Loubna Hamdan stands on her rooftop loft where she leaves food out for pigeons in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons circle above the rooftop of Loubna Hamdan and her husband Ibrahim Ammar, who leave food out for the birds in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Loubna Hamdan sits on the rooftop of her building as she feeds pigeons at dusk in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons stand on the rooftop of the loft of Loubna Hamdan and her husband Ibrahim Ammar, who did the piercing, in Chiyah, where they leave food out for birds in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons gather on the rooftop of Loubna Hamdan in Chiyah, who leaves food out for the birds, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Loubna Hamdan stands on her rooftop loft where she leaves food out for pigeons in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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Pigeons circle above the rooftop of Loubna Hamdan and her husband Ibrahim Ammar, who leave food out for the birds in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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Loubna Hamdan sits on the rooftop of her building as she feeds pigeons at dusk in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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Pigeons stand on the rooftop of the loft of Loubna Hamdan and her husband Ibrahim Ammar, who did the piercing, in Chiyah, where they leave food out for birds in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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Pigeons gather on the rooftop of Loubna Hamdan in Chiyah, who leaves food out for the birds, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
BEIRUT (AP) — Every evening as the sun drops behind Beirut’s concrete skyline, Loubna Hamdan steps onto her rooftop and whistles. A flutter of wings follows. Dozens of pigeons — white, speckled, chestnut, black — circle above her, catching the day's last light. Here, the 36-year-old office worker has found an unexpected refuge.
Hamdan never imagined she would keep pigeons. The interest began a decade ago through her husband, Ibrahim Ammar, who has raised birds since childhood. She admired how calmly they settled on him and how he always sensed when one was missing.
“I fell in love with pigeons because of the way he loved them,†she said.
She scatters grain, checks the water and looks for any bird that seems weak or hurt. Ammar joins her, showing her how to handle them gently and how to read their behavior in the air.
As dusk deepens, the flock settles into the loft. “When the pigeons return,†Hamdan said, “it feels like home.â€
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