Built by Polish architect Karol Schayer in 1957, the iconic Carlton Hotel was, in its time, a popular meeting place for gay men in Beirut. Between 1973 and 1993, the hotel was also the setting of three murders that might or might not have been related to sexual encounters. Among the victims of these (probably) passionate crimes was Lebanese politician and businessman Henri Pharaoun. Known as the designer of the Lebanese flag and, for much of his lifetime, as Lebanon’s wealthiest man, Pharaoun was found dead beside his driver/bodyguard, both stabbed multiple times. The nature of the murder went unreported but was rumored to have been committed by a former lover who had also worked for him. Arsanios’ reconstruction of the event—made just prior to the hotel’s demolition in 2008—blends animation and video, gossip, and fact in an effort to give the crime a place in the city’s history.
