Lebanon is made up of the Mountain and the Sea. The Mountain sheltered the first Lebanese; the Sea nourished them and enabled them to bring into existence the world we know. In an age where the only possible means of communication between people of different lands seemed to be war and domination, the Phoenicians took their friendly and curious nature all around the Mediterranean and Africa, all the way to Ireland and maybe even America. By their tireless commerce they created bonds between isolated populations, allowing civilization and culture to spread in the peaceful way that was their trademark. The world owes much more to this Sea and its first navigators than it will ever know.
Though now much desecrated by its own people, the Lebanese shore is still a large part of our lives. There are few places in the country where the sea is hidden from sight; even when it is, it can still be guessed beyond the mountains.
The Sea and the Mountain are responsible for our blessedly mild weather and abundant water: the one prevents the temperature from varying widely, the otherstops the rainclouds on their way inland, allowing the rain to pour on our land.
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Above: Untouched beaches in the South of the country.
Above: The lovely beach of Byblos... and what happens when a fool struts his new car.
Right: The so-called Pigeon Grotto, a landmark of Beirut, in stormy weather.
the fishermen on their barrels. The first barrel was
installed in 1953. The idea was to allow one to fish
without having to worry about the waves. A set of
unwritten rules insures that there is no quarreling
over barrels; all fishermen have a licence and respect
each other's priority to the fishing spots.
Above: Beirut itself in the distance at the time when the fishermen take to their barges. At night the sea is littered with what seems to be stars fallen from the sky -- in truth the dozens of barges with lights that attracts the fish.
Above: The Jounieh Bay seen from the site of Our Lady of Lebanon that overlooks it.
Above: Salt pans in Chekka.
A group of four tiny islands can be visited off the shore of Tripoli. In the 12th century
the Arabs named them An-Narjis, al-Amid, Ar-Ráhib and Urdákun (the isle of Ardakun).
When the Crusader arrived, they built a chapel on the largest isle, but it was abandoned
when they left the land. For centuries they were used as mere mooring points for ships.
In the 18th century two of them earned new names: one Pigeon Island, and the other
Rabbit Island. The latter is owed to the skipper of a Dutch ship, who released a number of
rabbits there. They thrived so much that the isle worked as a food reserve for passing ships.
