BEIRUT — "Strangers are coming and taking our land. This time it’s not a country, though, it’s businessmen,” said Ahmad, 60, a fisherman, sitting in his boat on the shore overlooking Dalieh’s traditional port. Although in Beirut, the area is quiet, with buildings in the distance. “In other countries, I would not have to work at this age. The government is forcing us to steal,” Ahmed said, referring to the lack of income-generating opportunities. “And for those of us that don't have it in us to steal, we have to commit suicide."

Only two natural sites on Beirut’s coastline remain accessible to the public — the Dalieh of Raouche and Ramlat al-Bayda. Dalieh is a headland of some 120,000 square meters, the last of its kind. Its untamed environment shelters marine terraces, caves that are home to bats and birds, archeological remains and 6% of Lebanon’s flora.

While public use of Dalieh has declined dramatically since 2012, the way it is used still differs dramatically from the strict policing of other public spaces in the city. Dalieh is a shared, communal space that embraces plurality, spontaneity and a lively informal economy. Fishermen are sometimes also cafe owners or boat builders. There are boat tours through and around Beirut’s signature Pigeon Rocks, and hundreds of people visit the area on the weekends to swim, picnic and play.

“Everyone in Lebanon learned how to swim here,” said a local fisherman and former cafe owner raised in Dalieh. His nickname, Abu Adal, means "father of muscles."