Mohammad Ghaziri, a Beiruti citizen, established Barbarin 1979 amid the intensity of the Lebanese war. Ghaziri started with a small man’ousheh bakery to serve residents in his city. The shop, which opened facing the landmark Piccadilly theater in the heart of Beirut, gained fame from its varieties of man’ousheh: thyme, minced meat and cheese. Barbar’s hit was the man’ousheh with super melting akkawi cheese, deliciously topped with sesame seeds; the man’oushehw became famous.