Highlights of Lebanon

by Wendy May

Beirut beach at sunset

The first time I’d flown into Beirut was in the 1990s, en route to Syria, and the city was still being rebuilt after the civil war and was not a place I wished to linger. This time my arrival, in the early evening, was greeted by twinkling lights from the Corniche, shops, hotels and all the cars: it looked an exciting and vibrant city. Beirut is a mix of rejuvenation and remnants from the war. There are still tanks on the streets and the new high rise buildings look impressive until you realise that some of their neighbours are empty shells. There are still buildings peppered with bullet holes and some areas are still bomb sites. But the people are friendly and the city itself is, as I suspected, vibrant and exciting.

I stayed in the Hamra district, close to the Corniche and to the university area - a lively area where the locals promenade. One of my early surprises was the interpretation of ‘modest dress’ by the local female teenagers and students – yes, arms and legs were covered - but with figure hugging short tunic tops and thick leggings. All the students I met were lively and cheerful and ready to break into song or to dance.

Lebanon is not a large country and many sites can be visited from Beirut. Travelling south we visited the old port of Sidon, with its souk, mosques and khans as well as the old Crusader Sea Castle itself. Just outside the city is an artificial hill formed from the crushed remains of thousands of murex shells which were used to produce the famous ‘royal’ purple dye. It took 10,000 shells to make just one gram of the purple dye which, in Roman times, was worth three times as much as gold! Unfortunately we were unable to travel further south to the Roman remains at Tyre due to ongoing political unrest.

Driving north from Beirut along the concrete jungle of new developments, the giant Virgin of Lebanon in Harissa comes into view. Alongside the statue is the Notre Dame du Liban - a cathedral which is very modern and meant to resemble a bird in flight. A visit can be made to the statue and cathedral via a cable car from Jounieh, which is quite exciting and gives amazing views down to Jounieh harbour. People who do not like heights are recommended to sit facing towards the hillside! Another detour is to the Jeita Grotto – a series of caverns with stalactites and stalagmites. The upper cavern is reached by cable car while the lower cavern is explored by boat. Our group had just ended its tour when a group of local schoolgirls arrived. They got into their boat and started singing - the acoustics were wonderful. We were also treated to an impromptu dance in the car park.

A key site is Byblos which lays claim to being one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited towns. Its name is meant to be derived from the Greek bublos, meaning papyrus, as this town was a staging post for papyrus shipments to Eqypt. It is hard to believe that the peaceful little harbour was once a busy commercial centre where cedar, and other wood, was shipped to capitals of the ancient world. A peaceful stroll round the harbour with its views of the old Crusader castle is highly recommended. We actually took lunch at Byblos Fishing Club – a haunt of film stars such as Bardot and Brando in the 1960s and a piece of modern heritage!

The ancient site of Byblos is dominated by the Crusader Castle although the site itself has a range of ruins, including the old 25m thick city ramparts (3000-2000 BC) and a temple with a beautiful colonnade of six standing columns (4000 BC). One of the quirky reconstructions is the Roman Theatre: reconstructed at only one-third of its original size! Outside the castle area there is the old forum and souk area – now restored and with a range of modern souvenir shops including one belonging to a local palaeontologist who sells fish fossils. There is also a medieval church – the Church of St John the Baptist - which has an unusual open-air baptistry. During my visit there was a ‘photo shoot’ for a bride and groom – posing outside the church and in the garden. Photos seem to be taken separately from the actual ceremony. As we had been unable to visit Tyre we had time to visit the beautiful Qadisha Valley and the Cedars as well as the city of Tripoli. The Qadisha Valley is essentially a long deep gorge. The word qadisha means ‘holy’ and the valley has provided protection for religious minorities for centuries and the valley is scattered with rock cut monasteries, hermitages and cave churches which can only be reached on foot. There are a number of hiking trails in the area and I think this would be a wonderful place to come for a walking holiday.

At the end of the valley is the village of Becharre, the birthplace of Kahlil Gibran (author of The Prophet), who is buried in one of the monasteries. About 4km from Becharre is The Cedars, Lebanon’s oldest ski resort as well as having a small grove of cedar trees, enclosed by a small wall funded by Queen Victoria. Within the grove there are also the remains of an old cedar tree which have been beautifully carved. It is very sad to think that the vast cedar forest that covered Lebanon’s mountains has been reduced to small groves such as this. After a good lunch overlooking the cedars, we set off for Tripoli.

