Lebanon Article & Updates
Lebanon – peaceful, beautiful and cosmopolitan
Paul Doyle, January 2012
There have been many changes in Lebanon since my first visit to the country in the mid-1990s. Back then I came to document the initial throes of recovery following the long civil war years which had grabbed headlines around the globe. The sound of the clattering machinery of reconstruction had been predicted but it didn’t prepare me for how intoxicating Lebanon is – the overwhelmingly cultured, friendly and hospitable Lebanese themselves, its fascinating and diverse historical and religious heritage together with stunning natural landscapes.
Some 15 years later, when Bradt asked me to write their new travel guide to the country I encountered a vastly restored and peaceful country basking in a new found optimism for the future with the same warm and generous welcome I had experienced on my initial visit.
For the tourist industry, too, great strides have been accomplished and Lebanon is firmly on the map as an ecotourism destination affording a real insiders view of the country. Visitors can traverse the Lebanon Mountain Trail, showcasing the country’s natural beauty with accommodation options off the beaten track. You can also be hosted by environmentalists Mona and Habiba at the Orange House in Naqoura, helping out with conservation of the local turtle population. Or you can stay and dine on local produce at eco-lodges in Hermel in the Bekaa Valley, which benefits the local women’s collective.
In a country renowned for its turbulent and varied past, history and archaeological buffs have always been well catered for with Lebanon’s premier UNESCO sites at Aanjar, Baalbek, Byblos and Tyre affording illuminating insights into the wave of civilisations which have passed through here whilst the beautifully restored Beirut National Museum is a textbook in stone from the Phoenician to Mamluk periods. The must-see Jeita Grotto, by contrast, showcases history fashioned by nature resulting in a stunning display of stalactite and stalagmite formations.
Beirut offers ample visible reminders of a transformed Lebanon offering something for everyone. The city is a vibrant and cosmopolitan mix of peoples with accommodation to suit all budgets. A thriving festival and cultural arts scene, fashionable beach clubs, eclectic and fine dining and high class retail therapy is supplemented by shopping for more traditional arts and crafts at the L’Artisan du Liban. For sporty types the capital and environs offer golf, horse riding, cycling, paragliding and a variety of well-equipped ski resorts. Lebanon’s second city of Tripoli, meanwhile, offers visitors an authentic Arab experience with traditional Mamluk architecture and atmospheric souks.
Being commissioned to write Bradt’s first edition guide to Lebanon gave me yet another reason to return to the country and to undertake one of the most absorbing and challenging tasks I have ever done. I am convinced that your explorations around this welcoming little country will be as equally engrossing and memorable.
Copyright Paul Doyle, January 2012
This article also appears on the Bradt travel guides website www.bradtguides.com
Paul Doyle, January 2012
There have been many changes in Lebanon since my first visit to the country in the mid-1990s. Back then I came to document the initial throes of recovery following the long civil war years which had grabbed headlines around the globe. The sound of the clattering machinery of reconstruction had been predicted but it didn’t prepare me for how intoxicating Lebanon is – the overwhelmingly cultured, friendly and hospitable Lebanese themselves, its fascinating and diverse historical and religious heritage together with stunning natural landscapes.
Some 15 years later, when Bradt asked me to write their new travel guide to the country I encountered a vastly restored and peaceful country basking in a new found optimism for the future with the same warm and generous welcome I had experienced on my initial visit.
For the tourist industry, too, great strides have been accomplished and Lebanon is firmly on the map as an ecotourism destination affording a real insiders view of the country. Visitors can traverse the Lebanon Mountain Trail, showcasing the country’s natural beauty with accommodation options off the beaten track. You can also be hosted by environmentalists Mona and Habiba at the Orange House in Naqoura, helping out with conservation of the local turtle population. Or you can stay and dine on local produce at eco-lodges in Hermel in the Bekaa Valley, which benefits the local women’s collective.
In a country renowned for its turbulent and varied past, history and archaeological buffs have always been well catered for with Lebanon’s premier UNESCO sites at Aanjar, Baalbek, Byblos and Tyre affording illuminating insights into the wave of civilisations which have passed through here whilst the beautifully restored Beirut National Museum is a textbook in stone from the Phoenician to Mamluk periods. The must-see Jeita Grotto, by contrast, showcases history fashioned by nature resulting in a stunning display of stalactite and stalagmite formations.
Beirut offers ample visible reminders of a transformed Lebanon offering something for everyone. The city is a vibrant and cosmopolitan mix of peoples with accommodation to suit all budgets. A thriving festival and cultural arts scene, fashionable beach clubs, eclectic and fine dining and high class retail therapy is supplemented by shopping for more traditional arts and crafts at the L’Artisan du Liban. For sporty types the capital and environs offer golf, horse riding, cycling, paragliding and a variety of well-equipped ski resorts. Lebanon’s second city of Tripoli, meanwhile, offers visitors an authentic Arab experience with traditional Mamluk architecture and atmospheric souks.
Being commissioned to write Bradt’s first edition guide to Lebanon gave me yet another reason to return to the country and to undertake one of the most absorbing and challenging tasks I have ever done. I am convinced that your explorations around this welcoming little country will be as equally engrossing and memorable.
Copyright Paul Doyle, January 2012
This article also appears on the Bradt travel guides website www.bradtguides.com