Once known as the Paris of
the East, Beirut commands a brilliant position, thrust
into the Mediterranean. Behind the city are immense mountains, visible
when the traffic haze settles down. The Corniche seafront boasts
restaurants, beaches, theatres and a dazzling variety of shops and
restaurants. Beirut suffered greatly from Lebanon’s 16 year
civil war, but following an remarkable and ongoing process of reconstruction,
the city is once again 1 of the most popular tourist and business
destinations in the Middle East.
The so called Green Line which, during the war,
divided the city into East and West, has now gone, and 2 competing
centres have grown up numerous kilometres apart. 1 is Hamra in West
Beirut, where the American University is situated along with the
majority of hotels. The other is Achrafieh in East Beirut, home
to the Université St Joseph and an escalating number of smart
shops and expensive restaurants.
Beirut’s Central District, known as Solidere
(the company in charge of the reconstruction programme), is seeing
a magnificent number of modern buildings and office blocks springing
up everywhere. After massive landfill, 2 new marinas, a new seaside
promenade and a green park are also planned. While several of the
new buildings look very modern, Beirut’s old souks (covered
markets) are being reconstructed in an authentic way.
The Turkish bath at Al-Nouzha provides another
glance of the old Beirut. Lebanon’s only museum, the Beirut
National Museum, has been rehabilitated and is continuously updating
its interesting collection. On the western tip of Beirut, Raouche
is a gradually more popular district with a lively seaside promenade.
Its famous landmark, the Pigeon Rocks, are large formations standing
like sentinels off the coast.
Around 20 kilometres (13 miles) north of Beirut, the spectacular
Jeita caverns are a popular tourist attraction.
The caverns are on 2 levels, and the lower gallery includes an underground
waterway which can be visited by boat (but may be closed during
winter).
Tripoli
Lebanon’s 2nd city, Tripoli is Lebanon’s most Arabian
city and retains much of its provincial charm. Its history
dates back to the 8 th century BC, and the town centre, though surrounded
by modern housing developments and beach resorts, has preserved
its character. There are 2 parts, the port area and the city proper,
which are divided by acres of fragrant orange plantations.
Tripoli’s old medieval centre at the foot
of the Crusader castle has several interesting mosques, including
the Al-Muallaq Burtasiyat Madrassa, Al-Qartâwiyat Madrassa,
Great Mosque and Taynâl. The old souks (covered markets) provide
appealing shopping. Tripoli is well known for its sweets and traditional
olive oil based soap. The port area, known as Al Mina, has many
seafood restaurants and fish markets, most hotels can be found in
the modern beach resorts along the coast.
Excursions
Just off Tripoli, several small islands can be visited, the largest
of which, the Island of Palm Trees, has been listed by UNESCO
as a nature reserve for green turtles and rare birds.
Tyre
Tyre was founded at the start of the 3rd millennium BC and still
bears impressive traces of its ancient origins today. Tyre’s
archaeological sites are divided
into 3 areas, area 1 is located on what was the Phoenician Island
and contains ruins of the large district of civic buildings, public
baths and mosaic streets, area 2 contains an extensive network of
Romano-Byzantine roads and other installations, area 3 is most notable
for containing 1 of the largest Roman hippodromes ever found.
Byblos
Byblos is reputed to be the oldest town in the world, with excavations
unearthing artefacts dating back to Neolithic times as well as from
Hellenistic, Canaanite, Phoenician, Roman and Crusader periods.
Fishing boats and pleasure craft supply the old harbour. Today,
Byblos is a flourishing modern town, with the old town centre being
the most interesting part for the visitor to explore.
Elsewhere
A small port city between Tyre and Beirut, Sidon
has a sea castle built of stone from Roman remains and it offers
well stocked markets.
Beiteddine, in the
Chouf Mountains, is the site of the palace built by the Amir Basheer
in the 19 th century. The courtyard and state rooms are really worth
a visit. Near the Syrian border, Baalbek contains
1 of the best preserved temple areas of the Roman world still in
existence. It is, in fact, a complex of numerous temples behind
which soar the columns of the Temple of Jupiter.
Besharre,
to the north west, is famous as the birthplace of the famous Lebanese
poet Khalil Gibran, author of The Prophet, and there is a Gibran
museum. The town is also a gateway to the mountainous region, well
known for its many cedar trees. |
