Touristic Sites

The National Museum
Jeita Grotto
Byblos
Aanjar
Baalbeck
Quadisha
Sidon
Beiteddine
North of Lebanon
The Cedars
Harissa and environs

The National Museum

Inaugurated in 1942, the National Museum is home to an extraordinary collection of important archeological objects.

Recently reopened after extensive renovation, the ground floor displays about seventy large objects. The undoubted star of the collection is the sarcophagus of Ahiram, King of Byblos, which is inscribed with the earliest known example of the Phoenician alphabet.

Jeita Grotto

Fashioned by millions of years of erosion, the Jeita Grotto is a spectacle that defies description. Its stone sculptures, both elegant and tormented, are seen to their best advantage thanks to the ingenious lighting system that reveals their mysterious depths. Discovered in 1836, between 1874 and 1940 expeditions by English, American and French explorers penetrated the Jeita Grotto to a depth of 1.750 meters.

Since 1946, Lebanese speleogists continued investigating this great underground system, which is now known to be at least 9 kilometers in length.

Jeita is composed of a dry upper gallery and a lower gallery with an underground lake that is seen by boat.

The caves are very well managed and are easily accessible to children and older people .A small train carries visitors between the levels of the two galleries and there is a restaurant, snack bar and projection room at the site.

Byblos

Byblos is a must-see to every visitor to Lebanon. This town, whose history goes back 7.000 years, is home to a major archaeological site that reveals one impressive ruin after another-traces of all civilizations that have occupied Byblos over the millennia.

Facing the sea, the archaeological site includes several Canaanite and Phoenician temples, the foundations of Stone age houses, ancient city walls and several Roman remains.

Byblos is celebrated as the birthplace of the alphabet.

Byblos is also known for its picturesque medieval port, where small fishing boats rock gently on the waves.

Aanjar

Located in the Beqaa valley, Aanjar is one of the rare Ommayad vestiges in Lebanon. The first hereditary dynasty of Islam, the Ommayads held sway in the region during the 7th and 8th centuries.

Surrounded by a wall seven meters high, Aanjar extends over more than 100,000 square meters. The city is perfectly symmetrical, divided into four quarters of equal size, separated by one street running East and West and another North and South.

Aanjar has been classified as a world Heritage site by UNESCO.

Baalbeck

Baalbeck, one of the world's most amazing archeological sites, can be found in the east of Lebanon, where the Beqaa plain lies enclosed between two mountain ranges.

A very ancient site, baalbeck came into its glory after the invasion of Alexander the Great, who elevated it to the rank of Heliopolis, City of the Sun. with the roman conquest and the construction of major temples, the town developed into an important religious site.

The masterpiece of Baalbeck is undoubtedly the Bacchus temple.

This monumental sanctuary is made up of three main temples. A visit begins with the temple of Jupiter, certainly the largest, but now the best preserved. Built during the reign of the Emperor Augustrus towards the beginning of the Christian era, it was finished a half century later under the rule of Nero.

This temple, 88 meters long and 48 meters wide, was originally supported by 54 columns. Today only six remain, but their size-22 meters high and 2 meters in diameter-is impressive indeed.

In Baalbeck one should also see the 8th century Ommayad mosque built with elements borrowed from the Byzantine church formerly on the same site. Baalbeck has been named a world Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Roman temple buffs will enjoy visiting the remains of other temples in the Beqaa, including those at Majdel Aanjar, Niha and Dekweh.

Quadisha

The holy valley of Qadisha, the refuge of hermits and patriarches in the early centuries of this era, lies at the foot of the picturesque village of Bcharreh and within easy reach of the famous Ceaders of Lebanon.

At the monastery of Qozhaya is a printing press dating from 1871, areminder that this was the site of Lebanon's first printing press, imported in the 16th century.

Sidon

An ancient city mentioned in the famous "El-Amarna letters of the 14th century BC, Sidon has known many upheavals in the course of its 6,000-year history.

Standing proudly in the sea facing the assault of the wind and wearther, the sea castle dates from the time of Crusaders, when Sidon was elevated to the rank of the Seigniory of Sagette.

After visiting the castle, stop at the nearby Government Resthouse with its landscaped grounds overlooking the sea-a pleasant place for a cup of coffee or a meal.

Beiteddine

Just a few kilometers from the fascinating village of Deir el Qamar is the Palace of Beiteddine, a masterpiece of the 19th century Lebanese architecture. The palace, with its vast courtyard and beautiful fountains, ochre stone and perfectly geometrical arcades, is a wonderful sight to behold.

