Lebanon, over the course of history, provided an inaccessible haven for tribes and religious groups escaping from repression and persecution in other parts of the Middle East: the Maronites, Christians; the Greek Orthodox Christians; the Shia Muslims; and the Druze, a heretical Muslim sect founded in the 10th century.
Since its independence from France in 1943, these disparate communities cohabited in relative peace with political power divided between Christians, Shia and Sunni Muslims. On this basis, Lebanon developed a thriving economy based on providing business services for other countries in the region. This situation prevailed until the 1970s when the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which had been expelled from Jordan in 1971, established itself in Lebanon with the tacit agreement of the Lebanese. The influx of a large new community with a powerful armed wing upset the relatively fragile political balance in Lebanon. The PLO’s presence ultimately led to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1978 and 1982.
By then Lebanon had been engulfed in a six-year civil war between right-wing Christian militias (the Falange and the southern militia led by Saad Haddad, and later the forces led by General Michel Aoun) and various alignments of Muslim and Palestinian forces. Among the latter, the most important were the Amal movement and the more radical, Iranian-inspired Hezbollah organization. Syrian troops also moved in shortly after the war started.
The Israelis withdrew in early 1985 to a self-declared ‘security zone’ in the south from which they withdrew in 2000. Despite still having a strong influence in Lebanon, Syria withdrew its troops in 2005, ending a 29-year military presence. However, in July 2006, fighting resumed when Israeli forces attacked Lebanon following the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Shia Muslim group Hezbollah. Around 1,000 Lebanese were killed and much of the country’s infrastructure destroyed.
Lebanon’s diverse patchwork of Mediterranean-lapped coast, rugged alpine peaks and green, fertile valleys is packed into a parcel of land some 225km long and 46km wide. Once known as the ‘Paris of the East’, Beirut commands a magnificent position, thrust into the Mediterranean. Behind the city are towering mountains, visible when the traffic haze settles down. The Corniche seafront boasts beaches, restaurants, theaters and a dazzling variety of shops and restaurants. Beirut suffered greatly from Lebanon’s 16-year civil war, but following an impressive and ongoing process of reconstruction, the city was poised to become one of the most popular tourist and business destinations in the Middle East before the Israeli attacks of 2006. Beirut’s Central District, known as Solidere (the company in charge of the reconstruction program), has seen a spectacular number of modern buildings and office blocks springing up everywhere. After massive landfill, two new marinas, a new seaside promenade and a green park are also planned.
The cities and ruins of Aanjar, Baalbeck, Byblos, Tyre and the Qadisha Valley/Cedars Forest are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites and are also worth visiting.
Lebanon now faces the massive task of rebuilding and maintaining a ceasefire. If this proves possible, the country could find itself back on the tourist radar.
Geography
Lebanon lies to the east of the Mediterranean, sharing borders to the north and east with the Syrian Arab Republic, and to the south with Israel/Palestinian Territory. It is a mountainous country and between the two mountain ranges of Jebel Lubnan (Mount Lebanon), Mount Hermon and the Anti-Lebanon range lies the fertile Bekaa Valley. Approximately half of the country lies at an altitude of over 900m (3000ft). Into this small country is packed such a variety of scenery that there are few places to equal it in beauty and choice. The famous cedar trees grow high in the mountains, while the lower slopes bear grapes, apricots, plums, peaches, figs, olives and barley, often on terraces painstakingly cut out from the mountainsides. On the coastal plain, citrus fruit, bananas and vegetables are cultivated, with radishes and beans grown in tiny patches.