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Brief travel notes: Beirut - Sidon - Tyre - Byblos - Jeita Caves - Beqaa Valley - Damour

19 December 2017 • Travel time: with 06 March 2017 on 11 March 2017
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Oleg Belushkin's tour review

Brief travel notes: Beirut-Sidon-Tir-Byblos-Jeita Caves-Beqaa Valley-Damour-Baalbek-El Qamar-Barouk

Route and general impression

I have been planning a trip to Lebanon for a long time. One of the classic itineraries for world travelers for many years has been the combined tour of Syria and Lebanon. Unfortunately, I did not have time to visit Syria, and now this ancient country has been closed to tourists for a long time due to the war. But in Lebanon, fortunately, it is still calm - despite the political confrontation with Israel, the country has long been an island of stability in the Middle East.


The territory of Lebanon is small: about two hundred kilometers along the Mediterranean Sea, fifty from the coast to the Syrian border. But, as in neighboring Israel, every inch of Lebanese land is saturated with history, starting from ancient times. Lebanon is one of the few countries in the world where you can hear the phrase “and this is a completely new fortress – it was built in the 13th century” from the guide, and not be surprised at all. Despite the fact that many of the historical sites of Lebanon were destroyed and lost during its turbulent history, while new archaeological work is almost not being carried out, many objects of world historical significance have still been preserved in the country.

The main cultural feature of Lebanon is its amazing cosmopolitanism and diversity. Here (seemingly, almost in the heart of the Islamic world), in a country that is also a sworn enemy of Israel, there is not even a hint of Islamic fundamentalism. On the contrary, exceptional tolerance by Arab standards in everything, and especially - to religion. According to Lebanese laws, the prime minister and the speaker of parliament must be Muslims, and the president of the country must be only a Christian (! ). This order was introduced when Lebanon was a French colony, and it remains unchanged today. Beirut is an almost western city, with an active evening life, it hosts all kinds of music, film, concerts and exhibitions endlessly. Lebanese women walk around calmly in short skirts and bright makeup. But right here, near the Israeli border, is the territory of the Hezbollah movement. Your car will be allowed there only after being searched by very gloomy bearded Arab men with Kalashnikovs at the ready. Lebanon is like a mosaic: both eastern and western at the same time, very ancient and modern, warm, hospitable and almost terrorist. In general, unusually, for such a small, and even an Islamic country, multicultural.

History of Lebanon

Beirut is an unusual capital for the Arab world: almost European in spirit and lifestyle, but breathing ancient history and oriental flavor. Beirut stretches for many kilometers along the Mediterranean coast. The nighttime appearance of Beirut unexpectedly evoked in me a distant association with Rio - a spicy night air, a winding, brightly lit coastline with many sandy beaches and bizarrely shaped hills on which houses densely nest (almost like favelas). There is even a statue of Jesus in Beirut, although it is small. Although, of course, there are no other delights of Rio (carnival, samba and half-naked mulattos on the beaches) in Beirut, of course?


In the center of Beirut, which turned out to be completely deserted on Sunday morning, we made a pleasant walk with a Russian girl guide. In early March, the center of Beirut was already in full bloom: trees with bright yellow and red crowns of leaves seemed almost fabulous (photo above). In addition to government buildings, the center of Beirut is interesting with several Christian cathedrals, as well as a new city mosque built after the civil war, with a bright interior in yellow and red colors (photo on the right). In the sea, off the coast, there is a symbol of Beirut - a natural arch called a pigeon rock (photo), a segment of the coast opposite it is considered the most romantic place in the city.

One of the main attractions of Beirut is the archaeological museum. It is small in size, but literally each of its exhibits is carefully selected and worthy of being depicted in history books. The main heritage belongs to the Phoenician and Roman period of Lebanon's history - impressive, richly ornamented, the tombs of the Phoenician kings, examples of Phoenician writing, many impressive sculptures and mosaics.

All guests of Beirut take the funicular to the top of the hill, on which there is a tall marble statue of Our Lady (photo on the left) and several other buildings in the style of modern architecture. The funicular ride itself is no less interesting - with views of the picturesque densely populated Beirut quarters nestled on the steep slopes of the hills against the backdrop of the sea. Evening life in Beirut is concentrated on the coast in the north of the city. Here is the largest casino in the Middle East, shining with luxury (I visited it, but, of course, did not play), the best restaurants and nightclubs. For all the seeming frivolity of Beirut, Arab norms of behavior are observed in the evening life - there are no rumbling discos or establishments with erotic shows. Lebanese mostly come to clubs like bars - to drink a little and chat quietly.

