Tourist attractions in Beirut

Beirut is a popular tourist destination, with the reputation of "Paris in the Middle East", numerous international hotels and prosperous nightlife. In recent years, the city began to rebuild tourism, began to build major buildings and restoration work in the destroyed city center, and built a new promenade. Western-style clothes, including shorts and short skirts, can already be worn when other parts of the city are conservative, but they are still not allowed in religious buildings.

Besides the city itself, there are some archaeological sites nearby, including Baalbek and Biblus, which are said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. In places like Faraya Mzaar Kfardebian, you can ski in the mountains in winter. Baalbek Temple is located in the northern Bekaa Plain, 85 kilometers northeast of Beirut, and is a world-famous historical site. In 3000 BC, the Canaanites who worshipped the sun god built a temple here to worship the sun god Baal and called it Baalbeck (Baker means city, and Baalbeck means Sun City). Post-Phoenicians settled here instead of Canaanites. After Alexander the Great occupied Lebanon in ancient Greece, he established a trade center along the coast of Lebanon and assimilated Baalbek, the city where Phoenicians lived. Baalbek changed its name to "Sciglio Polly". In 47 BC, Julius Caesar thought that Silio's strategic position in Polly was important, and he accelerated the construction of Silio's Polly and temples, and sent troops to station. Later, Emperor Augustus expelled 20,000 slaves, which lasted for several decades, and expanded on a large scale on the original site of the Phoenician Temple. In 60 AD, the temple of Baalbek was basically completed. After more than 300 years of continuous construction, it finally became a grand temple group dedicated to the Roman gods Jupiter, Dionysus bacas and Venus. In 3 12 AD, Constantine the Great converted to Christianity, and the temple of Polly in Sciglio was converted into a church, in which the temple of Afka was completely demolished. Julian, the heir of Constantine the Great, did not believe in Christianity, and the temple of Afka was rebuilt. In 375-395 AD, under the rule of Diodor, the temple of Afka was abandoned again. Many existing Christian buildings in this area were built in the Diodor era. Since the middle of the second century, several Roman emperors, led by Antoniou, have been expanding and decorating this temple, making it the Acropolis. In AD 2 1 1-2 17, Kachikara finally completed the building and made it a fortress. In the 7th century, when Arabs ruled Lebanon, Baalbek regained his original name.

During the Ottoman Empire (1516-1918), Baalbek belonged to Damascus province. The city was destroyed by earthquakes in 1 158, 1203, 1664 and 1659. Most temples collapsed and most residents moved. During the French trusteeship, Baalbek was a part of Greater Lebanon.

Although the temple of Baalbek today is called the ruins of Roman temples, it is actually the product of the fusion of Phoenician civilization and Roman civilization. After nearly 2000 years of war, it was devastated, but its remaining scale still amazed people. It is said to be the largest ancient Roman complex in the world, including Rome, and no more complete temple remains can be found so far. From 1956 to before the civil war, the Baalbek International Dance Music Festival was held here every summer, and the Dionysus bacas Temple was usually used as the venue of the music festival. After the civil war, Baalbek Art Festival gradually resumed.

The temple is composed of the Sacrificial Hall, the Temple of Jupiter, the Temple of bacas and the Temple of Venus, all of which are made of huge stones, with great momentum. Outside the temple, there is a high wall made of huge stones. The courtyard and the main hall in the temple are located on a platform built by tens of meters high boulders. The boulder is 0/9-20 meters long, 4.5 meters wide and 3.6 meters thick, and some of them weigh 2000 tons.

The sacrificial hall passed through the entrance, and several huge stone carvings with Phoenician characteristics passed through a hexagonal front yard and came to the sacrificial hall. Director104.5m, width103m. There are two altars in the hall. In ancient times, beautiful girls were sacrificed alive. Due to the spacious hall, the Roman emperor Dior Xi built a rectangular Christian church here in the 4th century A.D., but the back wall was destroyed. There are 128 granite columns in the main hall, and the stone gallery is broken and scattered everywhere.

At the western end of the main hall of Jupiter Temple, there are stone steps leading to Jupiter Temple. Built in the era of Roman emperor Nero in the 1 th century, this temple is a Corinthian building with magnificent colonnades surrounded by tall stone pillars. There are 10 giant columns on the front and 19 giant columns on the side of the hall, accounting for 54 * *. The giant column is 20 meters high and 2.3 meters in diameter, all of which are inlaid by three columns. There is no adhesive between the stone cracks, so the blade can't get in. The temple of Jupiter has been completely destroyed, leaving only six huge columns in a row. They are regarded as the pride of Lebanon because of their majestic height, and people often call these six big stone pillars and cedars the symbols of Lebanon. Located 45km south of Beirut, Beit Din Palace was built at the end of18th century. This has always been the palace of Sheikh Bashir shehab (exiled 1840). 1842 The shehab dynasty was overthrown, but the palace still belongs to the descendants of Bashir. 186 1 year, the state acquired it and became the seat of the government at that time. 19 14 After World War I, it became the office of the local government. At 1930, Lebanese authorities declared it a historical site and restored it. 1943, the first Lebanese president, Holly, decided to turn the Gulf Palace into his own summer palace, and transported the body of Sheikh Bashir, who died in 1850, from Constantinople to Beirut and buried it in the Gulf Palace. Since then, the Lebanese authorities have made every effort to restore Gong Bei in order to maintain its complete appearance.

