Lebanon honors Ziad Rahbani

Lebanon will pay tribute to one of its most influential cultural figures as the Ministry of Telecommunications prepares to release a commemorative postage stamp honouring the late composer, playwright, and musician Ziad Rahbani. Telecommunications Minister Charbel Hajj confirmed that the stamp will enter circulation next Wednesday, marking the first official state tribute since Rahbani’s passing last July.

Rahbani, who died at 69, remains a towering figure in Lebanese and Arab cultural history. The son of Fairuz and Assi Rahbani, two pillars of Lebanon’s golden musical era, Ziad quickly carved out his own identity as a fearless innovator. At just 17, he composed Sa’alouni El Nass for Fairuz, a song that became an instant classic and signaled the rise of a singular artistic voice.

Over the following decades, Rahbani redefined the texture of Lebanese music, blending Arabic melodies with jazz structures, political wit, and social critique. Rahbani’s influence extended across generations and borders. His compositions shaped the soundscape of the civil war era; his plays challenged entrenched narratives; his commentary resonated with those searching for honesty in a fractured society.

The issuance of the commemorative stamp comes as part of Lebanon’s broader effort to honour national artistic figures whose contributions have shaped the country’s cultural identity. For many, placing Rahbani’s image on a Lebanese stamp is more than a symbolic gesture, it is an official recognition of an artist whose music and words captured Lebanon’s struggles, humour, contradictions, and hopes.