Bliss Street, or Rue Bliss, is one of the principal streets of the Hamra

Hamra

Hamra may refer to:* Hamra, Bik'at HaYarden, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank* 9373 Hamra, a main-belt asteroid* Battle of Hamra al-Asad, a battle in 625 AD in which the prophet Muhammad took part...

 area, which is within the Ras Beirut

Ras Beirut

Ras Beirut is a luxurious residential neighborhood of Beirut. It is the most cosmopolitan and open-minded area of Beirut, where sizable populations of Christians, Muslims, and Druze coexist peacefully. It is known as the cultural and intellectual center of Beirut...

 District of Beirut

Beirut

Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...

 in Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

. The street, which is parallel to Hamra Street

Hamra Street

Hamra Street , or Rue Hamra, is one of the main streets of the city of Beirut, Lebanon, and one of the main economic and diplomatic hubs of Beirut. Due to the numerous sidewalk cafes and theatres, Hamra Street was the center of intellectual activity in Beirut during the 1960s and 1970s...

, runs east-west, connecting with Rue Clémenceau

Rue Clémenceau

Rue Clemenceau is a commercial and residential street in Beirut, Lebanon. The street was named in honor of Georges Clemenceau who accepted the post of premier of France in 1917 during World War I....

 on the east and ending at Avenue General de Gaulle that runs along the coast of the Mediterranean. The street is named after Dr. Daniel Bliss

Daniel Bliss

Daniel Bliss was the founder of the American University of Beirut.-Life and Work:...

, an American missionary who founded the American University of Beirut

American University of Beirut

The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...

. Prior to the mid-1960s, the tram

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

passed along Bliss Street and stopped in front of AUB's Main Gate and Faysal's restaurant.

Bliss Street is bordered on one side by the historic campus of AUB and on the other side it is lined with many historical and commercial buildings that house cafes, restaurants, pubs as well as bookstores. Bliss Street has one of the largest concentration of restaurants in Beirut, such as Uncle Sam's and Bliss House, that cater to the university students who hang out on the street.

In Literature

• Never by Blood By Noel Carroll

"They were on Shari Bliss, or Bliss Street, and closing in on the American University of Beirut, their first destination of the day."