Lebanon
Wikipedia - Lebanon is a country in the East Mediterranean and the smallest country in continental Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has dictated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity. Before the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990), the country experienced a period of relative calm and prosperity, driven by tourism, agriculture, and banking. Because of its financial power and diversity, Lebanon was known in its heyday as the "Switzerland of the East". It attracted large numbers of tourists, such that the capital Beirut was referred to as "Paris of the Middle East." At the end of the war, there were extensive efforts to revive the economy and rebuild national infrastructure.
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Take a Peek at Pigeon Rock
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Experience France in the Middle East in Star Square
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Lebanon Fast Facts
1. Beirut is not very pedestrian friendly due to the lack of parking space and the construction going on to rebuild the city. Sidewalks tend to end in the middle
of nowhere forcing you to jay walk across ridiculously busy streets.
2. If you get in a cab and tell them you want a service cab, the fair goes down considerably because they can pick up and drop off other people along the way.
3. Assassinated Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is buried immediately north of the Mohammad al-Amin Mosque and adjacent to Martyr’s Square.
4. Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years in a region known as Greater Syria.
5. Beirut is a possible candidate for the 2024 Olympic Games.
6. The unwritten National Pact of 1943 required that the Maronites not to seek foreign intervention and accept Lebanon as an Arab affiliated country, instead
of a Western one, the Muslims to abandon their aspirations to unite with Syria, the president be Maronite Christian, the speaker of the parliamentto be a
Shiite Muslim, its prime minister be Sunni Muslim, and the deputy speaker of Parliament be Greek Orthodox
7. In 1948, Lebanon joined the Arab League in invading Israel within hours of its independence. The League was defeated and Lebanon lost territory to Israel
that was later returned as part of their 1949 armistice with Israel.
8. Arabic is the official language of the country but French and English are also common.
9. Decades ago, Beirut once had a Jewish community in the neighborhood of Wadi Abu Jamil.
10. Reconstruction of downtown Beirut has been largely driven by a development company called Solidere that was established in 1994 by former Lebanese
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
1. Beirut is not very pedestrian friendly due to the lack of parking space and the construction going on to rebuild the city. Sidewalks tend to end in the middle
of nowhere forcing you to jay walk across ridiculously busy streets.
2. If you get in a cab and tell them you want a service cab, the fair goes down considerably because they can pick up and drop off other people along the way.
3. Assassinated Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is buried immediately north of the Mohammad al-Amin Mosque and adjacent to Martyr’s Square.
4. Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years in a region known as Greater Syria.
5. Beirut is a possible candidate for the 2024 Olympic Games.
6. The unwritten National Pact of 1943 required that the Maronites not to seek foreign intervention and accept Lebanon as an Arab affiliated country, instead
of a Western one, the Muslims to abandon their aspirations to unite with Syria, the president be Maronite Christian, the speaker of the parliamentto be a
Shiite Muslim, its prime minister be Sunni Muslim, and the deputy speaker of Parliament be Greek Orthodox
7. In 1948, Lebanon joined the Arab League in invading Israel within hours of its independence. The League was defeated and Lebanon lost territory to Israel
that was later returned as part of their 1949 armistice with Israel.
8. Arabic is the official language of the country but French and English are also common.
9. Decades ago, Beirut once had a Jewish community in the neighborhood of Wadi Abu Jamil.
10. Reconstruction of downtown Beirut has been largely driven by a development company called Solidere that was established in 1994 by former Lebanese
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
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For general travel tips on what to pack and how to plan ahead CLICK HERE
Lebanese Civil War April 13, 1975 - October 13, 1990
Lebanon’s fifteen year civil war resulted in over 130,000 civilian casualties and an additional one million people wounded leaving many with lifelong disabilities. The Cold War politics as well as the establishment of Israel and the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees that flooded into Lebanon as a result set the stage for the lengthy conflict. The 1973 Arab/Israeli war which led to a separate peace agreement between Egypt and Israel heightened tensions between Syria and Egypt and unfortunately Lebanon got caught in the middle as Syrian and Israeli militaries maneuvered throughout Lebanon in an effort to get a strategic advantage over Lebanon’s border with Israel.
A number of different groups formed alliances and during the course of the war the alliances shifted and by the end of the conflict pretty much every party had betrayed the other at least once. It had the makings of a soap opera. Numerous militias supported by the Christians, Shi’as, Sunnis, Druzes, Palestinians and other non-religious groups formed. During the 1980’s, as a result of all the fighting, much of the once beautiful Beirut lay in ruins
In March 1991, everyone must of got tired of fighting because the parliament passed an amnesty law that pardoned all political crimes prior to its enactment and by May 1991, all the militias were dissolved with the exception of Hezollah who went on to wreak havoc with Israel years later. The Lebanese Armed Force began to rebuild and have been able to extend central government authority over two thirds of the country.
Thousands of landmines planted during this time remained buried waiting to claim more victims while the country began rebuilding its political institutions to better include their Muslim population. They also went to work rebuilding their infrastructure some of which was again destroyed in the 2006 Lebanon War.
Lebanon’s fifteen year civil war resulted in over 130,000 civilian casualties and an additional one million people wounded leaving many with lifelong disabilities. The Cold War politics as well as the establishment of Israel and the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees that flooded into Lebanon as a result set the stage for the lengthy conflict. The 1973 Arab/Israeli war which led to a separate peace agreement between Egypt and Israel heightened tensions between Syria and Egypt and unfortunately Lebanon got caught in the middle as Syrian and Israeli militaries maneuvered throughout Lebanon in an effort to get a strategic advantage over Lebanon’s border with Israel.
A number of different groups formed alliances and during the course of the war the alliances shifted and by the end of the conflict pretty much every party had betrayed the other at least once. It had the makings of a soap opera. Numerous militias supported by the Christians, Shi’as, Sunnis, Druzes, Palestinians and other non-religious groups formed. During the 1980’s, as a result of all the fighting, much of the once beautiful Beirut lay in ruins
In March 1991, everyone must of got tired of fighting because the parliament passed an amnesty law that pardoned all political crimes prior to its enactment and by May 1991, all the militias were dissolved with the exception of Hezollah who went on to wreak havoc with Israel years later. The Lebanese Armed Force began to rebuild and have been able to extend central government authority over two thirds of the country.
Thousands of landmines planted during this time remained buried waiting to claim more victims while the country began rebuilding its political institutions to better include their Muslim population. They also went to work rebuilding their infrastructure some of which was again destroyed in the 2006 Lebanon War.