Jeita caves are the main natural attraction of Lebanon. In the recent worldwide competition for the “new seven wonders of the world”, they received a very high rating, just a little short of the coveted seven ? . The caves are conveniently located - in the suburbs of Beirut, and are really unusually beautiful. They are divided into two levels. In the upper cave there are large “classic” halls with stalactites and stalagmites of various shapes (some of the stalactites are among the largest in the world) and skillful multi-colored lighting. In the lower cave is a magnificent underground lake, where you can make a small but unusual sensations by boat ride (bottom right). I have been to many famous caves in the world and Jeita is definitely one of the best.


Sidon is the ancient capital of Phoenicia, located on the coast, not far from Beirut. Nothing remains of Phoenician and Roman times in Sidon, but a pretty 13th-century fortress built by the crusaders has been preserved here. A romantic view of the old town and the sea opens from the upper platform of the fortress. There is also a quarter of Arab streets with stone houses and shops, as if not changed since the 19th century.

Tire is the capital of ancient Phoenicia during its heyday. The ruins of Thira are a world-class archaeological site. It was here, about a thousand years BC, that the center of all Mediterranean trade was located. For centuries, Tire was absolutely impregnable for enemies - the city center was located in the sea, on a small island, and was fortified with massive fortress walls. At the sunset of the power of the Phoenicians, the army of Alexander the Great approached Tire, but the inhabitants of the city refused to surrender. Alexander, who went down in history as a man who did not understand the word "impossible", ordered the construction of a dam to the island, which entered the annals of military art and became one of Alexander's most striking victories. The dam (about a kilometer long) was built in six months, after which the city was conquered and destroyed with particular cruelty, and the isthmus created by Alexander's soldiers between the coast and the island still exists. In the Roman era, Tire was restored, again became a major city on the Middle East coast, with all the attributes - a forum, baths, arches. Now tourists are visiting two ancient Tyres. One of them is on the coast, and its main attraction (apart from other Roman structures) is the world's largest ancient Roman hippodrome, where the famous chariot races were held (how bright and violent these races were, well filmed in the classic film "Ben Hur") . Not only the area of ​ ​ the hippodrome has been preserved, but also part of the stands arranged in several tiers, which, according to the logic of spectator placement, are quite similar to modern stadiums. The second part of ancient Tyre is located on an island, overlooking the sea, against the backdrop of Roman columns and the foundations of the stone walls of the fortress, once destroyed by the stubborn Macedonians.

The city of Byblos is one of the oldest cities still in existence in the world. Byblos was founded in the 4th millennium BC, actively traded with Egypt even before the construction of the pyramids, and by the beginning of the Phoenician era it had already been destroyed several times. Little is known about the history of the city before Phoenician times, mostly beautiful legends, very similar to ancient Egyptian ones. It is known for certain that Byblos was the center of trade in Egyptian papyrus, the Greek word “byblos” (papyrus) arose from the name of the city, from which the word Bible (a book of papyrus) then came. Now in Byblos little has been preserved - only the outlines of the ancient city on the coast. But the atmosphere of incredible antiquity hovers over the remains of ancient stones. In Byblos, I especially remember the retellings of ancient legends about the city by my wonderful girl guide, as well as the majestic stone sarcophagus of one of the Phoenician rulers. It is located in a cramped underground chamber, where tourists are not allowed to enter, but we still got there (photo below in the middle). In the town of Byblos itself, shops are curious, where they sell (quite expensively) stones with prints of ancient fish (these prints are hundreds of millions of years old), which are found in large numbers by local semi-legal archaeologists in the mountains near the city (photo on the right).

Lebanese cuisine did not surprise me with anything special, but it seemed quite pleasant. The main meat dish in any cafe and restaurant is, of course, shawarma, which is served with a lot of greens, sour cream and a sour milk drink. Of the fruits, I liked small reddish oranges, unusually juicy and sugar-sweet. One evening in Beirut, I had dinner at the best fish restaurant in the country. A superb, world-class meal with several different Mediterranean fish and shrimp fried to order, as well as additional courses, fruit and dessert for less than $50? .


