Nation's first Lebanese garden opens at Albuquerque BioPark

The city unveiled the latest addition to the Albuquerque BioPark’s Botanic Garden on Thursday with the nation’s first Lebanese garden.

Olive and fig trees line the new “Lebanon and Beyond” garden, a newly renovated half-acre space that replaced the old Mediterranean garden.

If you ask the project’s architect, Emmanuel Didier, he’d say the garden’s concept began long ago in Lebanon with former Duran’s Pharmacy owner Robert Ghattas, who grew up in a rural village there.

“If you have stories, you have a project,” Didier said, gesturing to the stone archways, potted rosemary and Roman aqueduct.

Ghattas approached the city with the idea for a Lebanese garden to enrich Albuquerque’s multicultural heritage in 2020. He and his family later funded part of the $4 million project.

Another $2 million came from New Mexico BioPark Society fundraisers such as Run for the Zoo and the River of Lights, while the remaining $450,000 came from city gross receipts tax.

From a design standpoint, the garden is supposed to evoke the childhood memories of Ghattas and other Lebanese immigrants, Didier said, and provide a convivial place for people to gather with plentiful benches, chairs and an outdoor fireplace.

To officially open the new garden, members of the Ghattas family gathered near the Roman aqueduct as Nazih Ghattas, Robert Ghattas’ brother, led a toast in Arabic. Nazih Ghattas flew from Lebanon for the opening.

After the ceremony, visitors strolled through the new attraction munching on baklava and marveling at the stone arches and tiled water features.

“I think it’s beautiful; it’s gorgeous,” said Susan Hakeem as her young son reached a tiny hand into the smooth water of the new fountain.

The project took under a year to complete, breaking ground last November, although it still has a ways to grow, Didier said.

Grapevines will climb the pergola, and sprawling fig trees will shade visitors in the walkways. In time, Didier said, the whole space is intended to give a “secret garden” feel.

Figuring out which Mediterranean plants could survive in New Mexico’s climate took some puzzling, Didier said.

Many plants like grapes, pines and herbs from Lebanon can hack it in New Mexico’s climate. However, for the more delicate varieties, primarily citrus, Didier designed a rectangular extension to the nearby greenhouse to house the sensitive plants during wintertime.

To end the dedication, the Ghattas brothers kneeled down to plant a stone pine, which began its life, like they did, in Lebanon. Under Robert Ghattas’ care, the pine nut that his brother mailed from overseas grew into a small sapling that now resides at the BioPark.

In the shade of an elder tree at the end of its life span, the small pine will be sheltered from the beating sun and blowing wind, said plant curator Maria Thomas. In time, the sapling will grow to overtake the dying elder tree and stand on its own as a symbol of the brothers’ legacy.