BEIRUT, Lebanon - Beirut's Gemmayzeh bar strip could lose its famed status as one of the Middle East's hottest nightspots because of residents angry over high noise levels late into the night.

The Lebanese Tourism Ministry decided to shut down 18 bars from this week after the residents of Gemmayzeh, located east of Beirut's central district, held protests complaining about the constant car-honking, drunken squeals and loud music.

On a typical Saturday night, bumper-to-bumper traffic jams clog the narrow street and pulsating music booms from the dozens of bars, pubs and restaurants that Lebanese and tourists frequent till the early hours of the morning.

"We warned them (venues) more than once that they should operate without annoying residents in Gemmayzeh," Tourism Minister Joseph Sarkis told Reuters this week.

"Because we must not forget that the Gemmayzeh area is originally a residential area that has today become a mixed commercial and residential area."

The street, laced with architectural and historical stone residential buildings from the early 20th century, is one of Beirut's main attractions -- on a par with Egypt's Red Sea Sharm el-Sheikh resort city and Dubai's ostentatious clubbing venues.

A walk down there on Thursday showed several bars locked and bolted, with a closure notice in a plastic bag tied to the doorknob and sealed with red wax.

Some of the venues have only been around for several months but institutions like Bar Louie and the Irish-themed Molly Malone's were also shut.

DRINKING, SMOKING UP, PEEING

Some Lebanese blame politics for the move but Sarkis said the affected bars did not have proper licences.

"Dice" bar owner Elie Samaan said his papers were in order and that cars, not bars, lay at the heart of the problem.

"If they are claiming that residents and neighbours are complaining about the noise, its not the bars, it's the street. It's because of cars who beep their horns...," he said.

"As business owners who have put investments and paid money, to stop us from work and brand us with red wax, one just doesn't know what to say."

Residents say they don't want to hurt people's livelihoods -- they just want a quieter life.

"People leave bars late after drinking and smoking up (hashish) a lot, peeing on street corners," said Khalil Asmar, a Gemmayzeh resident who owns a stationery on the street.

"They should open restaurants without alcohol, we don't want them to lose their jobs," he added.

Some bar owners worry about the impact on jobs but acknowledge it was a mistake not to cooperate with residents.

"I had a problem with the neighbours but I respect them. I turn the music off at 1 a.m. and I don't allow valet parking in front of my venue," said the owner of one popular Gemmayzeh pub that escaped the closure order. -Reuters