Highlights

Beirut, Byblos, Baalbeck, Anjar, Beiteddine, Tyre, Sidon, Eshmoun, Tripoli, Afqa, Faqra, Jeita Grotto  

Click to enlarge

Day 1: Arrival - Beirut

Arrive at Beirut International Airport. Transfer to hotel.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Day 2: Beirut

After breakfast, tour Beirut’s Corniche, Pigeon’s grotto, Beirut Archaeological Museum, the Grand Mosque and The Martyrs Place. Beirut, built on a rocky promontory, was also occupied by prehistoric man. In ancient times it was overshadowed by more powerful neighbors, but when the city- states of Sidon began to decline in the first millennium B.C, Beirut acquired more influence. When Beirut became a Roman colony circa 15 B.C, its influence became known as an important port and cultural centre. Beirut was destroyed by a devastating earthquake in 551 A.D. and a century later it was conquered by the Moslem Arabs. In 1109 it fell to the Crusaders. The city remained in Crusader hands until 1291 when it was taken by the Mamlukes.

Beirut, with nearly a million inhabitants, remains the cultural and commercial centre of the country. Today  the war- ruined city centre is being reconstructed under a 25-year project that envisages a new modern city that will also retain its familiar oriental flavour. In extensive archeological investigations, historical periods ranging from Canaanite (3,000- 1200 B.C) and Ottoman (1516-1918 A.D) have been revealed.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Day 3: Byblos

One of the oldest towns in the world goes back at least 7,000 years. The rise and fall of nearly two dozen successive levels of human culture on this site makes it one of the richest archeological areas in the country.

We visit the site of the Crusader Castle built by the Franks in the 12 century and constructed out of monumental blocks. Visits to The Temple of Reshepa, a 3rd millennium temple and The Temple of Baalat Gebal, the oldest temple in Byblos with parts dating back to the 4th millennium BC. Also see the Obelisk Temple – although rebuilt – it is one of the more interesting places to visit at Byblos. The temple consists of a forecourt and a courtyard which houses the slightly raised sanctuary. Byblos is also thought to be the centre of the Adonis cult, the god of vegetation who dies in winter and renewed each spring.

Under the domination of the Egyptian pharaohs in the 3rd and 32nd millennia B.C Byblos was a commercial and religious capital of the Phoenician coast. It was here that the first linear alphabet, ancestor of all modern alphabet, through Greek and Latin, was invented.

Click to enlarge

Day 4: Baalbeck-Anjar

Head to Baalbeck located in the heart of the Bekaa plain and arguably the most important Roman site in the Middle East. Visit the Baal temple built by the Phoenicians to glorify the God of the Sun. The structure of the Phoenician temple was modified by the Romans. In this large temple also known as the “Jupiter temple” only six of the 54 giant columns that originally surrounded the sanctuary survive today. The temple has an impressive podium and a vast rectangular courtyard where sacrifices were carried out. The sanctuary is reached through a propylaea (monumental entrance) and hexagonal forecourt.

The town of Baalbeck has major remains from Islamic  times including the grand mosque, built by the Ommayadds with material borrowed from ancient monuments, and another mosque built in Mamluke times near the spring of Ras el –Ain. Continue on to Anjar. Enjoy this 8th century Omayyad city which was built as the summer residence of the 7th Omayyad Caliph. Return to Beirut.

Click to enlarge

Day 5: Beiteddin

About 40 km southwest of Beirut, stands the imposing palace of Beiteddine. This perfect example of classic Lebanese architecture of the 18th and 19th century stands in direct contrast to the earlier archaeological ruins we see in other parts of Lebanon. The palace has richly decorated ceilings, colorful mosaic floors, luxurious Turkish baths with numerous glass-studded cupolas, harem suites overlooking the valley of Deir al-Qamar. The French poet, Lamartine once lived here. Also part of the complex is a museum displaying the mosaics of the Byzantine era, archaeological findings and a museum of feudal weapons, costumes and jewelry.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Day 6: Tyre-Sidon

Although the earliest origins of Tyre are unknown, the testimonies of ancient historians and some archeological evidence suggest that it goes back to 3rd millennium B.C. Originally a mainland settlement with an island city a short distance offshore, it came of age in the 10th century B.C. when King Hiram expanded the mainland and built 2 ports and a temple to Melkart, the city’s god. Its flourishing maritime trade, Mediterranean colonies and its purple dye and glass industries made Tyre very powerful and wealthy. But the city's wealth attracted enemies. In the sixth century B.C. the Tyrians successfully defied Nebuchadnezzar for 13 years.

