Did You Know There’s a Mural of Ziad Rahbani in Downtown Amman?

Right on the Kalha Stairs, in the middle of all the color and movement of downtown Amman, there’s a mural painted by Yamen Art honoring two incredible musicians: Ziad Rahbani and Faraj Suleiman.

The mural was painted in 2023, before Ziad’s passing, but now, it hits differently.

Lebanon and the Arab world are mourning one of their biggest voices. Ziad Rahbani, composer, playwright, truth-teller. Gone at 69. He wasn’t just a musician. He was a mirror to a country, to the region, to anyone listening closely. Through satire, through music, through theater, he told us stories we weren’t always ready to hear.

He started out writing for his mother, Fairuz. That alone would’ve been enough. But he went way further, blending jazz, classical Arabic, politics, humor, and heartbreak into something entirely his own. Something we still haven’t fully caught up to.

If you walk past that mural now, you’ll feel it. It’s not just paint on a wall, it’s presence, it’s memory. He is someone who said what needed to be said and played what needed to be felt.

Ziad Rahbani shaped generations. And even though he’s gone, his voice is still everywhere.

Rest in peace, Ziad.

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