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UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Lebanon

February 8, 2011 By admin

Despite its small size, Lebanon is home to no less than five World Heritage Sites as designated by UNESCO.  In addition to the previously discussed Byblos and Tyre, the remaining three of these sites are Ouadi Qadisha and the Forest of the Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab), Anjar and Baalbek.

Ouadi Qadish or “The Holy Valley” is an important early-Christian monastic settlement.    Located in northern part of the Mount Lebanon Mountains, the Qadisha valley is in the foothills of Mount al-Makmel. Here, in the rugged cliffs are the remains of many monasteries and hermitages dating back to the beginnings of Christianity.  The main monasteries are those of St. Anthony of Quzhayya and Our Lady of Hauqqa.  More difficult to access are the numerous caves in the hillside around the valley which are decorated with early Christian frescoes.  The terraces created and farmed by the monks who lived in these settlements are still apparent and some are still being cultivated today. 

West of the Qadisha valley, on Mount Makmel, is the Forest of the Cedars of God.  Cedar wood was highly valued in antiquity and was used for the building of great structures both in Lebanon and further around the Mediterranean due to mass export.  This is one of the few places where this tree (Cedrus Lebani) still grows.

Anjar was a city that was founded during the Umayyad Period, in around 710AD.  It was sited at a commercial crossroads and was not discovered by archaeologists until the 1940s.  Excavations show a heavily fortified city which was walled and surrounded by forty towers.  The city was divided into four quadrants each with its own public or private function and is well preserved, providing a unique insight into 8th century town planning.

Baalbek is a city and temple complex bordering the fertile Bekaa plain.  The city was at its height in Roman times and massive constructions were built over a period of around 200 years making it an important centre of the Roman world.  Three main Roman deities were worshipped at Baalbek – Jupiter, Venus and Mercury.  The temple complex was built on top of earlier Phoenician remains and contained columns some 20 metres in height.  In addition to temples venerating the three main deities there is also a temple dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine which is very appropriate given that this was a region growing grapes and producing wine, an industry which still continues in the present day.

Filed Under: UNESCO World Heritage Sites Tagged With: ,

History and Archaeology at Byblos

February 4, 2011 By admin

Originally called Gebal by the Phoenicians, Byblos, on the coast of Lebanon, is believed to date back to around 5000BC and was possibly the earliest Phoenician city.  The name Byblos comes about because the Greeks named the city after the Egyptian papyrus (bublos) which was exported from the city.  The present day city is called Jubayl, an Arabic derivation of the original name, Gebal.

Located on the coast north of Beirut, the port of Byblos holds many attractions for both archaeologists and tourists with a thirst for history. 

Although the remains of some Neolithic buildings have been found, the first signs of Byblos becoming a town do not appear until the 3rd millennium BC when the Phoenician civilisation began to develop.  Ancient Egyptian literature describes wood being imported from Byblos and early Egyptian artefacts have been found at there.

Archaeological evidence dating to around 1200BC shows an alphabetic script of 22 characters being used, for example on the sarcophagus of King Ahiram.  An important monument from this time is the temple of Resheph (a war god.) 

By the Persian period (538 – 332BC) Byblos was one of four Phoenician city-states, the others being Sidon, Tyre and Arwad.

 

By the time of the arrival of Alexander the Great in 332BC, coinage was in use and there is evidence of extensive trade with other Mediterranean nations.  It was during the Greco-Roman period that the city became a centre for the cult of Adonis.  There are also the remains of a small theatre dating to around the 3rd century AD and with the rise of Christianity, Byblos became the seat of a Bishop and the town began to grow rapidly.

The city became a strategic military base during the crusades and the ruins of the crusader castle form and impressive visitor attraction at its centre. 

This rich history means that Byblos can boast many historic sites to visit and has the status of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  From Roman ruins to medieval city walls, bronze-age tombs to the fortifications of the Crusaders, visitors are never far from fantastic historical sites.

Filed Under: Eastern Mediterranean History Tagged With: ,

History and Archaeology of Tyre

February 1, 2011 By admin

 Another important historic port is Tyre on the coast of present day Lebanon.   In the 5th century BC, the Greek historian, Herodotus visited the city and declared it to be one of the oldest in the world.  In the Bronze-Age, Tyre had been known for the export of the purple dye for which the Phoenicians were famous.   Tyre had been the base from which navigators had explored the Mediterranean going on to found centres such as Cadiz and Carthage, thus establishing the Phoenicians as a major player in bronze-age maritime commerce.
Built on and around a natural harbour, Tyre eventually succumbed to Alexander the Great in 332BC.  The Greeks held Tyre until 64BC when it gave way to Rome and a Roman city of some consequence began to be constructed on the site.  During the early Christian Period , Tyre was the seat of a Byzantine province which incorporated no less than 14  bishoprics, including that of nearby Byblos.  This continued until the Arabs conquered the area in 636 AD.  Tyre was to continue under Arabian rule until the time of the Crusades.  It was re-taken by the European Crusaders in 1124, with the help of the Venetians.  The conquering crusaders set about fortifying the city and it remained a Christian strong-hold until it was almost entirely destroyed by the Mamluks in 1294.  Prior to this the Christians had built 18 churches, a castle and had reconstructed the cathedral on the site of the original Byzantine basilica.  The city was all but abandoned after the destruction in 1294 and not populated again until it was partly re-built in the 18th century and , despite a more recent population increase, today’s Tyre is home to only around 60,000 people.
For those with an interest in history and archaeology, modern Tyre is certainly worth visiting.  In the present town, the visible remains include parts of the Roman city and the medieval structures left by the Crusaders.   These sites can be split into two quite distinct areas:
1. The Promontory which is the site of the archipelago.  Here can be found the ruins of the Roman palaestra, thermae and arena as well as the remains of the 12th century cathedral built by the Venetians and parts of the walls and castle built during the Crusades.
2. The mainland where the necropolis of El Bass can be found close to the triumphal arch from the 2nd century AD.  More Roman ruins are here, in particular the aqueduct and hippodrome which is one of the largest known examples from the Roman world.
The volume and grandeur of the ruin in Tyre show what a high status city it must have once been in its strategic position on the coast of the Mediterranean.

Filed Under: Eastern Mediterranean History Tagged With: , ,