The daylight
rising over Lebanon brings endless opportunities of fun, beach, nature and
outdoor activities. You’ll never know what to choose...
Lebanon's diverse
patchwork of Mediterranean- lapped coast, rugged alpine peaks, and green fertile valleys
is packed into a parcel of land some 225km long and 46km wide. An ancient land,
Lebanon features in the writings of Homer and in the Old Testament. Its cities
were major outposts and seaports in Phoenician and Roman times, just two of the
great civilizations that touched this
important Middle Eastern crossroads.
The cosmopolitan
flair of modern-day Beirut, the gastronomic renown of the country's food and wine,
and an educated and outward-looking population complement a country that is
both traditional and
progressive in outlook. For all the flavours of its storied past and rugged
natural beauty, Lebanon
is a well-kept tourist secret that begs exploration.
There
are four main geographic regions in Lebanon, differentiated by topography and climate.
From west to east, they include: the coastal plain, the Mount Lebanon Range,
the Békaa Valley, and the Anti-Lebanon Range.
The Anti-Lebanon
Range is a stretch of arid mountains that rise to the east
of the Békaa Valley and form part of the country's eastern border with Syria.
The Békaa Valley, known
in ancient times as “the breadbasket” or “granary” of the Roman Empire, is
still the country's main agricultural region. Located on a high plateau between
the country's two mountain ranges, the river-fed Békaa supports the production
of tomatoes, potatoes, wheat, olives, and grapes, even despite summers that are
hot and dry.
Besides some of Lebanon's best wineries (Ksara, Kefraya, Massaya), the Békaa's
major attraction is the ruins at Baalbek. Originating as a place of worship to
Baal, the Phoenician Sun God, Baalbek was known in Greco-Roman times as the
famous Heliopolis, or
“City of the Sun.” Perhaps because of the region's agricultural importance in
feeding the inhabitants of the Roman Empire, some of the largest Roman temples
ever constructed were erected at this site. The construction lasted over 200
years, and the well-preserved temples honor Jupiter, Bacchus, and Venus.
The
lovely Lebanese
coast is framed by the Mediterranean Sea to the west and
the Mount Lebanon Range to the east, its temperate climate bringing in sunny,
hot summers and cool, rainy winters. The daytime temperature in the summer,
which averages 30°C (86°F), encourages people to head to the beach or to the
higher, altitude-cooled mountain slopes. In the coastal cities of Saida (Sidon)
and Jbail (Byblos), tourists can enjoy the rare opportunity to snorkel amongst
long-submerged Phoenician ruins, while excellent hiking is a mere hour away in
the Chouf region of the Mount Lebanon Range.
The Mount Lebanon
Range includes numerous rivers that fizz with snowmelt,
steep-walled gullies that shade grottoes once the hideout to those fleeing
persecution, and also Lebanon's highest summit, Qornet Es-Saouda (3,090m). In
winter, the high peaks are blanketed with snow, lending Lebanon its name, Lubnan, the
Arabic word for “white.” Lebanon boasts a number of world-class ski resorts,
one of only a couple countries in the Middle East where you can ski. The ski
season runs from December until April.
The Mount Lebanon Range is also the location of Lebanon's Cedar
Reserves. The great cedar forests of Lebanon, now protected, are famous for
their use in the construction of some of the holiest buildings in the region,
indeed the world, including Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock and Solomon's Temple.
To
visit Lebanon is to dispel preconceived notions that linger from a relatively
short moment in a long, vivid, and fascinating history: drink in the energetic,
urbane vibe of revitalized Beirut; explore a diverse and beautiful landscape
that lends itself easily to an unforgettable (and largely untrammeled)
multi-sport adventure; marvel at archaeological wonders that are windows into the
cradle of civilization; and simply enjoy the welcome of a people who are
naturally hospitable, friendly, and gregarious.
UNESCO - World Heritage Convention has
recognised the following as World Heritage Sites in Lebanon
Anjar
Anjar, 58 km from
Beirut, is exclusively from one period, going back to the early 8th Century AD.
Unlike Tyre and Byblos, which claim continuous habitation since the day they
were founded, Anjar flourished for only a few decades. The city benefited from
its strategic position on intersecting trade routes leading to Damascus, Homs,
Baalbeck and to the South. This almost perfect quadrilateral of ruins lies in
the midst of some of the
richest agricultural land in Lebanon. It is only a short distance from gushing
springs and one of the important sources of the Litani River.
Baalbek
Lebanon's
greatest Roman treasure,can be counted among the wonders of the ancient world.
These are not only the largest and noblest Roman temples ever built, but they
are also among the best preserved. Towering high above the Beqaa plain, their
monumental proportions proclaimed the power and wealth of Imperial Rome.
Byblos
Byblos is said to
be the oldest inhabited city in the world, the source of the first Phoenician
letters that gave us our alphabet. Byblos was the major seaport of the east
Mediterranean during the 3rd millennium BC. The ruins include the perimeter
walls, the Temple of Baalat-Gebal (the goddess of the city), the Temple of the
Gbelisks and the royal tombs. There are also ruins dating from Roman times and
the crusader castle and church.
Tyre
Founded at the
start of the third millennium BC, Tyre originally consisted of a mainland
settlement and a modest island city that lay a short distance off shore. But it
was not until the first millennium BC that the
city experienced its
golden age. In the 10th Century BC Hiram, King of Tyre, joined two islets by
landfill. Later he extended the city further by reclaiming a considerable area
from the sea.
Ouadi Qadisha (the
Holy Valley) and the Forest of the Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab)
The Qadisha
valley is one of the most important early Christian monastic settlements in the
world. Its monasteries, many of which are of a great age, stand in dramatic
positions in a rugged landscape. Nearby are the remains of the great forest of
cedars of Lebanon, highly prized in antiquity for the construction of great
religious buildings
To sum up, Lebanon
is surely an Heaven on Earth!
Landscapes that
change with the seasons, but are always bathed in the warm sun. The daylight
rising over Lebanon brings endless opportunities of fun, beach, nature and
outdoor activities. You’ll never know what to choose. Whatever it will be, an
unforgettable time awaits you under the shiny Lebanese sun.
