A Journey to Lebanon: Paris of the Middle East, Reliving the Pain of the Past

I struggled titling this post, as it is hard to summarize my experience and opinion of my short time in Lebanon. In four days, I traveled to various sites in Lebanon, staying each night in Beirut. Over the course of those four days, I witnessed the beautiful sites and locations within Beirut and in several relatively nearby areas – places that Lebanon prides itself on. In addition to these more traditional “tourist” places, I also witnessed a country and a people striving to be more like the West, yet holding on to their Arab identity. I experienced the beauty of various religions living in harmony and worshiping next to one another. And I also observed the strong feelings still felt throughout the Lebanese people in regards to recent memories that caused bloodshed and chaos with the Civil War in addition to the resilience among the Lebanese people in the aftermath of their former prime minister’s assassination.

As you can see, I cannot give a few words to explain Lebanon. I can however say that my time in Lebanon was wonderful – a place I would return to in a heartbeat. Despite it being in the Middle East, it was very different from Jordan and from Egypt. Sure there are many similarities, but I think grouping them together does not do justice to any of the three countries. 

Lebanon: still reliving the horrible memories of the Lebanon civil war (1975 to 1991) and the assassination of former prime minster Rafiq Hariri in 2005.

I stood on the roof the main Jesuit residence in Beirut at St. Joseph’s University with Dan Corrou, SJ, a Jesuit scholastic from the New England Province. St. Joseph’s University, a Jesuit university, resides in Achrafiye (southeast of the Downtown area). Looking out at the various areas of Beirut at night, I was provided with an amazing view of the city. From a distance, Dan pointed out to me the Holiday Inn, which serves as the most visible and painful monument of the civil war. Snipers used the high position of the Holiday Inn, as it allowed them to see anything and everything that entered the port. As a result, it attracted all sorts of firepower. It’s massive presence, next to the beautiful swish InterContinental Phoenicia hotel, also contrasts the past and present. The Jesuit residence, a rather ugly and out of place building compared to St. Joseph’s and definitely no Wolfington Hall at Georgetown, was built prior to the civil war and Dan showed me the general areas where Shias, Sunnis, and Christians lived. Interestingly, the Jesuit residence was in the middle of the Sunni-Christian fighting that involved mortar attacks – however no major damage affected the Jesuit residence, although a few lounge chairs still have shrapnel in them.

Another event felt throughout the city of Beirut as well as Lebanon as a whole was the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005. The month anniversary of his murder, the 14^th of March, brought the largest demonstration in Lebanon to the Place des Martyrs of 1 million Lebanese (a quarter of the country’s population) to the streets and resulted in the final withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. Across from the Place des Martyrs is the Mohammed al-Amin mosque in which Hariri is buried.

These horrific events still affect the lives of many Lebanese citizens, and for most they experienced these events firsthand and thus must have some terrible memories and losses. Next to the Mohammed al-Amin mosque resides St. George’s Maronite Cathedral. A beautiful view of two different religions can stand beside one another, can worship beside one another, and live together in peace. On Sunday morning, I went to Mass at St. George’s Cathedral. Listening to the Arabic Mass, I sat in silence reflecting on my time thus far in the Middle East and the sound of the Call to Prayer at the mosque literally next to the Cathedral I was reassured of the ability of two religions to work and live together in harmony, and I was also convinced of the continued need for Muslim-Christian understanding throughout the Middle East and the world at large.

West Beirut highlights: Pigeon Rocks, AUB, and the Corniche

The Pigeon Rocks, located on just off the coast in West Beirut, are one of the most famous and, I believe, the only natural features of Beirut.

The American University of Beirut is situated in the Hamra area of Beirut. A beautiful campus, situated on 28 hectares of greenery and beautiful buildings, drastically differs from the campus of the University of Jordan. The campus is located right along the Mediterranean Sea, which allowed AUB students to enjoy an occasional swim.   

The Corniche runs along part of the Mediterranean, near the AUB campus. As I walked along the Corniche, it was not like anything I have ever felt while in Jordan. To be honest, I felt as if I was in the States or Europe. It was fun to see families out along the Corniche, older men sitting in folding chairs with their coffees, and young and old men alike pole fishing. The natural orange juice from the “juice man” was also very refreshing.

Natural sites of Jeita Grotto and Roman ruins of Baalbek

One of Lebanon’s largest tourist attractions is the caverns of Jeita Grotto, which contain some of the world’s most impressive collections of stalactites and stalagmites. The upper cavern is explored on foot while the lower cavern involves a short boat ride. Both include incredible views.

