Tarot Beirut, a deck by Lara Alameddine and Monique Bejjani, was created and printed in Lebanon in 2022 and is the first Arabic Tarot in modern times. The authors based their deck on the tradition of Marseille tarot. Lara Alameddine is Lebanese who spent most of her life living in France and Monique Bejjani is a Lebanese illustrator living in Beirut. The authors registered the Tarot Beirut trademark on 22 February 2022 (22.02.22) to harness the unique numerology of the date.
Lara received inspiration for her deck during her own spiritual awakening. As she was studying the work of Alejandro Jodorowsky and the Camoin Jodorowsky Tarot de Marseille, she felt called to create a Tarot deck that would reflect her Arab heritage, as well her own journey, at the intersection of French and Arab culture. And notably, French and Arab mystical traditions, including Tarot.
The first you notice about Tarot Beirut is its clear Arabic inspiration, reminding me somewhat of the artistic Tarot of the Thousand and One Nights. The patterns and details are inspired by the magic of the Orient, reflecting the authors’ Arab heritage.
The numbering and presentation of cards is following the rules of Marseille Tarot. Note that the Death card, key 13 in the image above, is unnamed, just like in the Marseille tarot. The Death figure itself maintains a posture identical to the one in Marseille, although in Beirut Tarot she is cloaked and appears to be a being of flesh and blood.
The Minor Arcana, stylized as Oriental art, maintain the pattern of Marseille where the suit of Pentacles is not numbered:
The court cards feature some beautiful Arabic calligraphy. I love the level of detail and the use of color, making the images seem like ancient miniatures. Colors are connected to the elements, without making the imagery rigid or overly symbolic.
Overall it’s a visually pleasing deck that certainly deserves working with, and is also a beautiful collector’s item. This being the first deck issued in the Arabic language during the very trying times in Lebanon, for me personally it bridges together the old and the new, a challenge and its resolution.
