Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria. Area: Total: 10,400 sq km Land: 10,230 sq km Water: 170 sq km Land boundaries: Total: 454 km. Border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km. Coastline: 225 km. Maritime claims: Territorial sea: 12 NM. Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows. Terrain: Narrow coastal plain; Al Biqa' (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains. Elevation extremes: Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m. Highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m. Natural resources: Limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land. Lebanon: Lebanon, known as the land of cedars, is the only country that regroups all different attractions of tourists. A visit to the Middle East won’t be complete without the visit of Lebanon, the land of Gods and humanity. Discover the ancient cities as well the reconstructed down town, the immortal cedars, the sandy blue beaches, the snow covered mountains, and many other attractions. During your stay, make sure to visit these cities. Beirut: Beirut, with its million – plus inhabitants, conveys a sense of life and energy that is immediately apparent. This dynamism is echoed by the Capital’s geographical position: a great promontory jutting into the blue sea with dramatic mountains rising behind it. A city with a venerable past, 5000 years ago, Beirut was a prosperous town in the Canaanite and Phoenician coast. Beirut survived a decade and a half of conflict and so has earned the right to call itself “the city that would not die”. As if to demonstrate this resiliency, the Lebanese have launched a great rush of building activity, including the public service infrastructure. In the ruined city centre, a huge reconstruction project is underway to create a new commercial and residential district for the 21st century. Commerce is the second nature of Beirut. A banking centre with free currency exchange, the chief employment here is in trade, banking, construction, import-export and service industries. Restaurants specializing in Lebanese food offer a chance to sample this well known cuisine at its most authentic. A large selection of foreign restaurants serve dishes from around the world in surroundings as elegant or as cozy as you desire. Night life in Beirut is non stop. Discos, dinner dancing, bars and pubs of every variety invite to join the fun. Beiteddine: A beautiful drive into the mountain south east of Beirut brings you to the magnificent Palace, pure specimen of national architecture of early XlX Th century. The great Emir Bechir Chehab, ruler of Mount Lebanon, built it over a period of thirty years. Sumptuous residence of the Princes, the palace presents both elements of Islamic architecture and Venetian gothic- renaissance architecture. This match of style is visible in the gracious arcades and the facades, in the wooden works, the ceilings and the mosaic parterres. A folkloric museum occupies one wing. In the palace renovated stables is an exquisite display of mosaics from a ruined Byzantine church and other structures of the same period. The visitor will be struck by the generosity and originality of the decorative ornaments. Baalbeck: On the place of a very old religious site, the Phoenicians set up a magnificent sanctuary dedicated to the worship of Baal. Under the reign of Alexander the Great, the city developed rapidly. However, the most important constructions of the Acropolis of Baalbeck date from the Roman times. A great cultural complex gathers 3 major edifices: The temple of Jupiter housing 54 columns and of which only the 6 famous columns remain. Measuring each 20 meters in height and 2 meters in diameter at the base, which classify them among the largest Roman columns. The temple of Jupiter has a hexagonal forecourt relatively well preserved. The temple of Bacchus is considered as one of the most beautiful successes of Roman architecture and amongst the most well preserved. A popular venue for international festivals of theatre, ballet, classical and modern concerts and of course the famous “Festival of Baalbeck”. The temple of Venus is rare being of circular plan, comparable in many ways to the Tholos of Delphesin Greece. Cedars: Simply known as “The Cedars”, this resort settlement in Lebanon’s highest range is one of the most dramatically beautiful spots in the country. Its centerpiece is an ancient grove of cedars, a tree synonymous for millennia with Lebanon itself. Just below The Cedars is the town of Besharre, birthplace of Gibran Khalil Gibran. The Cedars is a resort for all seasons. In summer, the high elevation makes it a wonderful escape from the humid coast, while in winter skiing is the favorite activity. The scenery and the quality of the snow make The Cedars an exceptional skiing venue. The pistes form a natural amphitheatre, and the high elevation means the season usually lasts from December through April. Snack bars, hotels and restaurants service the ski area. More facilities are available at The Cedars “village” and in Besharre, 15 minutes down the mountain. Byblos: Coastal city, located 37 km north of Beirut, Byblos (called Jbeil) is the world’s oldest continuously inhabited town. Situated on a cliff, it marks the site of the most ancient port of the world and a once flourishing commercial centre. But Byblos was also a place of worship, since there dwelled the temple of obelisks. Other discoveries revealed the famous figurines of Byblos, the votive statuettes. The visitor will be astonished at the number of superimposed cultural layers: Neolithic, Phoenician, Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman. The Romans left Byblos a monumental fountain, a sanctuary, a colonnade, and most of all, a magnificent amphitheatre facing the sea. The major attraction at this site is the Castle built by the Crusaders inside the ramparts of the ancient city. Sour-Tyr: Located on the Lebanese Coast, 83 km south of the capital, the city of Tyr was founded by the Phoenicians and became the first commercial Metropolis of the world. It was in Tyr that their economical empire really expanded. The Sarcophagus of the famous king of Tyr, Hiram was found in Tyr. It was he who supplied king Salomon with excellent wood from the Cedar forests for the construction of his temple and palace. The visitor can also discover the paved path that crosses a majestic Arch of Triumph, a Roman aqueduct, one of the first hippodromes, a field of Roman sarcophagus, mosaic parterres and many other ruins that escaped the Assyrians, the Persians and the Arab destruction. The archeological sites are open daily. Several seafood restaurants and pubs are located in the port area and fast food places have opened in the Hay Er Raml area. Jeita: The Jeita Grottoes: 20 km north of Beirut, the breathtaking Jeita grottoes have welcomed thousands of visitors. The two grottoes superimposed and linked by cable car; sink at thousand meters inside the mountains. The lower grotto may be visited with a bark that leads you into narrow underground passages and lakes and to the source of the River Nahr El Kalb. The upper grotto may be explored on foot but accompanied by a guide. Stalactites and stalagmites evoking the fauna and the flora, water falls, lakes, natural columns, a surrealistic world that intrigues the spectator.