In the hills above Bcharre can be found a large stone obelisk thought to date back to 750 BC. At the base of the obelisk is a burial chamber and ledges for four coffins: Continue reading
Author Archives: Justin
Moussalayha Castle, Lebanon
About 3 kilometers past Batroun, in the narrow valley at Ras ech-Chekka, is the attractive Moussalayha Castle, which used to defend the only land route between Beirut and Tripoli. It stands on a rocky outcrop and is built on the summit in such a way as to look like part of the living rock, its … Continue reading
The Bekaa Valley
Reclining on cushions, sipping mint leaf tea and gazing out across goat-strewn valleys peppered with biblical-looking mud houses… Despite its name, the Bekaa Valley is actually a high plateau between the Mount Lebanon Range and Jebel Libnan ash-Sharqiyya (Anti-Lebanon Range). For thousands of years the Bekaa Valley, called “hollow Syria” by the Greeks and Romans, … Continue reading
The Northwest Run: Lebanon
In the style of the original Northwest Run, my Italian and I pulled off the Lebanese version. We were forced to take this route because the short route from Bcharre to Baalbek was still closed due to immense amounts of snow keeping the pass closed. Rather than backtrack (the worst kind of defeat), I opted … Continue reading
Maaloula, Syria
Found in a narrow valley in the foothills of Jebel Libnan ash-Sharqiyya, Maaloula (also known as Maalula) is an appealing little village in which yellow-stone and silvery-blue-painted homes are stacked up against a sheer cliff. The mainly Greek Catholic village is one of the last remaining places where Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ, is … Continue reading
The Modified Volkswagens Of Bcharre, Lebanon
I’m not sure who is responsible, but the mountain town of Bcharre is filled with these severely modified Volkswagen Beetles: They look like they could take a serious beating… Actually, they look like they already have taken a serious beating. But, they look like they could take another one: They are an interesting local specialty. … Continue reading
Bcharre And The Qadisha Valley
A view down the Qadisha Valley… The Qadisha Valley is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful places in Lebanon. With its trails set amid steep cliffs, waterfalls, rock-cut tombs and monasteries it is hard to argue with this impression. When we visited we had the valley almost entirely to ourselves – there were … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 