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Three
views of Mount Lebanon (Jebel Lubnan), the central range running
from just north of Beirut almost to the Syrian border. These
mountains rise abruptly to a height of 3,083m (10,115 ft), offering a
stark contrast to the Mediterranean plain below. This area has
always been considered the homeland of the Maronite Christians, its
relative inaccessibility affording them protection from their enemies, and
they still form a majority of the population today. |
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Bcharré.
This town is in the Qadisha Valley, one of the most beautiful in Lebanon,
and is the birthplace of the poet Khalil
Gibran. Crowded in summer, when I visited in April it was
largely empty and appealingly quiet. |
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Cedars in snow,
near Bcharré. Covered in ancient times with vast forests of
majestic cedars, today these have been reduced to just a few small
groves. This picture calls to mind a traditional Lebanese metaphor
that "when the snow melts, the shit appears". |
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Chouf
Mountains. This area of central Lebanon is southeast of Beirut and
south of Mt Lebanon, and is the traditional home of the Druze who settled
here from the 11C. This area was the scene of bitter fighting
between the Druze and Maronite Christian communities in both 1860 and
again in the 1975-90 civil war. |
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Beit
Ed Dine. This palace in the Chouf Mountains was built by the Ottoman
governor Emir Bashir Shihab II in the early 19C, using architects and
artisans from as far as Italy. Following Lebanon's independence, it
became the summer palace of the president. After being damaged in
the 1975-90 civil war, it was restored in 1991, and is now a museum
detailing the life of the Druze leader and national politician Kamal
Jumblatt. It is in a particularly picturesque setting, with
sweeping views down a steep canyon to the valley far below. |
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View of the
extensive gardens surrounding Beit Ed Dine. |
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Two
views of Deir El Qamar. This small town served as the capital of the
local rulers during the Ottoman period, and has a carefully preserved
central square of buildings dating from the 17 and 18C. Today it has
a mixed Druze and Christian population. In the lower picture behind
the fountain is the mosque of Fakr ud-Dine, dating from 1493. |
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