Also in the Beqaa valley is Anjar, the only Lebanese remaining walled city, some 58 km from Beirut. The stones and carvings were brought to this spot by decree of the Umayyad Caliph Al Walid in the early 8^th century AD. The ruins of the restored palaces, souks, bath, colonnade streets and walls recall the days of the first Muslim renaissance that spread their influence from Damascus to Spain and India.

Antiquities in Safekeeping

Opened in 1942 to house Lebanon’s archeological treasures, the National Museum has been a landmark both in times of peace and turmoil.

During the war, when the museum stood on the dangerous “Green Line” that divided Beirut, the antiquities it housed were removed for safekeeping. Larger objects were covered with concrete to ensure their protection. From prehistoric flint tools and weapons to Greco-Roman objects and a large collection from Byblos, the Museum’s holdings are a reflection of Lebanon’s national heritage.

Projects are underway to restore the building and gradually bring this National Museum back to its former importance.

The Cedars

Today the most venerable representatives of the Cedars of Lebanon, which once covered the entire country, are in the Besharre region of North Lebanon. Some 400 trees, many between 1.200 and 2.000 years old stand on slopes 2.000 meters high in the shadow of the 3.100-meter peak of Qornet es Sawda. From Lebanon’s cedar forests, Solomon got the wood for his temple and palace and from its wood; the pharaohs carved their sarcophagi and their “sun ships”.

Beirut | Byblos | Tripoli | Sidon | Tyre | Baalbeck | Baqaa | Anjar | Jeita | Beiteddine