Regions of Lebanon

Lebanon has it all !!
Discover the different Lebanese regions and indulge yourself in an unforgettable experience.

Beirut – Cosmopolitan Flair
Lebanon’s capital city, Beirutis a vibrant, stylish metropolis, with all of the fun, fashion, and flair that a city lover could look for.

Mount Lebanon – Journey Into Nature and History
Known for its summer retreats and winter resorts, historical sites and nightlife, outdoor sports and cultural attractions,Mount Lebanonis a well-rounded destination that has something to offer for everyone.

North – Natural and Spiritual Sanctuary
With a diverse geography of high mountains, remote valleys, and the Mediterranean coast, the North is filled with historical treasures, spiritual retreats, and natural adventures.

Békaa – Corridor of Civilizations
A vast, scenic valley dotted with small villages, the Békaa is a center for Lebanese agriculture, gastronomy, and wine, and its many archaeological ruins are a testament to its historical role through the centuries.

South – Ancient Coastal Land
The South is known for its ancient Phoenician port cities of Saida (Sidon) and Sour (Tyre), and its rolling hills sloping down to sandy Mediterranean beaches are dotted with Biblical sites, Roman and Phoenician ruins, and remnants of the Crusades.

A Modern Capital with prestigious past
This cosmopolitan and modern city is the home of more than 1 million people, and constitutes the very heart of the country’s economic and cultural life. Beirut teems with a perceptible vitality and energy that are reflected through its position as the Lebanese capital from a geographic standpoint: a headland that drives through the deep blue sea while dominated in the background by the breathtaking mountains.

Daughter of Venus, Beroë mother of the laws, Lebanon’s star … all these epithets do not suffice on their own to summarize several centuries of rich history. Legend has it that the city was founded by the god EI in homage to his beloved wife, the goddess Berout. In order to protect the city, he offered it to Poseidon, god of the sea, and to the Cabiri, the gods of navigation.

The Semite name of the city ( be’erot (“wells”)) is derived from the word “bir”, Phoenician for well. The city was given the name after several underground sweet water wells were found in it.

The city boasts a glamorous past.4000 years ago, it was a prosperous port on the Canaanite-Phoenician coast, and an important commercial center,as well as a crossroad for eastern and western civilizations. In the renowned tablets of Tell- Al-Amarna in Egypt that go back to the 14th century BC, the city was said to be well-defended under the ruling of King Ammunira.

In the Roman era, the city became a prosperous colony that was dubbed “Colonia Julia Augusta Felix Berytus” in homage to the daughter of the emperor Augustus. With Augustus at the helm of the city, the inhabitants enjoyed tax exemption according to the “ins italicum” law, since it was a Roman colony. Septimus Severus chose the city in the 3rd century to be the site of the law school that attracted students from all over the world. The school was the tribune of many prominent jurists such as Papinianus, Ulpianus, Gaius, Paulus and the praetorian prefect of Illyria Anatoly the Beiruti, and it shone over the east region. Justinian assigned many professors who taught at the Beirut law school to put forth the legislative code that was the source of western laws for centuries.

The city lived a golden era until the Byzantine epoch. Throughout a 1000 year-span, the city gradually lost its past splendor until the 18th century. Just like other coastal cities, Beirut was occupied several times, and each occupation brought along destruction and bombings separated by intermittent periods of prosperity. This is why, when walking in the city, you feel the ancient presence of Canaanites, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, and French; unravel a warm mixture of cultures, and communicate with a populace that mixes current tendencies with reinvented nostalgias, languages, civilizations, and disturbed rebirths of historical problems.

During World War I, the Turkish governor Azmi Pasha ordered that most of the ancient quarters and neighborhoods be demolished in order to build a new city that combines oriental style and Mediterranean charm using an urban European conception. Built with yellow stones and decked with small balconies, the ancient city’s buildings go back in majority to the ottoman era and the French mandate.

Mount Lebanon
The Western range of the Lebanon mountains constitutes the spine of the country to which it gave its name, that is Lebanon.
For a long time, inhabitants of the coastal cities and areas had been accustomed to avoid the heat and humidity of summer, in order to enjoy the cool and dry climate of Mount Lebanon.

Mount Lebanon is both an appealing and varied area, the visitor therein would find out attractive and spectacular landscapes, beside traditional villages encompasses by history, and places of worship belonging to all the religious communities in Lebanon, along with pleasant summer and winter resorts, in addition to delicious restaurants.

The appeals of summer resorts were added, fifty years ago, by various activities related to winter sports. In the course of time, the snow-covered slopes of some high mountainous localities have turned into ski resorts offering the required facilities for this kind of sports. Today Mount Lebanon holds almost all the ski resorts in the country.

