Beirut-Motaz Othman

One of the activities of the AWTTE in Beirut last October was a visit to the Chuff Mountains. I was invited along with many other journalists and travel agents to go to the south east to visit this region.

Our first stop was Deir Al-Qamar, also called the city of Princes. It is the old capital of Lebanon Mountain which enjoyed independence during the Ottoman rule in exchange for the tax paid by the princes. The town represents the independence of Lebanon and receives thousands of visitors every year. They come to enjoy its fresh air and old architecture. One of the signposts in Deir Al-Qamar is Mir Amin Palace, which is about 200 years old and is now a hotel on a high spot surrounded by mountains.

We carried on to Beit El-Din, the presidential summer retreat. It is a big house with many halls, which were used by the princes for meeting the locals. There is an Islamic touch to the palace through the Islamic decorations on the walls. The palace also has a museum for Arabesque, some dating back to the Byzantine period. The artefacts were brought from Jayah town in the south of Lebanon.

We then moved to the mountains of Al-Shouf about two thousand meters above sea level to reach the Cedar Nature reserve. With an area of 550 sq. km., it is the biggest reserve in Lebanon. The cedar forests are more than 2500 years old. It also has more than 500 plant species, 200 types of birds and is home to migrating birds. The reserveأ¢â‚¬â„¢s management promotes environmental tourism.

We moved on to the Beqaa Valley to reach Shtorah near the Syrian border, and after a short break returned to Beirut.