My trip to Lebanon

After I left Jordan, I visited another Arab country in the Middle East: Lebanon. Lebanon is a very small country located right on the Mediterranean between Israel and Syria. It is a truly beautiful country. I had a fantastic time visiting it.

My first stop was Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Beirut is known for its beautiful views of the Mediterranean. These two rocks, just off downtown Beirut, are particularly famous.

The Mediterranean Sea as seen from Beirut.

I pose in front of the Mediterranean Sea in Beirut.

In my recent posts about Jordan, I talked a little bit about what it is like to travel to a country where most of the people are Muslims. As you recall, I have previously traveled to four countries with Muslim majorities: Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey, and Jordan. Lebanon is a fifth predominantly Muslim country. Unlike the others, however, Lebanon also has a very large Christian population. In fact, different people in Lebanon belong to many different sects, including different types of Islam and different types of Christianity. At times throughout history, people who believe in different religions have not gotten along with each other. As a result, Lebanon has had sporadic religious violence and even a long civil war starting in the 1970s. Most of the time, however, people of different faiths are able to co-exist. People of different religions contribute to making Beirut a very vibrant city. In my posts from Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey, and Jordan, I have included photographs of me in front of local mosques. In my post about Lebanon, I'm including a picture of downtown Beirut that I think is really special: it's a photo of me in front of two Islamic mosques and a Christian church right in one of the main city squares.

I pose in front of two mosques and a church in the heart of Beirut.

When I was in Beirut, I also visited a monument to the people of Lebanon who died fighting in World War I. World War I lasted from 1914 to 1918. You probably know that conflict mostly because of the fighting between the United Kingdom, France, and the United States against Germany in western Europe. During the same war, however, Arabs throughout the Middle East fought with British help against the Ottoman Empire, which was ruled by people from what is now Turkey. After World War I, Lebanon was created as a separate country administered by the French, just as Jordan became a new country administered by the British.

I stand on the monument in Beirut to the Lebanese people who died in World War I.

As much as I enjoyed Beirut, however, Lebanon's real beauty lies in the countryside outside the main city. The symbol of the country is the cedar tree, since cedar trees grow on the mountains that run up and down the middle of the country. Lebanese people are so proud of their cedar trees that they included a picture of one on their country's flag. I hope that you will look up the Lebanese flag online and see what it looks like! You might even consider trying to draw it; it isn't easy because the tree is hard to draw.

I pose in front of some genuine Lebanese cedar trees.

From the mountains where the cedar trees grow, you can get gorgeous views of the rest of Lebanon. In particular, I enjoyed the panorama of the Bekaa Valley on the east side of the mountains.

I pose in front of the Bekaa Valley.

I also visited the city of Saida, which is a port city on the Mediterranean in southern Lebanon. You may also have heard of this city by the name "Sidon." It has been an important port for thousands of years. Many centuries ago, the rulers of Saida built a castle to protect it. Today, that castle is a tourist site where visitors like me can stand on the causeway out into the Mediterranean.

I stand in front of the sea fort in Saida.

--Benny