Unique And Old Places in Lebanon

The Phoenician city of Byblos, which bears the modern name of Jbeil, is also one of the oldest cities on the planet. In biblical times, it was called Gebal; over the course of thousands of years, the city has changed several names, but has not lost its historical charm and mystery at all. Ancient fortifications that have been discovered by archaeologists date back to 3000 BC, while traces of the first settlements are much older and date back to the 7th millennium BC. Even in ancient times, Byblos had the status of an important transport hub and one of the world's largest centers of trade.
Byblos maintained close ties with Egypt and Greece, timber was supplied to Egypt from the city, as well as excellent olive oil and wine, which was delivered in abundance from Greece. Egypt, in turn, supplied the city with papyrus, which in many ancient countries was worth its weight in gold. Active trading activity was not the only feature of the ancient city; during excavations, scientists discovered samples of the so-called linear writing, which testified to the high culture of the first inhabitants of Byblos.
The modern port city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, many researchers call it a "mosaic of civilizations". For thousands of years, a unique and multifaceted cultural atmosphere has been formed here, which is embodied in beautiful historical buildings and national traditions. The city is not devoid of the trends of modernity; on its territory there are noisy nightclubs, colorful Arab markets, and many other objects of interest to active tourists.

The real leader of the planet in terms of the number of ancient cities is Lebanon, it is here that the beautiful city of Beirut is located, the history of which dates back more than 5,000 years ago. According to scientists, the city was founded no later than 3000 BC, today Beirut is the capital of Lebanon and the most populous city in the country. It is noteworthy that the exact number of its population is unknown; the last census was conducted in the city in 1932.
Beirut is distinguished not only by a rich historical past, but also by a surprisingly cosmopolitan present. Ancient sights here border on ultra-modern skyscrapers, and respect for the traditions and culture of their ancestors does not in the least prevent local residents from keeping up with the times and being modern people in every respect. For the abundance of expressive contrasts, Beirut received an unofficial name - "Paris of the Middle East."
Such an emphasis on the special way of life of modern citizens is not accidental. There are few cities in the world where representatives of the Muslim community, after evening prayers, go to one of the clubs for a concert of their favorite band, and prefer to spend the morning on the beach in order to get the most even and beautiful tan. Ancient monuments are considered to be one of the most significant objects of the historical heritage of Beirut. In the historic district of the city, the ruins of a Roman basilica have survived, you can see the ancient Roman baths and the Beritus colonnade. For 5,000 years, Beirut has changed a lot, but all this time its inhabitants did not forget about their past and preserved its most vivid incarnations for their contemporaries.

The abyss of three bridges - this is the name given to the cave of the Jurassic period, located in Lebanon. Its natural entrance is a hole in the earth's crust 225 meters deep, into which the Baatara waterfall falls. These amazing natural attractions are usually considered as a whole. The name of the cave fully reflects one of its main features, looking into the abyss, you can see three natural bridges located one above the other. According to rough estimates, the cave was formed over 160 million years ago, swift underground rivers and streams continue to form the labyrinth today.
Only experienced speleologists can go down to the bottom of the cave, while tourists are offered another, no less exciting entertainment - to walk along one of the bridges and see the waterfall in all its glory. The appearance of the bridges does not inspire confidence at all, in their central part the rock has a minimum thickness, so it seems that the bridge can collapse into the abyss at any moment. Although the depth of the karst failure is incomparable with the depth of some caves, it still remains one of the deepest and most amazing formations of its kind.

A unique building is the ancient temple of the god Jupiter, located in the ancient Lebanese city of Baalbek. Despite the fact that today the ancient building is in ruins, it never ceases to amaze with its scale and design features. The main mystery of the temple is the huge platform slabs at its base, as well as carved marble columns, the height of which, according to rough estimates, reached 20 meters.
How thousands of years ago people managed to construct structures of such a scale, it has not been possible to understand until now. According to historical data, the temple in Baalbek existed for several hundred years and was partially destroyed during the reign of Emperor Theodosius. It is likely that thousands of years ago these places were considered truly special, it is impossible to find another explanation for the appearance of a giant temple.
When trying to imagine the process of building a temple, a huge number of unsolvable questions arise.