Lebanon is a small country in the Middle East, bordered to the west by the Mediterranean sea and to the east and south by Syria and Israel. The capital and largest city of Lebanon is Beirut, which is centrally located in the country.
Lebanon has been settled by a civilisation for at least 7000 years. It was home to the ancient Phoenicians, a nation of seafarers who developed the precursor of the modern alphabet.
Over the course of the centuries Lebanon has been ruled by the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantynes, Arabs, Ottomans and the French.
With the foundation of Israel after World War II Lebanon has been subject to a series of wars and unrest and is nowadays home to a large number of refugees. Between 1975 and 1990 Lebanon experienced the Lebanese civil war which devastated parts of Beirut. These were reconstructed after the end of the civil war.
From a tourist perspective, Lebanon is a very interesting country because of its geographical diversity with coasts, high mountains and high plains and its rich history and cultural diversity. Lebanon is home to a number of different people and different religions. The coast to the south and north of Beirut consists mostly of steep cliffs with small, stone beaches and relatively few sandy beaches. A mountain range with up to 3000m high peaks runs parallel to the coast, splitting the country into a coastal area and a high plains area, the Bekaa valley.
Despite the poor infrastructure Lebanon has a relatively high standard of living. The traffic on the street consists mostly of car (many high end cars) and few motorbikes.
The security situation in Lebanon is not bad considering all the turmoil in the region. On the streets there are many checkpoints of the military and sensitive places, such as churches and mosques are guarded by the military on festive days.
Beirut photo gallery  - 177 pictures of Beirut
Baalbek photo gallery  - 46 pictures of Baalbek
Byblos photo gallery  - 40 pictures of Byblos
177 photos of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon
46 photos of Baalbek, a city in the Bekaa valley with a Roman temple complex
40 photos of Byblos, a picturesque coastal city in Lebanon with 7000 years of history
Batroun photo gallery  - 41 pictures of Batroun
Tyre photo gallery  - 50 pictures of Tyre
Anjar photo gallery  - 35 pictures of Anjar
41 photos of Batroun, a Christian Maronite coastal town in Lebanon
50 photos of Tyre, the ancient Phoenician city where purple dye was invented
35 photos of Anjar in the Bekaa valley, with its impressive Umayyad era ruins
Deir Al-Qamar photo gallery  - 15 pictures of Deir Al-Qamar
Beiteddine palace photo gallery  - 17 pictures of Beiteddine palace
15 photos of Deir Al-Qamar, a picturesque medieval mountain village
17 photos of the Beiteddine palace in Lebanon
Mzaar ski resort photo gallery  - 31 pictures of Mzaar ski resort
Kefraya winery photo gallery  - 4 pictures of Kefraya winery
Shouf mountains photo gallery  - 19 pictures of Shouf mountains
31 photos of the Mzaar ski resort, the most modern, glitzy and best-equipped ski resort in Lebanon
4 photos of the Kefraya winery in the Bekaa valley
19 photos of the Shouf mountains and the Shouf cedar reserve in Lebanon
Cedars of God photo gallery  - 18 pictures of Cedars of God
Qadisha valley photo gallery  - 16 pictures of Qadisha valley
Tripoli photo gallery  - 41 pictures of Tripoli
18 photos of the Cedars of God forest in the Lebanese mountains near Bcharre
16 photos of the Qadisha valley, a narrow valley in northern Lebanon with several monasteries
41 photos of Tripoli, a city in Lebanon with impressive Mamluk architecture
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