"Lebanon" a Lebanon Travel Page by ms_lexia

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Saida from the sea castle

Saida (Sidon)

Tell many people in the West that you intend visiting Lebanon and you get a range of reactions in response. These range from the slightly bemused “That’s different!” through a seemingly hostile “Are you crazy? What do you want to go there for!” to blank faced ignorance of “Whereabouts is that then?”
To many people in the UK Beirut was, is and always will be, a war zone- a place where you are more likely to be taken hostage than welcomed, a place of half bombed buildings, a place of fear for any westerner stupid enough to travel there. The name itself synonymous with such things.
So to be travelling there for a holiday in todays climate of hostage takings and increasing terrorism perhaps seems rather strange.
These perceptions of Lebanon are however, totally unfounded and any visitor has to look hard to find remaining signs of the civil war.
On my flight to Beirut, ironically perhaps, I had been reading an article-about Beirut and what to expect. It told me that anyone who had not visited for a while would be shocked at the pleasantness of the airport. As this was my first visit, I had no preconceptions but was glad on arrival to find that the airport itself is immaculately clean and cool, immigration officials almost manage a smile and customs men let me through without a search of my luggage, after asking where I am from, whose bag I am carrying and do I have anything to declare. Though Oscar Wildes “only my genius” words sprang to mind, I was not so confident to chance any humour
Saida is a small port city, set amid citrus orchards and banana groves. It is an old settlement, going back about 6000 years and once was a very wealthy Phoenician city. It had a succession of invaders, from the Persians to the Greeks, the Romans, Byzantines and Arabs (who gave it the name Saida the Mamluks and the crusaders- who built the Sea Castle in the 13th century. Old Saida is a fascinating labyrinth of souks and alleyways where craftspeople still work at their trades of wood and leather. You can buy anything from electrical goods to shoes, linens or perfumes, vegetables and meat and most stall holders will take part in a little haggling with you if you are brave enough to try it!

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New Beirut

Beirut

Lebanon is a blend of ancient and ultra-modern and is a fascinating country. It has a range of historical and archaeological sites which are all easily accessible by bus or taxi.

Beirut central district is being rejuvenated within a large and ambitious urban re development program and as a visitor you can sense the excitement about this. The city itself is a combination of elegance and wealth, with exclusive shops and clubs, and the relative poverty of some of the Palestinian areas. Sleek, expensive cars travel alongside ancient, battered rust boxes that could never in anyones imagination pass an MOT test! There is a constant blasting of car horns as taxi and service vehicles vie for every pedestrians custom. If you are wanting a service car ( share with other passengers who are travelling your way) you can go almost anywhere in the city for 1000 LL - about 38pence. If you are just intending to walk- then avert your gaze from the drivers questioning looks!
The contrasts are also evident in the buildings. A few walls or houses pitted with bullet holes are still waiting demolition in Beirut but these seem to emphasise more the beauty of the rebuilt city centre of pink marble and yellow sandstone. Elegant Ottoman style houses stand next to concrete block buildings and sophisticated shops advertising Armani and Gucci trade next door to small family businesses selling broad beans from wicker baskets and bunches of herbs wrapped up in newspaper.

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Eating !

Food and relaxation!

One of the best things about Lebanon is the food – and its cheapness! Of course you can pay extortionate prices in the city centre tourist restaurants, but by leaving that behind and visiting places like Saida (Sidon) 45 kms south of Beirut you can eat like a king on a paupers budget! A very simple, but delicious shwarma (meat sliced off a spit and stuffed into with tomatoes and vegetables) will cost around 2000 LL. A meal of mezzes of moutabal (pureed aubergines) hummus (chick pea paste) labneh (thick yoghurt) and dishes of lamb, kebabs, rice and wonderful seasoned salads can be had for as little as £2 or £3. Syrupy baklava desserts are a must for anyone with a sweet tooth and Arabic coffee, served with or without sugar in small cups rounds off a meal beautifully. Take a walk along the broad expanse of the corniche and sellers will rush to put out a table, where you can drink coffee and watch people walking up and down watching you watching them ! As the sun goes down in a deep pink and purple sky over the sea you can even smoke a hubba bubba pipe…and relax in a truly Arabic way.

Other places worth visiting are:
The Khan al-Franj (Inn of Foreigners) a beautiful limestone building built in the 17th century consisting of galleries surrounding a courtyard with a fountain in the centre. Behind here is the Bab as Saray mosque, the oldest in Saida, dating from 12th century. The Debbane Palace is an Ottoman building with an inner courtyard opening into a central one with fountains and intricate Mamluk decoration on inlays and wooden ceilings. Further into the old city is the Great Mosque al-Omari, said to be one of the finest examples of Islamic religious architecture of the 13th century.
5km north east of Saida is Lebanons only Phoenician site with more than just foundations. The complex at Echmoun, God of the city of Saida, has temple remains and many mosaics.

Because Lebanon is such a small country, many places can be visited within a very short time. It is possible to cross the country from the mountains to the sea in an afternoon and the journey from Tripoli in the North to Sour in the south takes only a few hours. The people are friendly, living is cheap and the climate is superb. Forget the war zone images. Travellers are made extremely welcome in Lebanon and anything that gives the people of the Middle East and the people of the West a better understanding of each other, with a better can’t be a bad thing