Ahlan! Welcome to the “Paris of the Middle East”—Lebanon, a small but incredibly influential country on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. There are around 5 million people living here, though there are actually more Lebanese people living outside the country than inside it! The capital is Beirut, a city that has been destroyed and rebuilt seven times, earning it a reputation for legendary resilience. The official language is Arabic, but you will frequently hear locals blending Arabic, French, and English in a single sentence (the famous “Hi, kifak, ça va?”).
Lebanon covers about 10,452 square kilometers (4,036 square miles). The country is roughly the same size as the state of Connecticut in the U.S., or about half the size of Slovenia. It is one of the few places in the region where you can literally ski on a snowy mountain in the morning and go for a swim in the Mediterranean Sea in the afternoon.
The most popular sports are Basketball (where the national team is a major contender in Asia) and Football. Their national animal is the Striped Hyena, but the most iconic symbol of the nation is the Lebanese Cedar tree.
The flag consists of two horizontal red stripes and a wider white stripe in the middle with a green cedar tree in the center, where the red symbolizes the blood shed for liberation, the white represents the snow on the mountains and peace, and the cedar tree stands for eternity and holiness.
The food is widely considered some of the best in the world. You must try Kibbeh, the national dish made of minced meat and bulgur, and Tabbouleh, a fresh parsley and bulgur salad. A traditional Lebanese meal usually starts with Mezza, an array of up to 30 small plates like hummus, mutabbal, and warak enab (stuffed grape leaves). Lebanon is also home to some of the world’s oldest Wine regions, particularly in the Bekaa Valley, where wine has been produced for over 5,000 years.
Lebanon is home to Baalbek, where you can find some of the largest and best-preserved Roman temples ever built, including the massive Temple of Jupiter. The city of Byblos is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and is the place where the Phoenician alphabet—the ancestor of almost all modern alphabets—was developed. For nature lovers, the Jeita Grotto is a stunning system of crystallized caves that can be explored by boat. The country is also famous for its nightlife and the Cedars of God, an ancient forest mentioned many times in the Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh.
From the vibrant souks of Tripoli to the luxury boutiques of downtown Beirut, Lebanon is a land of ancient history and a party spirit that never quits. Shukran! That means “Thank you!”