Mourners gather for the funeral of Ziad Rahbani - in pictures

  • A mourner holds a portrait of Lebanese musician, composer and playwright Ziad Rahbani, as crowds gathered outside Khoury Hospital in Beirut's central Hamra district ahead of his funeral procession. AFP
    A mourner holds a portrait of Lebanese musician, composer and playwright Ziad Rahbani, as crowds gathered outside Khoury Hospital in Beirut's central Hamra district ahead of his funeral procession. AFP
  • Lebanese diva Fairouz, mother of Rahbani, attends her son's funeral. AP
    Lebanese diva Fairouz, mother of Rahbani, attends her son's funeral. AP
  • Mourners gather around the hearse carrying the remains of Rahbani, who was 69. He was widely regarded as one of the most distinctive creative voices to emerge from Lebanon in the past five decades. AFP
    Mourners gather around the hearse carrying the remains of Rahbani, who was 69. He was widely regarded as one of the most distinctive creative voices to emerge from Lebanon in the past five decades. AFP
  • Fairouz and her daughter Reema Rahbani receive condolences during the funeral. AFP
    Fairouz and her daughter Reema Rahbani receive condolences during the funeral. AFP
  • Rahbani, the son of Fairouz and the late composer Assi Rahbani, died on July 26. AFP
    Rahbani, the son of Fairouz and the late composer Assi Rahbani, died on July 26. AFP
  • Lebanese singer and composer Marcel Khalife offers his condolences during the funeral. AFP
    Lebanese singer and composer Marcel Khalife offers his condolences during the funeral. AFP
  • Rahbani's cousins, from left, Oussama, Ghadi and Marwan, at his funeral ceremony. AFP
    Rahbani's cousins, from left, Oussama, Ghadi and Marwan, at his funeral ceremony. AFP
  • He rose to prominence during the Lebanese Civil War through a series of acclaimed plays and musical works. AFP
    He rose to prominence during the Lebanese Civil War through a series of acclaimed plays and musical works. AFP
  • Rahbani pioneered the oriental jazz genre – a fusion of Arabic melodies, funk and jazz that sounded unmistakably Lebanese. AFP
    Rahbani pioneered the oriental jazz genre – a fusion of Arabic melodies, funk and jazz that sounded unmistakably Lebanese. AFP
  • Mourners gather around the hearse carrying the remains of the Lebanese musician, composer and writer, outside Khoury Hospital in Beirut's central Hamra district. AFP
    Mourners gather around the hearse carrying the remains of the Lebanese musician, composer and writer, outside Khoury Hospital in Beirut's central Hamra district. AFP