Gaby Layoun

Gaby Leon Capi Emile Layoun (born 1 November 1964, Zahle) was the Lebanese Minister of Culture, announced as part of the cabinet led by Najib Mikati. He represents the Free Patriotic Movement. Layoun is married and has two children. He holds a diploma in engineering, a Lebanese Baccalaureate in mathematics (1982) and a Sacred Heart of the city of Zahle.

Layoun's term has been marred with controversies and scandals some of which continue to unfold until present day.

1. Phoenician port in Beirut

In June 2012, Gaby Layoun came under harsh criticism in the press and from activists concerning the demolition of an alleged Phoenician port of Beirut. Controversy arose on June 27, 2012 when authorization was given to a private company called Venus Towers Real Estate Development Company to destroy the ruins in the $500 million construction of three skyscrapers and a garden at site BEY194 in Mina al-Hosn, behind Hotel Monroe in downtown Beirut. The suggested port had been classified as "cultural heritage" by previous minister Salim Wardeh after a report by Hisham Sayegh, a B.A. graduate from the Lebanese University. An international committee of archaeologists was appointed by Layoun, including Hanz Curver. Ralph Pederson a member of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, now teaching at the University of Marburg in Germany also prepared an expert report for Venus. Both international and expert reports disputed Sayegh's findings and concluded that the site was not a port or dry dock. The data from Sayegh was afterwards dismissed by Assaad Seif as being not at all reliable with many inconsistencies in the stratigraphy and the dating.

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