middle-east-7-lebanon.pdf

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Middle East
Lebanon
(Chapter)
Edition
7th Edition, September 2012
Pages
55
Page Range
343-397
PDF
Coverage includes:
Beirut and around, Beit Mery, Brummana, Jeita Grotto,
Jounieh, Byblos, Tripoli, Bcharré, The Qadisha Valley, The Cedars, South Of Beirut,
Sidon, Temple Of Echmoun, Tyre, Chouf Mountains, Bekaa Valley, Zahlé, Baalbek,
Aanjar, Understand Lebanon, Lebanon Today, History, People, Religion, Arts,
Environment, Food, Drink, Survival Guide, Directory A–Z, Getting There and Away,
and Getting Around.
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Lebanon
Why Go?
Beirut ............................346
Beit Mery &
Brummana ...................359
Jounieh .........................360
North of Beirut .............360
Byblos ...........................360
Tripoli ............................364
Bcharré & the
Qadisha Valley ..............368
The Cedars ...................369
South of Beirut ............. 370
Sidon ............................ 370
Tyre ............................... 372
Bekaa Valley ................. 376
Baalbek......................... 377
Understand Lebanon ...380
Survival Guide .............. 391
Its name is a byword for conflict but Lebanon, the original
land of milk and honey, is a friendly, welcoming and cul-
turally rich country with one slipper in the Arab world and
one Jimmy Choo planted
rmly in the West. It’s home to a
bubbling-hot nightlife in Beirut, a notorious Hezbollah (Par-
ty of God) headquarters in backwater Baalbek, a
stful of
ash ski resorts, and a dozen cramped and poverty-stricken
Palestinian refugee camps.
Hike the Qadisha Valley and it’s hard to imagine that a con-
ict has ever existed here; wander past the pockmarked shell
of Beirut’s Holiday Inn and you’ll wonder if there will ever be
lasting peace. Lebanon is chaotic and fascinating – scarred
by decades of civil war, invasions and terrorist attacks, yet
blessed with serene mountain vistas, majestic ancient ruins
and a people who are resilient, indomitable and renowned
for their hospitality. Heed travel warnings but don’t miss the
compelling and confusing wonders of Lebanon.
When to Go
Best for Nature
»
Jeita Grotto (p360)
»
Qadisha Valley (p368)
»
Chouf Mountains (p375)
Beirut
°C/°F
Temp
50/122
40/104
30/86
4/100
20/68
2/50
0
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainfall
inches/mm
8/200
6/150
Best for Culture
»
Baalbek ruins (p377)
»
Tripoli Old City (p364)
»
Sidon Old City (p370)
»
National Museum of
10/50
0/32
Beirut (p346)
Dec–Apr
Skiing –
and après-ski
parties – in the
mountains.
May–Sep
The
perfect time to go
hiking along wild
trails and through
cedar forests.
Jul–Aug
Baal-
bek’s famous arts
festival brings the
ancient Roman
ruins to life.
344
AT A GLANCE
»
Currency
Lebanese
Connections
There aren’t many choices for getting into or out of Lebanon.
The only land crossings are into Syria, as the Israel–Lebanon
land border has been closed for years. Although there are
several border crossings into Syria, they aren’t always open
(see p395 for more details). Lebanon’s only airport is in Bei-
rut. It’s small but efficient, handling an extensive network of
international
ights to and from Europe and the Arab world.
lira (also known as the
Lebanese pound; LL)
»
Mobile Phones
Good coverage; local
SIM cards are widely
available
»
Money
ATMs widely
available; credit cards
accepted in larger
establishments
»
Visas
Available at
ITINERARIES
One Week
Begin your trip in
Beirut,
indulging in the capital’s funky
bars and cooler-than-cool cafe scene. After two days
of hedonism, visit the fairy-tale cave of
Jeita Grotto
before continuing north to pretty
Byblos,
where ancient
ruins are sprinkled beside an azure sea. Spend a relax-
ing day in Byblos or drive up to the
Qadisha Valley
for
a long nature hike. Next, move on to
Tripoli,
explore its
medieval souqs and munch on its famous sweets. If
the road is open, cross the mountains to
Baalbek
– the
fabled ‘Sun City’ If the road is closed, you’ll have to go
.
through Beirut to get to Baalbek. On day seven, detour
to
Aanjar’s
Umayyad city ruins on the return to Beirut.
the airport for many
nationalities
Fast Facts
»
Capital
Beirut
»
Country code
%
961
»
Language
Arabic (Eng-
lish and French widely
spoken)
»
Official name
Republic
of Lebanon
»
Population
4 million
Two Weeks
If it’s winter, spend two days skiing at
the Cedars,
with
a visit to the Gibran Museum in
Bcharré.