North Lebanon
In Northern Lebanon, each season bears its own private charm. The fresh air of its summer days along with its clear sky in fall, provide this basically-mountainous area with a unique appeal. Even in winter, your visit might acquire a special taste, where during this season, the snow covering the heights in white enables visitors to practice skiing. At the same time, your eyes will keep on watching wonderfully the bright green color of plains and plateau.

Meanwhile, if you have the possibility to choose your preferred season, then try to travel through Northern Lebanon at the beginning of spring, before the total melting of snows. It is at that moment that you will enjoy smelling the perfume of flourishing almond trees, and watching the vast fields of cyclamen and red poppy, while hearing the murmur of mountain streams stuffed with water rushing down at the sea.

Northern Lebanon includes the districts of Akkar, Tripoli, Zgharta, Bcharrey, Koura and Batroun. These areas can be visited from Beirut or Tripoli. However, if you are interested in mountain trips, then you would better settle in centers like Ehden, Douma, Bcharrey or Sir ed-Danniyeh, so that you could easily access the places you intend to visit.

Bekaa
Rich and fascinating, the plain of the Bekaa Valley lies between the Western mountainous chain of Lebanon and the Eastern parallel chain. Inevitable pathway between North Syria and Palestine, it was formerly a main road frequented by both caravans and invaders. Today, the plain of the Bekaa is considered as the widest agricultural area in Lebanon, being also scattered with farms, villages, fields and wines which cover the plain with a multicolored carpet. The roads are often cut by tractors grazing sheep and goats on the roadside. Keep always a camera in hands because amazing sights await you all the way round.

At an average altitude of 1000 meters, the climate of the Bekaa is dry in the hot days of summer but pleasantly cool in the evenings. In winter, most of the days are cold through often sunny.

The Bekaa is renowned for its numerous archaeological sites including the great temples of Baalbeck. But people also visit the area for its famous delicious restaurants. In fact, if you appreciate the Lebanese cuisine, you will quickly realize that the dishes of the Bekaa differ from those of Beirut, notably the frog’s paws and grilled birds which are very popular in the area. And if you choose to take lunch in a restaurant at Anjar near the famous archeological site, then try to ask fresh trout’s, but also enjoy and taste Armenian dishes.

While driving from Beirut to the Bekaa, most people take the road of Damascus and cross the pass of Dahr Al-Baidar at the altitude of 1510 meters. Between December and May, this route often looks out on snow-covered landscapes. However, if you like adventure, often roads could be interesting namely the crossing via Mount – Lebanon or the route of Bcharrey – the Cedars in the North. But the latter is snowbound in winter. It is also possible to cross the road of Dhour Chweir in the Metn area towards the city of Zahle, or even the route of Moukhtara in the South of the Bekaa.

If you drive a car by yourself or travel by taxi, provide yourself with a road map that would make your trip more interesting.
When crossing the area, remember that the localities are most all marked with road signs or indicators. If you ever find any, then consider that they often indicate the access road to the village and not the village itself.

South Lebanon
South Lebanon covers an area which extend North from “Awwali” river till “Naqoura” to the South, and from the Mediterranean Sea west till the Lebanese – Syrian borders to the East. Its geographical relief is varied and includes a coastal stretch, a mountainous zone along with hills.

The coastal stretch extends along a regular line from the sea level up to an altitude of 150 meters; it is interspersed with capes and bays near which small habitations had been formed since ancient times. In the long run those developed, and some of them constituted urban centers which were fairly considered as the most important centers of civilization of all the Levant Coast.

The hills area stretches at an altitude varying between 100 and 1000 meters, it covers the most part of lands in South Lebanon. The river of Al Qasimiyeh (Litani) runs through this area and irrigates many lands planted with olive and apple trees, along with almond, pine and oak trees. On the banks of the river, stand the cities and villages in cazas of Nabatiyeh and Jezzine, along with some villages of Sidon to the North. It is in that hills area that are found the most important archaeological sites of the Middle Ages era, both crusader and Islamic among others at the towns of Chqif, Tibnine, Dayr Kifa, Anan and Doubiyye.

The mountainous area rises up to an altitude between 800 and 1500 meters, it includes the heights of Mount Niha where we found the renowned resort centers of the South, such as Kfarhouna, Aramta , Jezzine, Roum , Bkassine, Jbaa, Jarjouh and Arab Salim. Just to the North of these villages, stands the Mount Hermon (Sheikh) where are stretched the towns and villages of Hasbaya, Chebaa, Kfarchouba and Kfayr.

Beside its archaeological weather, south Lebanon also provides the visitor with a gorgeous natural landscape: superb sandy beaches, mountain peaks, water falls, gushing springs, pine forests, orchards abounding in fruits, in addition to tourist centers that embellish the cities and localities of the area.