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
Category Archives: Lebanon
The Largest Stone In The World
This is an abandoned Roman quarry (which I thought was interesting by itself) found within the Lebanese city of Baalbek: Off in a corner of the quarry… …can be found what is billed as the largest stone in the world, measuring in at 21.5m by 4m by 4.5m: It was the Romans that carved out … Continue reading
Exploring Byblos (Jbeil), Lebanon
Byblos is believed to be the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world: About 7,000 years ago a small Neolithic fishing community settled along the shore and several of their huts, with crushed limed stone floors, can still be seen. Many tools and weapons of this stone age period have been found as well. The Chalcolithic … Continue reading
The Lebanon Of Hezbollah
Hezbollah fighters launching rockets toward Israel… I’ve already shown you the Mleeta Resistance Landmark… And if you are a reader of this web site, you are almost certainly already familiar with Hezbollah anyway. Therefore, I shall not go into a detailed history here. I’ll sprinkle in some interesting facts and observations I made on our … Continue reading
Exploring Baalbek, Lebanon
Baalbek has long enjoyed a reputation as home to some of the finest Roman ruins anywhere in the world. However, even without the Roman ruins, it would still be an interesting town… To reach Baalbek, one passes through the hot, dry Bekaa, not so much a valley as a high-altitude plain, with its Hezbollah flags … Continue reading
Visiting The Mleeta Resistance Landmark
Regardless of where your sympathies lie in the various conflicts in the Middle East, the Mleeta Resistance Landmark is an interesting place to visit. Established by Hezbollah and opened in 2010, the Mleeta Resistance Landmark is Hezbollah’s presentation of their conflict with Israel and a celebration of their role in it. The “Tourist Landmark of … Continue reading
The Cedar Forests Of Lebanon
The cedar forests of Lebanon first began to resonate with me after reading the Epic of Gilgamesh, perhaps the oldest written story on Earth. The Epic of Gilgamesh describes vast, unexplored cedar forests dominating the lands of the Mediterranean and Middle East. During the tale, Gilgamesh journeys into the cedar forests to slay the ogre-guardian … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 