If it’s summer,
spend an extra day hiking in the
Qadisha Valley.
Set
aside two days to explore
Sidon
and
Tyre,
southern
cities with tumultuous pasts and a wealth of ancient re-
mains, then head over to
Deir al-Qamar
to soak up the
small-town atmosphere and the wonders of the
Beited-
dine Palace.
Backtracking to Beirut, spend your
nal
days relaxing poolside at one of its chi-chi beach clubs.
Exchange Rates
Australia
Euro Zone
A$1
€1
LL1552
LL1988
Israel & the
Palestinian
Territories
1N1S
Syria
UK
USA
S£1
UK£1
US$1
LL397
LL26.24
LL2436
LL1502
Essential Food & Drink
»
Felafel
Deep-fried balls of chickpea paste and/or fava
For current exchange rates,
see www.xe.com.
beans.
»
Shwarma
Thin slices of marinated meat garnished with
Resources
»
Lebanon Ministry of
fresh vegetables, pickles and tahina (sesame-seed paste),
wrapped in pita bread.
»
Mezze
Small dishes usually served as starters, often
Tourism
(www.lebanon
-tourism.gov.lb)
»
Lebanon Tourism
(www.
lebanontourism.org)
»
LebanonTourism.com
including the three staples of hummus,
muttabal
(aubergine
dip) and tabbouleh.
»
Zaatar
A blend of Middle Eastern herbs, sesame seeds
and salt, used as a condiment on meats, vegetables, rice
and bread.
»
Arak
Aniseed-flavoured liquor, best served with water
(www.lebanontourism.com)
and ice.
345
Aarida
0
0
20 km
10 miles
Aaboudiye
Nahr
al-
Kabir
Halba
Akkar
al-Atiqa
Qoubayet
Lake
Qattinah
MEDITERRANEAN
Al-Mina
SEA
Tripoli (Trablous)
Qalamoun
Chekka
Batroun
Amioun
Qadisha
Valley
Douma
Mashnaqa
Ehden
Bcharré
The Cedars
Mt
Nahr
Ibrahim
Jounieh
Qartaba
Le
Byblos
(Jbail)
ba
Aaqoura
Jeita Grotto
Beirut
Baabda
Damour
Deir al-
Qamar
Bikfaya
Jebel Sannine
(2628m)
Baskinta
Brummana
Beit Mery
Chtaura
Qabb Elias
Rayak
Zahlé
Aanjar
Barouk
Beiteddine
Masnaa
Je
Joun
Sidon
(Saida)
Sarafand
Nah
r
al-
li
Awa
Temple of
Echmoun
Chouf Cedar
Reserve
Lake
Jezzine
Qaraoun
ni
al-
Lit
a
Na
hr
Qatana
Nabatiye
Beaufort
Castle
Tomb of
Hiram
Qana
Mansoura
Bint Jbayl
Hasbaya
Marjeyun
Khiam
Jebel ash-Sheikh
(Mt Hermon)
(2814m)
Tyre (Sour)
Area Administered by Syria
Under UN Supervision
Kiryat Shmona
Jordan
River
Quneitra
Golan
Heights
Lebanon Highlights
1
Marvel at
Jeita Grotto
(p360) and its glittering forest
of stalactites and stalagmites
4
Delve into the traditional,
atmospheric souqs of
Old
Sidon
(p370)
5
Drink and be merry in the
cooler-than-cool cafes and
dive bars of Beirut’s
Hamra
and
Gemmayzeh
(p355)
districts
2
Explore the haunting ruins
of the ancient ‘Sun City’ of
Baalbek
(p377)
3
Wander through seaside
ruins and celebrate a
Mediterranean sunset in pretty
Byblos
(p360)
n
be
R
an
(A l
g
nt Li
V
e
al
i- bn
Le a
le
b an a
y
Nah
r
al
no sh
-
Aas
n -S
i
ha
R
an rq
ge iy
) ya
Al-Ain
Hermel
Abu
Moussa
Hermel
Pyramid
Zgharta
Qornet
Horsh Ehden as-Sawda
Deir Mar
Nature Reserve (3090m)
Maroun
Al-Qaa
Abu
A
li
Na
hr
Charbiné
no
Nahr
B
ek
a a
Baalbek
Talat Musa
(2659m)
SYRIA
DAMASCUS
6
Hike past rock-cut
monasteries and gushing
waterfalls in the scenic
Qadisha Valley
(p368)
7
Ski Lebanon’s pristine
mountain slopes at
the
Cedars
(p369)
346
BEIRUT
%
01 / POP 1.3 MILLION
ﺕﻭﺮﻴﺑ
Beirut, the nation’s capital, is a fabulous place
of glitz, glamour, restaurants and beach clubs –
if, that is, you’re one of the lucky ones. While
the city centre is
lled with suave sophistica-
tion, the outskirts of town comprise some of
the most deprived Palestinian refugee camps
of all, and its crowded slums provide a breed-
ing ground for Hezbollah
ghters. If you’re
looking for the real East-meets-West so talked
about in the Middle East, this is precisely
where it’s at. Crowded and ancient, beautiful
and blighted, hot and heady, home to Prada
and Palestinians, Beirut is many things at
once, but all, without doubt, compelling.