Built during the reign of Emir Bachir Chehab over a period of thirty years, today the palace is one of Lebanon's most loved attractions. The imposing doors of inlaid marble, the typical "mandaloun" balconies closed in by intricate woodwork, and the richly colored windows are all typical of the period.

Beiteddine was recently reinstated as the summer residence of the President of the Republic, but this won't disturb the casual visitor. On the contrary, there is just a chance you might meet the Lebanese head of state, or even have a talk with him.

The palace is also the venue for an annual cultural festival presenting performers of international renown.

North of Lebanon

TRIPOLI - THE CAPITAL OF THE NORTH
2nd important City after Beirut, 85 km from Beirut.2nd Mamluk City after Cairo.
Due to its rich historical and architectural heritage and wealth, Tripoli is a City where Medieval and Modern blend together into a lively and hospital metropolis. A city where architectural styles customs and traditions still exist, as they were many years ago. Its importance goes back to its geographical location and port facilities that attracted sea trade of the Mediterranean through the ages.
Tripoli's colorful and rich history spans from the Phoenicians times to the Persians times from Hellenistic to Romans and Byzantines times, from the Arabs times as a commercial and shipbuilding and cultural center to the Crusaders times as the capital of the " Country of Tripoli " with its imposing " castle " and, from the Mamluk times to the Ottomans times as a commercial and prosper city till the French mandate.
Walking around the Old City is an experience by itself: it is discovering a live open-air museum that offers imposing monuments ranging from mosques, Khans, Hammams, Hadassah, Churches, as well as living souks offering a rich list of handicrafts marking its historical and social heritage: the blown glass in Beddaoui region, the pottery work in El-Mina, the sculpted wood work, the soap makers, the copper work, the tailors traditional work, the jewelry Souk, the Attarin Souk (perfumes and spices)…
The tour in Tripoli won't be considered complete without a sight seeing in the ancient site: El - Mina with its harbor, its fishermen and its
"Tower of lions" as well as a tour in its 100 ha International fair that was built by the internationally renowned Brazilian architect: Oscar Niemeyer.
Trying out the internationally renowned Tripolitan oriental sweets will be a good way of giving your feet a rest from all the walking in the old city.

Tripoli offshore Islands
Just offshore is a string of small islands. The largest, known as the Island of Palm Trees or Rabbits Island, is now a nature reserve for green turtles and rare birds. Declared a protected area by Unesco in 1992, camping, fire building or other depredation is forbidden. This island also holds Roman and Crusader remains

The Cedars

The Cedars has a lot to offer scenic beauty, hiking, skiing and après ski. And, of course, there are the famous Cedars of Lebanon where some of the oldest and most majestic examples of this ancient tree grow.

Known as "Arz el Rab" or Cedars of God, the trees are among the last survivors of the immense forests that lay across Mount Lebanon in ancient times. Their timber was exploited by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians as well as the residents of Canaan-Phoenicia. The wood was especially prized by Egyptian for shipbuilding and Solomon used it for his temple.

The ski area at 2.066 meters offers a combination of slopes, most of them with an ideal northwest exposure. Five T-bar tows carry skiers up to 2.300 meters. Hotels, chalets, restaurants, and snack bars are in good supply and ski rentals and lessons are available.

Harissa and environs (Cable car, View and Churches 26km)

Harissa can be reached from Jounieh by cable car, a nine-minute ride that takes you up 600 meters from the coast to the precipitous mountain top. A less breathtaking approach is by road from Jounieh. Near the cable car terminus is a church and a spectacular cathedral begun in 1970, as well as the famous landmark Statue of the Virgin Mary erected in 1908. Inside the base of the statue is a chapel while outside a spiral staircase leads to the top.

Within walking distance is the Greek Catholic Monastery of St Paul begun in 1947. The golden walls inside the church are covered with beautiful Byzantine-style wall mosaics that represent Christ Pantocrater, The Virgin wearing a medallion, the Communion of the Apostles, the church fathers and scenes from the Bible.

The area around Harissa is home to some 20 churches and monasteries. The oldest, Saint Anthony of Padua, was built by the Franciscans on land granted by Emir Fakhreddine in 1928 and confirmed by the Al-Khazen sheikhs. Nearby Bzoummar is the site of the Armenian Catholic patriarchal residence, while the Patriarchate of the Syrian Catholic Community is in Sharfeh. Harissa is also the seat of the Papal Nuncio in Lebanon.

Courtesy of Lebanese Ministry of Tourism. Copyright© 2003