Lebanon and Bekaa

Natural bridge at Kfardebian

I have been privileged that I have been able to travel through Turkey, Syria, and Israel before I visited Lebanon. Everywhere, you will see the line of mountains that runs parallel to the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. In southern Turkey, the mountains are called the Amanus Mountains, which are separated by the river Orontes from the Bargylus Mountains in Syria. In Israel, you will see the Mountains of Judah.

None of these is comparable to the Lebanon, which is much higher. The name, “the white peaks”, ought to have been a warning to us: we optimistically believed we could drive from Byblus to Baalbek, but had to make a long detour because the passes were still covered with snow.

East of the Lebanon is the Bekaa valley, where you will find Baalbek and the four temples of Niha, about which I already wrote something. I now added webpages on the Lebanon and on the Bekaa.

Nihata

The high priest Narkisos

Our visit to the temples of ancient Nihata (modern Niha) was one of the highlights of our visit to Lebanon. There are two sanctuaries, an oracle dedicated to the Syrian goddess Atargatis and a smaller shrine for Hadanares, who was comparable to the Baal-Zeus-Jupiter of Baalbek. There are two other temples, never finished, at nearby Hosn Niha.

The site must have been well-known, as it was situated along the main road from Antioch to the south: along the Orontes to Aleppo and Baalbek, and down to Tyre through the Bekaa valley. Many travelers must have seen the shrines of Nihata, and must have stayed there, as it is exactly one day from Baalbek.

My new webpages are here.

Lebanese Antiquities: Hotels and Restaurants

A hotel we forgot to visit

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Maybe we were just very lucky every time we selected our hotels, but the four places where we stayed were every time more or less perfect. Breakfast was always good, the staff was always well-qualified and spoke English fluently, there was always a possibility to use the internet (although it was sometimes frustratingly slow), electricity was at 220 volt, and you can drink the water from the tap without fear for what is euphemistically called “the curse of the pharaoh” in Egypt and “Saladin’s Revenge” in Syria.

In Beirut, we slept at the Lavender Home****: a friendly place close to the Rue Hamra and the Rue Jeanne d’Arc, which are – to use two ancient words – the cardo and decumanus of the western part of the city. There were many restaurants in the neighborhood (I can recommend Laziz), and if you walk down the Rue Jeanne d’Arc, you are at the American University, with a fine archaeological museum.

In Byblus, we stayed at the Monoberge Hotel*** – we think the name is a pun on Mon Auberge – which offers good rooms and is at walking distance from the city center. Situated along the coastal highway, modestly prized, and recently built, it would be called a motel in Europe.

Although the Lebanese speak their languages well, this shop for woman's fashion has a rather unfelicitous name

Our hotel in Tyre was called Rest House****, which is very easy to find because there are many signposts, and you will immediately recognize the Unifil cars on its parking place. It is situated halfway between the Al-Bass and the Al-Mina excavations, and has a large private beach.

The nicest place was the Park Hotel***** in Chtaura. I must confess that the town itself is not very inspiring, but the hotel, close to the main road into the Bekaa Valley, is quiet and has some chique rooms. There was some kind of celebration when we were there, and it was easy to understand why the people had selected this place. Two friendly staff members offered us much advice about planning both the present trip and the next one. Because we were extremely tired on the day of our arrival, we had dinner at the nearby McDonald’s.

Which is a shame, because it is well-known that Lebanon offers one of the world’s best cuisines. Besides, they produce some fine wines in the area of Chtaura and Zahle. It is usually possible to smoke a good water pipe, the local beer (Almaza) is fine, and the Lebanese know how to make a good coffee. This country is a gourmet’s paradise.

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