History
Though there’s evidence of a city on the site
of modern Beirut dating back at least to
ancient Egyptian times, it wasn’t until the
Roman era that the city really came into its
own, both as a commercial port and military
base and, by the 3rd century AD, as the loca-
tion of a world-renowned school of law, one
of the
rst three in the world. The city’s fame
continued until AD 551, when a devastating
earthquake and resultant tsunami brought
massive death, destruction and decline. The
law school was moved to Sidon, and Beirut
didn’t regain its importance as a trading cen-
tre and gateway to the Middle East until the
16th century, under local emir Fakhreddine.
In the 19th century Beirut enjoyed a com-
mercial boom, but also experienced the
rst
of much meddling by European powers as
French troops arrived at the city’s port. The
early years of the 20th century saw citywide
devastation, the combined result of a WWI
Allied blockade, famine, revolt and plague,
which killed a quarter of its population. Fol-
lowing WWII, however, Beirut slowly became
a major business, banking and publishing
centre, and remained so until the bloody, bru-
tal civil war that ravaged the city’s streets and
citizens put paid to its supremacy.
Following the end of the war in 1990,
rehabilitation of the city’s infrastructure be-
came the major focus of both the local and
national governments, to restore its Paris
of the East reputation. Beirut’s battle scars,
however, remain visible throughout the city.
people-watching. Directly north of Hamra
runs the seafront Corniche, or Ave de Par-
is, along which are stringed Beirut’s beach
clubs and most of its top hotels. To the south
is affluent Verdun, home to designer clothes
shops that line the Rue Verdun. East from
Hamra, you’ll reach the beautifully restored
Beirut Central District (BCD), at the centre
of which is the landmark Place d’Étoile, also
known as Nejmeh Sq, lined with pavement
cafes. Just east again is the Place des Mar-
tyrs, where the huge Mohammed Al-Amin
Mosque (reminiscent of
İstanbul’s
Blue
Mosque) is another useful landmark.
Edging the Place des Martyrs is the Rue
de Damas, which was once the Green Line
separating warring East and West Beirut,
and further west you’ll
nd the funky Gem-
mayzeh district, centred on Rue Gouraud. A
little south from here, you’ll reach Achrafiye,
another super-cool district, famous for its
restaurants, bars and clubs on Rue Monot.
National Museum of Beirut
MUSEUM
(Map p347;
%
426 703/4; www.beirutnational
museum.com; cnr Rue de Damas & Ave Abdallah
Yafi; adult/student/child LL5000/1000/1000, guide
US$30;
h
9am-5pm Tue-Sun)
This must-see mu-
LEBANON
B E I R U T
1
Sights & Activities
Beirut doesn’t have many sights as such. The
student district of Hamra is alive with cafes,
restaurants and bars, and is a good place for
seum situated on the former Green Line has
an impressive, but not overwhelming, collec-
tion of archaeological artefacts, and offers a
great overview of Lebanon’s history and the
civilisations that made their home here.
Highlights include some beautifully ob-
served Phoenician marble statues of baby
boys (from Echmoun, 5th century BC),
lovely 3rd- and 4th-century AD mosaics,
Byzantine gold jewellery (found in a jar
under the
oor of a villa in Beirut) and the
famous, much-photographed Phoenician
gilded bronze
gurines from Byblos. A
oor
plan is distributed free with tickets, or you
can opt for a more informative written guide
(LL10,000) from the gift shop.
The museum screens a fascinating
12-minute documentary in its
theatrette
(ground
;
h
9am-4pm)
in English hourly or
French on demand, detailing how curators
saved the collection during the civil war and
subsequently restored it to its former glory.
To get to the museum, walk 15 minutes
south from Sodeco Sq along Rue de Damas,
or hail a service taxi and ask for the Musée
or the Hippodrome.
Beirut Art Center
GALLERY
(
%
397 018; http://beirutartcenter.org; Jisr el-Wafi,
Adlieh;
h
noon-8pm Mon-Sat)
Dedicated to
Zgłoś jeśli naruszono regulamin