The small size of Shebaa Farms – only a mile or so wide and several miles long – belies its significance. The next war between Israel and Hezbollah could very well start here… In 1926, when France created Lebanon, they drew the border with Syria in such a manner that it severed a number of … Continue reading
On the very edge of the Lebanese border one can find the town of Metula – Israel’s northernmost settlement… That’s all Lebanon past the tank: Established by the Rothschild family at the end of the 19th century under controversial circumstances, Metula was situated in an area under French control after World War I. However, under … Continue reading
The southern city of Tyre, Lebanon, during the 2006 war with Israel: The use of the word “Sour” in the title is not a commentary on the taste of Tyre, but rather is an alternative name for Tyre… Tyre’s origins are thought to date to around the 3rd millennium BC, when the original founders are … Continue reading
As my Italian and I discovered the hard way after being turned back from a number of roadblocks, one must have permission from the Lebanese government to visit certain regions in the south of Lebanon. After some confusion with soldiers that did not speak English, we were informed that official permission can only be obtained … Continue reading
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
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
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 Velvet Rocket 