Alexander the Great laid siege to it for 7 months, finally overwhelming the island city by constructing a great causeway from the shore to the island. In their day the Romans built a magnificent city at Tyre. The remains of its Roman streets, arcades and public buildings, including one of the largest hippodromes of the period, are Tyre's major attractions today.

Occupied by the Moslem Arabs in 636, then captured in 1124 by the Crusaders, Tyre was an important fortified town of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1291 the Mamlukes took the city, then during the 400-year Ottoman period beginning in 1516, it remained a quiet fishing town. In 1984 Tyre's important archeological remains prompted UNESCO to make the town a world heritage site. Located 79 km from Beirut, prosperous Tyre is notable for its many high-rise buildings. Nevertheless, the inner city has retained its industrious maritime character and its interesting old-style houses.

The third great Phoenician city-state, Sidon's origins are lost from memory. The name was mentioned in the texts for the first time in the 14th century B.C. in the “Tell El Amara Letters”. But it was during the Persian era, between the end of the 6th century B.C. and the mid-4th century B.C. that the city experienced its golden age.

Sidon was an open city with many cultural influences, including the Egyptian and the Greek. During the Persian period, Aegean sculptors contributed to the nearby temple of Eshmoun, the city's god. He was associated with the Aesculapius, the Greek god of healing. We also visit the Great Mosque. This was originally the Church of St. John of the Hospitallers and was turned into a mosque after the Crusaders were driven out.

Today the ruins of the Crusader sea Castle and the Castle of Saint-Louis can still be seen in Sidon. From the Mamluke and Ottoman periods we have the Great Mosque, built on the foundations of a Crusader building and the Khan 'el – Franj built by Fakhreddine II. Today the town 41 Kilometers from Beirut has grown into a thriving commercial and business centre serving the entire region.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Day 7: Eshmoun

35 kms from Beirut, one of the Phoenician vestiges in south Lebanon. The Eshmoun Temple was built during the Persian Phoenician period in the 4th century before Christ and dedicated to the god Eshmoun "Healer" (Esculape in Greek).

Day 8: Tripoli

Drive to Tripoli where we spend time in the city which was once held by the Frank Crusaders. We visit the Taynal Mosque, the Citadel of St. Gilles, the oldest Crusader monument in the country and wander in the bazaar and souks.
We will also drive east today into the mountains where we can view the famous cedars of Lebanon, some of which are 1,500 years old.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Day 9: Afqa-Faqra-Jeita Grotto

We visit Afqa and Farqra this morning. The Afqa Grotto is thought by many to be one of the most beautiful sights. It is the sacred source of the Nahr Ibrahim, and according to legend, it was the place where Adonis met his death. The legendary love story between Tammuz & Astarte (Phoenician names of Adonis and Aphrodite) has persisted throughout all ages.

We also see on a raised plateau nearby the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Astarte. Still today the power of the legend stayed with the place for both Christians and Shiites attribute healing powers to the site and strips of cloth are still tied to the nearby fig tree in a ritual that dates back to antiquity.

Since its foundation, probably in the 9th century B.C., until the end of the Crusader period. Tripoli was situated around the Al Mina port district. After its destruction by the Mamlukes in 1289, however, it was replaced by a new town near the hill of the Crusader Castle of Raymond de Saint Gilles, founder of the County of Tripoli. The castle has been renovated and changed many times during its history, most recently in the early 19th century.

At Faqra, we see the large temple dedicated to Adonis and other altars surrounding the area. The large temple is in the middle of a maze of rocks and originally had 6 Corinthian columns.

We also will visit the Jeita Grotto – a natural and dramatic cavern with stalactites and stalagmites. During the war, the caves were used as an ammunitions storehouse. Now the caves have been restored and open to the public.

Day 10:  Return 

Transfer to international airport for departure flight.