Presented by: Lina Mroueh 14/02/2005

1. Lebanon The country with unequalled nature, packed with history, archeology and lovely people that have till now defied all the difficulties. Presented by: Lina Mroueh 14/02/2005 The cedar’s land

3. Lebanon’s Map

4. About Lebanon… • Total Area = 10452 square km. • Famous cities: Beirut the capital , Byblos, Sidon , Tyr, Tripoli. • Independance Date: 22 novembre 1943. • Climate : a Mediterranean climate -- hot and dry summers and cool, rainy winters. • Unit of currency : livre libanais LL called lira. 1 € = 2000 LL.

5. More about Lebanon… • Education : The most important universities in the middle east : AUB , USJ , UL. • Origin of lebanese people : Phoenicians. • Life style : Traditional life revolves strongly around the family, religion and hospitality. • Spoken Languages : Arabic(Official language), French , English and Armenian.

6. Beirut • The pearl of the orient. • Great cultural center on the Middle Eastern region. • A commercial, banking and financial center for the region.

7. Tourism In Lebanon Historical ruins, religious places, ski resorts, beach resorts, active night life, restaurants and world class hotels, make Lebanon an ideal location for holidays and tourism all year. • Beautiful nature. • Monuments and ruins. • Religious and spiritual places.

8. The Beautiful Nature

9. The Forest of Ceders 1 • The cedars of Lebanon are an integral part of the history of the country. • Classified as national treasure, and subject to regular control, some cedars are more than 1000 years old. • The most famous cedars are in the region of Becharré(Arz El Rabb) North of Lebanon, and Barouk in the Chouf.

10. The Forest of Ceders 2 • Cited in the holy Bible and ancient historical books, the cedar is symbol of Eternity . • It is also by excellence the symbol of the Lebanese Republic, since it figures on its flag and money.

11. Faraya • Faraya – North Lebanon. • The best Ski resorts in the Middle East. • Snow covers mountains in the winter, and makes these mountains a favorite destination for locals and tourists all year round.

12. Grotto of Jeïta • the biggest natural cave in the Middle East. • Network of 9 km of underground caves. • Veritable treasure trove of stalactites and stalagmites (with the biggest one in the world: 8.2m). • Visitors can see the natural formations in the lower grotto up close by riding on boats. • The upper grotto is accessible by foot.

13. The Rock of Pigeon • A group of natural arched rock formations off the coast of Beirut. • The rocks can be seen from the Corniche, in Raouche. They are especially beautiful at sunset. In the summertime, you can take a tour in a small boat to view the rocks from close-up.

14. The holy valley(Qadisha) • Word Heritage Sites. • Destination for nature enthusiasts: - hiking and trekking - mountain climbing - caving. - Natural exhibition. • Gives an overview: - Traditonal lebanese life - Cuisine. - cultural and religious traditions.

15. The Monuments

16. Baalbak • Baalbeck – The City of The sun. • The Temple of Jupiter : the largest Roman temple ever constructed. • Today, just six of the original 54 columns remain standing. Each column is 22 meters high and 2 meters in diameter, hinting at the temple’s enormous size in the time of the Roman empire.

17. Beit el Din • the palace of Beit Eddine: An example of early 19th Century oriental architecture. • the palace was built by Emir Bechir el Chehabi II (1788 -1840). • Emir Bechir’s reign was equally characterised by both justice and prosperity: roads , bridges , palaces , …

18. Byblos • Byblos is part of the coastal area once known as Canaan or Phoenicia. • Byblos was the first city of the Phoenician and was a major trading center and producer of papyrus(paper), and was famous for being the city where Phoenician created the world’s first alphabet. • Byblos has extensive archaeological ruins which have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

19. The castle of Saida • Saida - Coastal city in South Lebanon was said to be the most important of the Lebanese city-states in Phoenician times. • The Sea Castle was built into 1227-1228 to defend the city. To construct it, they used materials extracted from the close ancient ruins. That is what explains the reason that walls contains cylinders of Roman columns.

20. Tyr • Tyr – Sour is famous for its Roman ruins, which have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. • With over 5,000 years of history, Tyre also contains remnants of Egyptian, Assyrian, Phoenician, Greek, Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman civilizations.

21. Lebanon - The Holy Land

22. Harissa • Sayidet loubnan – Notre dame du Liban - 1908. - The Maronite Patriarch Hoayek. Gigantic bronze statue of the Virgin Mary. • Location: Harissa, on a mountain summit 600 meters above the bay of Jounieh, and it offers a beautiful panoramic view of the coastline. • A cable car (telepherique) can be taken up the mountain from Jounieh to reach the shrine. • There is a chapel at the base of the statue and a spiral staircase leading to the top. Below the 8.5m statue are churches of several denominations.

23. Cana • Cana – South Lebanon. • This is the village where Christ is reported to have turned water into wine at a wedding party. • A cave and carvings on the rocks near the cave are evidence suggesting that the event took place here.

24. Annaya • Annaya – Jbeil. • Charbel was beatified in 1965 by Pope Paul VI and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1977. • St Charbel church in Annaya.