The evening city skyline is peppered with cranes and construction, indicating the amount of real estate and industry currently being developed. For every new building on the rise there is an old one that soon must fall. The round building sitting atop the steel frame in the lower left portion, is what the locals call “The Egg”. Construction started in 1965 with plans of making it the largest multi-use center in the Middle East. The Egg itself was designed as a 1,000 person cinema, with a shopping center built below it. Beaten and battered, the structure still stands today. Surviving years of civil war and abuse, the outer shell is a living memory of the hardship this beautiful city and its people have endured over the last 45 years. Today, The Egg and its future are often debated. Those in support of industry impatiently wait to demolish it and replace it with something tall, expensive, and functional. Those in support of the nation’s history petition to keep it standing, a painful reminder of their identity. The Egg’s demolition was imminent, but the war of July 2006 halted the workers. For now, The Egg will live another day.