Burj el-Shemali Refugee Camp: A Photo Essay

Burj el-Shemali is a Palestinian refugee camp located in Southern Lebanon on the outskirts of the city of Tyre. Upwards of 20 000 refugees reside in the camp, which is one of Lebanon's most impoverished camps. Burj el-Shemali like other camps in the southsuch as Rashidieh Camp is home to cases of extreme poverty, thousands of camp residents are essentially homeless, residing in make-shift shelters with zinc roofing, without basic plumbing, water supply and little income. The refugees residing in Burj el-Shemali were forced from their homeland Palestine through the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Burj el-Shemali camp is a deteriorating ghetto as many of the housing structures within the camp remain destroyed after the 15 year civil-war. Lebanese military check-points which surround the camp prohibit refugees from bringing construction materials into the camp. The photos in this album were taken by Stefan Christoff of the Indepdent Media Center of Beirut: www.beirut.indymedia.org For more information on Burj el-Shemali refugee camp, visit the camps website online at: www.bourjalshamali.net