Youssef Gergi Abed (1911 – December 2006), also known as Pépé Abed, was a Lebanese businessman and amateur diver. He was active in Lebanon's tourism and hospitality sectors during the mid-20th century and is known for founding several leisure establishments, particularly in the coastal town of Byblos.

Early life

Abed was born in 1911 in

Rmeil Rmeil () is one of the neighborhoods of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. It is located near Ashrafieh, and Saifi. The neighborhood is known for its Greek Orthodox churches such as Saint Georges and Saint Nicolas. Cultural areas are located in Rm ...

, Lebanon. He spent part of his early life in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

before returning to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

in the early 1950s, where he worked as a

jeweler A bench jeweler is an artisan who uses a combination of skills to make and repair jewelry. Some of the more common skills that a bench jeweler might employ include antique restoration, silversmithing, goldsmithing, stone setting, engraving, ...

Career

Abed was involved in the development of several hospitality and tourism ventures in Lebanon. His projects included the Acapulco Beach Club in Jnah, the Bacchus Hotel and nightclub in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

, the Admiral's Club in Tyre, the Hacienda in Amshit, and the

Byblos Byblos ( ; ), also known as Jebeil, Jbeil or Jubayl (, Lebanese Arabic, locally ), is an ancient city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. The area is believed to have been first settled between 8800 and 7000BC and continuously inhabited ...

Fishing Club, which also served as his residence. In 1962, he opened the Pépé Abed Museum next to the Byblos Fishing Club. The museum houses a collection of artifacts, including items of Greek, Roman, and Phoenician origin, which Abed reportedly recovered while diving. The museum has at times been described as operating with oversight or recognition from

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. The Byblos Fishing Club was visited by various public figures over the years, including artists, actors, and political leaders. Notable visitors reportedly included

Anita Ekberg Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (29 September 193111 January 2015) was a Swedish actress active in American and European films, known for her beauty and curvaceous figure. She became prominent in her iconic role as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini f ...

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, and

Camille Chamoun Camille Nimr Chamoun (, ; 3 April 19007 August 1987) was a Lebanese politician who served as the 2nd president of Lebanon from 1952 to 1958. He was one of the country's main Christian leaders during most of the Lebanese Civil War. Early yea ...

. Abed also converted a group of seaside caves in Byblos into a restaurant offering local Lebanese cuisine.

References

1911 births 2006 deaths Lebanese Maronites 20th-century Mexican businesspeople Mexican Maronites Lebanese emigrants to Mexico 20th-century Lebanese businesspeople {{Lebanon-business-bio-stub