Our visit to Baalbek involved an interesting ride through the Bekaa Valley. It was an enjoyable ride, driving between two mountain ranges. However the Bekaa Valley is known to be part of Hezbollah’s region. In fact, Baalbek is considered to be Hezbollah’s strategic headquarters – which made sense as we were offered Hezbollah t-shirts at the Roman ruins (no thanks). According to my guidebook of Lebanon and locals, this region, specifically Baalbek, houses the political wing of Hezbollah, whereas its armed wing is situated elsewhere. Despite what one might think of Baalbek and Hezbollah’s supremacy in this area, it is interesting to note that the town’s population is mixed Muslim and Christian, although the yellow and green flags can be seen throughout the city.

Our first stop in Baalbek was the Hajar al-Hubla (Stone of the Pregnant Woman), which is the largest stone in the world, measuring 21.5m by 4m by 4.5m. Mr. Abdul Nabi Al-Afi receives no support from the government or any other organization – he is the sole man keeping this ancient Roman treasure from the garbage dump it once was. We arrived with Mohammed, our driver, and were greeted with open arms and Mr. Afi’s “welcome coffee.”

The ‘Sun City’ of the ancient world, Baalbek houses the most impressive ruins in Lebanon. Originally a Phoenician settlement, it was later conquered by Alexander the Great who named it Heliopolis (City of the Sun) and was subsequently conquered by the Romans in 64 BC by Pompey the Great. The city was invaded by Muslim Arabs in 748 and later the Mongols in 1400.

Our trip back to Beirut through the Mt. Lebanon range when it was very dark outside was a toe-clinching experience. Combining Middle East driving (aka craziness and disorder), quick turns through a mountain range, pitch black dark, fog, and bright car lights approaching at unusually fast speeds = nervousness + praying + faith. I am thankful we made it through Mt. Lebanon, and after my heart felt like it skipped a couple beats I am happy to be alive!

Harissa: Our Lady of Lebanon and Téléférique

After an amazing Lebanese lunch/dinner in Mayrouba, we drove to Harissa overlooking Jounieh, a city north of Beirut, and the Mediterranean Sea. A top of Harissa is the enormous white-painted bronze statue of the Virgin of Lebanon. Beneath the statue is a chapel dedicated solely to prayer. Next to the Virgin of Lebanon is the modern Notre Dame du Liban cathedral.

One of the other highlights of Harissa is the Téléférique that can be used round-trip from Jounieh to Harissa. We decided to take it down from Harissa to Jounieh to meet our driver Mohammad. It was a nice, easy ride down the mountain, passing through apartment complexes getting the occasional view of families having dinner or watching TV.

Ksara Winery

Our first full day in Lebanon began with a trip to the Ksara Winery near Zahlé in the Bekaa Valley, which is a beautiful area located between the Mt. Lebanon Range and Jabal Libnan ash-Sharqiyya (Anti-Lebanon Range), which borders Syria. Over 2000 meters higher than Beirut, the weather was much colder and it rained several times throughout the day – reminded me of late fall in Michigan or Washington, D.C. We reached Lebanon’s oldest and most famous winery and immediately began the tour of the winery, watching a video on its history, learning about the processes of wine production, wine-tasting, and touring the caves where the wine matures. The entire tour was very enjoyable and I felt much older while partaking in the wine-tasting! An interesting fact about this winery is that in 1857, Jesuit priests purchased the land and expanded the vineyard. The Jesuits came across the land around Ksara’s present location and noticed the abundance of water and the beauty of the terrain, eventually leading to the planting of vines and the creation of a vineyard. Several years later workers at the vineyard discovered caves underneath the land, which have been used to store wine and allow it to age. The vineyard was sold in 1973 to its current owners because the Vatican requested that its missions and monasteries around the world sell any commercial assets.

 

My overall time in Beirut has greatly contrasted that of life in Amman. The presence of bars and clubs throughout Beirut and the amount of foreigners and locals at both types of establishments is unheard of in Amman, although there are some nightlife spots. It very much reminded me of Paris or a similar European city. The Downtown area was very pedestrian friendly, and various stores and cafes covered the streets, and families, couples, and youth enjoyed the overall atmosphere of Downtown.

My short time in Beirut has made me wonder about what it would have been like to study for a semester here. It definitely would have impacted by checkbook a lot more than Amman, and the Amman reliance on taxis has become irritating because I enjoy walking to places – Beirut is very pedestrian friendly, as we walked from East Beirut to West Beirut without any trouble or near-death experiences. So, yes, I think I would really have loved to study and live for a longer period of time in Beirut (maybe that will happen some day!), but my time in Amman has been very enjoyable – just in a different way. Being away from Amman has made me realize the difference in lifestyles in the Middle East, but has also made me grow in appreciation for the places and people that I have come to know and love over the past two months.

 Check out other photos from Lebanon