Beqaa Valley / Anjar

The Bekaa Valley is the heart of Lebanon, a green granary spread in the middle mountains in the west of the country. Agriculture is developed in the valley, here, in a relatively cool climate, the most famous brand of Lebanese wine “Ksara” is made (it seemed ordinary to me, though). The Beqaa Valley also contains the ruins of the world heritage site of Anjar. This city was built in the 8th century by an Arab Caliph and is still considered one of the finest examples of early Arab architecture. A century later, Anjar was partially destroyed by other Arab rulers, and since then it has been only a small settlement. Fortunately, the ruins of the 8th century city are well preserved, including many intricate semi-circular Arabic arches, columns, walls of buildings. It is noteworthy that Anjar, created and destroyed at the very dawn of the Islamic era, is already absolutely similar in style to much later, mature images of medieval Arab architecture, preserved, for example, in southern Spain.

Hezbollah (“Party of Allah”) is the main Islamic movement in Lebanon, whose declared goal is to protect Lebanese territory from possible Israeli encroachments. Hezbollah emerged in the 1980s, at the height of the civil war, as a guerrilla cell, but has since grown into a powerful political force. In the United States and Europe, Hezbollah is clearly considered an outlaw terrorist organization, while in Lebanon itself they are treated calmly - as an alternative army guarding the border with Israel. Hezbollah fighters do not interfere with Lebanese tourism. At the same time, the symbols of Hezbollah - T-shirts, caps, flags (green, with quotes from the Koran and the profile of a Kalashnikov assault rifle) are readily bought up by tourists as one of the most exotic souvenirs in the world. It is interesting to imagine a Russian tourist going through customs at the Tel Aviv airport in such a T-shirt and cap? .

The world's largest processed ancient stone


Baalbek is the most grandiose sight of Lebanon and one of the archaeological gems of the world, a level close to the Egyptian pyramids. Baalbek is full of secrets, which are so fond of alternative historians in the spirit of von Deinekin. According to the official version, the Baalbek complex was built by the Romans and was used as a stronghold in the Middle East. Indeed, this place is mentioned in Roman sources (albeit sparingly), and many of the surviving structures (stairs, columns, palaces) were built in the classical Roman style. But a lot of questions follow. Firstly, the size of the structures is striking - nowhere else in the world did the Romans build such tall columns (30 meters) as the columns of the Temple of Jupiter (photo above). The fully preserved grand temple of Bacchus (second photo from above) is also very large in size. At the same time, the scenery of its interior is more similar to ancient Indian than Roman. Finally, in Baalbek there is not at all a Roman general plan of the city: several gigantic structures were erected literally on a handkerchief (on a square with a couple of football fields), and there is nothing else outside them: no aqueducts, no thermal baths, no residential buildings - only mountains and clean field around. But the most amazing thing is the giant stones that lie at the base of the temples (photo on the left below). Each block weighs from a hundred to a thousand tons, these are the largest man-made stones that have survived in the world (for comparison, the stones that make up the pyramids weigh no more than ten tons). According to scientists in ancient times, even theoretically, there could not be devices that could move stones weighing a thousand tons. The largest processed ancient block in the world, weighing 1.200 tons, remained forever in the quarry (I am in the photo below against its background). According to one version, Baalbek, just like the pyramids, was built several millennia earlier than historians believe, by some mysterious ancient civilization. The two grandiose temples of Baalbek were probably built by the Romans after all, but on the foundations of much earlier and perhaps even grander structures. There is no doubt only that acquaintance with Baalbek is a must for a traveler around the world.

Damour is a small town in the depths of Lebanon, notable for the architecture of the Ottoman period of the 18th-19th centuries. In Damur, the old city center, an impressive caravanserai (an analogue of medieval hotels), as well as the hundred-year-old residence of the local ruler with a variety of exquisite decor - mosaics, luxurious halls in the Arabic style, as well as the unusual ceiling of one of the rooms with holes mentioned in all guidebooks in the form of a Maltese cross (photo on the right).

Cedars are a world-famous symbol of Phenicia and Lebanon, depicted even on the country's flag. Once majestic cedar forests covered the entire territory of Lebanon, but now, after thousands of years of cutting down, small groves of ancient cedars have survived only in the mountains, in reserves near the border with Syria, where each tree is protected as an invaluable national treasure. It is a pity that there are so few of them left - in the cedar grove there is amazing air that you literally want to drink. An obligatory Lebanese souvenir is a jar of cedar honey. This is truly the most refined honey I have ever tasted in my life

The impression of Lebanon is both deep (from touching the pearls of world history - Tire, Baalbek, Byblos), and light, like the very atmosphere of the country. The idea of ​ ​ a trip to Lebanon for short spring holidays was undoubtedly successful in every respect? .

Oleg Belushkin March

Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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