I swear upon cedars, I will return to Lebanon!
- PaulaHerPhotography
- Sep 27, 2018
- 1 min read
Yes, I will! Lebanon is one of the world's smallest sovereign states and one of the oldest human settlements. It shares many of the cultural characteristics of the Arab world, yet it has attributes that make it unique among many of its Arab neighbours. Its rugged, mountainous terrain has served throughout history as an asylum for diverse religious and ethnic groups and for political dissidents. Last but not least: it is beautiful!
If you are looking for specifics, these are cities like Byblos or Beirut but I urge you to focus on Cedars of God. Tree which is the national emblem of Lebanon, represents its' uniqness and ability to survive the storms of history. Cedars grow in challenging environment and they flourish in moist, cool temperatures. They morph their distinctive shape after a century at the earliest. Over the time, cedar wood was exploited by the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Romans, Israelites and Turks.
In 1998, the Cedars of God were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
If you would like to see them, walk through the chilly cadres forest, smell the refreshing scent of cones - you need to hurry! Major threat is the global warming. The forest, or what is left of it, migrates to higher altitudes and Mount Lebanon might not be high enough.
Have a nice weekend,
Paula
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