memorial to assassinated former prime minister and businessman Rafiq Hariri downtown. It is open around the clock and is visited continuously. Lebanon was hit hard by his death; the assassination was the touchstone for the massive demonstrations that led to Syria's withdrawal earlier this year. The Lebanese are deeply patriotic about their country and have a great amount of pride in Lebanon, and mourn Hariri as a symbol of national identity and unity.