BEIRUT
Beirut is the capital of Lebanon and stands on the site of a very ancient
settlement going back at least 5,000 years. Its name appeared in cuneiform inscriptions as
early as the 14th century BC. In the first century BC., Berytus, as it was then
called, became a roman Colony and under Roman rule was the seat of a famous Law School
which continued into the Byzantine era.
ANJAR
Anjar is exclusively one period, the Umayyad. It goes back to the early 8th
century AD. Anjar also stands uniquely as the only historic example of an inland
commercial center. It benefited from its strategic position on intersecting trade routes
leading to Damascus, Homs, Baalabeck and to the south.
BAALABECK
Lebanon’s greatest Roman treasure, can be counted among the wonders of the ancient
world. The largest and most noble Roman temple ever built, they are also among the best
preserved.
BYBLOS
Byblos is one of the top contenders for the “oldest continuously inhabited city”
award. According to Phoenician tradition it was founded by the god El, even the Phoenician
considered it a city of great antiquity. Although its beginnings are lost in time, modern
scholars say the site of Byblos goes back at least 7,000 years.
JEITA
CAVES
Few caverns in the world approach the astounding wealth or the extent of those of Jeita.
In these caverns and galleries, known to man since Paleolithic times, the action of water
has created cathedral-like vaults beneath the wooded hills of Mount Lebanon.
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