Tripoli is Lebanon’s second largest city, but is much less brash and more conservative than Beirut. The old city is dominated by the Citadel which offers views over the old city. From here we took the steps down to the old city and wonder through the maze of backstreets to the Great Mosque and the souk area. The Mosque was built on the site of the 12th century Crusader cathedral and the square minaret is thought to be the original bell tower. The souks are divided into different areas, gold, tailoring, meat etc and are bustling with activity. There is also a Soap Khan. This is being redeveloped and soap making refocused from the day to day slabs of soap to more boutique cosmetics. One of the items in the Khan is a huge piece of soap shaped into an open Koran. There is still a functioning hamman in the old city but this is only for men. However this did not deter our tour guide who showed us in – much to the consternation of the local men in the steam room!

Leaving Beirut, we set off for the Beqaa Valley which is actually a plateau between the two mountain ranges – Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon. For most of us it was associated with Hezbollah activity and yes, Hezbollah are still here and there are yellow Hezbollah flags flying in villages. It is mainly an agricultural region and, in Roman times, was a major grain producing area while today it is probably more famous for its wines. The ruins of the Umayyad City of Aanjar - thought to have been a commercial centre is well worth a visit and its local restaurants specialise in fresh fish. A visit to a local wine producer is also a must. We visited the Ksara winery which is the oldest winery in Lebanon and which has a series of underground caves that were first discovered in Roman times.

The most famous and important archeological site in the Bequaa Valley is Baalbek – Sun City (Heliopolis) of the ancient world. It has majestic Roman temples of gigantic size, the tallest columns ever erected and the largest stones ever cut. Construction of the temples must have been a massive undertaking. Before we visited the site we visited the remains of a nearby quarry with one of the largest stones ever cut. It is thought that this stone, like the other giant stones in Baalbek, weighs over 1000 tons.

Temple of Jupiter, Baalbek

Baalbek is an amazing site – the first view is of the Corinthian columns of the Great Temple of Jupiter. There are only six columns remaining of the original 54, but these rise 22 metres from the podium which is constructed from three giant stones. The entrance to the whole complex is through a monumental entrance, a Hexagonal Court and then a Great Court before reaching the Temple itself. At the side of the Temple is the Temple of Bacchus, the best preserved temple of the Roman period in the region and, although it is called the small temple, is actually larger than the Parthenon in Athens. Outside the complex is the small, though picturesque, Temple of Venus.

One of the greatest curiosities of my visit was found within this area. We stayed at a hotel in Kahle and, in the local visitor guide, there was reference to ‘Noah’s tomb’ in the neighbouring village of Karak. It said ‘ The tomb of Noah is found in the village mosque.’ Although Noah’s tomb is 42 metres long and 2.5 metres wide, tradition says that he still had to be buried with his knees bent. There is an ancient Arabic inscription on the walls of the mosque, which was apparently constructed of re-used Roman stones.

At 7.00am the following morning, three of us set off in a taxi to investigate. In Karak we found the local mosque and climbed a set of steep steps where we found a long building attached to the side of the mosque. The local guardian arrived and unlocked the building for us. Yes – there was Noah’s tomb, stretching down the length of the building – looking a bit like a long Toblerone covered with green material and carpets. There was a picture of the Ark on the wall and one of Noah and the doves. We were shown into the mosque and there was an Arabic inscription and a column made from sections of a Roman column. Since my return I have found reference to this tomb in The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain who appears to have been shown the Tomb by Noah’s descendents. I have also found other references to this tomb, to other Noah’s tombs, to other tombs which are 42 metres long (e.g. Daniel) and to Beqaa Giants. Very curious.

Sign at Beiteddine Palace

As a finale, we returned to Beirut via the Beiteddine Palace. This is a former stronghold of the 18th century governor Emir Bashir. It now hosts a collection of pottery and glass as well as a spectacular collection of Byzantine mosaics. These are located among the stone arches and vaulted ceilings in the old stables and alongside the palace gardens. They are real treat! The Palace rooms are also open and at the entrance to the private residence there is a very clear sign showing hands held over the eyes – a reminder that this was a private area so that men should take care not to look at the (uncovered) women.

A final stop was at the village of Dier al-Qamar, one of the most picturesque of Lebanon’s villages, with a mosque with an octagonal minaret, a main square with a khan and warehouse, an old palace and a church. It was an excellent place for a leisurely lunch before returning to the bustle of Beirut.

First published in VISA 98 (Aug 2011)