The Gulf Palace is divided into three parts: (1) Bahaniè re Palace. Its courtyard is a collective activity place for dancing and performances, where chiefs and their entourage gather before going out or hunting. On one side of the courtyard is a long row of guest rooms, and the upper floor is changed into a museum, which contains precious cultural relics from17th century to World War I, such as weapons, clothes, jewelry and so on. ② Masta Palace. There is a large courtyard, which used to be a stable, which can accommodate about 500 horses and their knights, and 600 guards of the king can also gather here. There is a beautiful courtyard above the stable with a fountain in the middle. On the left is the minister's office and reception desk. ③ Harim Palace. This is the living area of chiefs, queens and concubines, with kitchen, tea room, gorgeous and comfortable bathroom, boudoir and hall. The hall is the place where the heads of state handle state affairs and rest. Because of the cold winter in the mountainous area, the chief and his relatives spend the winter on the second floor. There is also the mausoleum of the Sheikh's wife (who died in 19 18) in the inner courtyard, and the Sheikh's body was also buried here after being transported back.

Next to the Bay Palace, there is also a palace of the third son of the chief.

Gong Bei is a treasure of Lebanese architecture, with beautiful modeling, fine carving and rich national characteristics.

There is also an exhibition about the life of Kamal Djumblatt, the father of Walid Djumblatt, chairman of the Lebanese Social Progressive Party. Ka, the founder of the Lebanese Social Progressive Party, won the Lenin Medal and was received by Premier Zhou during his visit to China. Ka 1977 was assassinated in March. Jieda Cave is located at the foot of Lebanon Mountain, 20 kilometers north of Beirut, and belongs to karst landform. It has been formed for tens of millions of years, and its shape is like the dome of a Roman church, with a clear height of over 80m at the top. There is an underground river in the cave, and the cave body is constructed as a natural water diversion channel, which is the main water source of Likelibu River (also known as Gouhe River). The advanced lighting equipment in the cave can take a panoramic view of the magnificent scene at the top of the cave, and it is also very interesting to enjoy the ingenuity of nature among the stone pillars. The cave body is divided into upper and lower holes. The upper floor can be viewed on foot, and the geological age is millions of years earlier than the lower floor. There are different geological layers in the 650-meter-long corridor, and cave stones have different shapes, especially canyon stones and fault topography. Downhole sightseeing includes boating in the underground river, which is not only the clear crossing of waterfalls, but also the fun of winding paths. In summer, the caves are cool and pleasant. In winter, the river water level rises and the tunnel is closed.

1836, the American missionary william thomson first discovered this cave. Later, Maxwell and Huxley explored twice. Now the stone pillar above the hole is engraved with the name and age of their exploration time, which is called "Maxwell Column". Stones over 200 meters are called the Pantheon. In those days, Maxwell and others sealed the name of the explorer and the documents recording the expedition in a bottle and put them on the top of a stalagmite. After soaking in lime water, a natural alkali film was formed, and the bottle was fixed on the stalagmite. During the period from 1892 to 1940, British, American and French explorers made many explorations of the cave. 1940, explorers of the first "cave club" in Lebanon made many explorations of caves.

The upper tunnel and the lower tunnel were opened in 1969 and 1958 respectively, and closed during the civil war. 1995, the facilities inside and outside the tunnel were completely updated and reopened. Babec City

Babec is located 85km east of Beirut and in the north of Bekaa Valley. It is an ancient city with an altitude of1150m. Surrounded by orange orchards and towns, the ruins of the ancient city have been religious shrines since ancient times. At that time, it was called Sun City, and the existing temples were the largest among the ruins of the Roman Empire. Ba is their god, and Baker means village, so Babel refers to the bustling city in front of the temple.

Grand President150m, length120m in the ruins of the ancient city. Cupid Temple is 50 meters long and 89 meters long. Even the smaller wine temple is 36 meters, which is bigger than the Parthenon in Athens. It is because of peace and prosperity that it was built in "peaceful Rome" and that there is such a huge temple. The temple sculpture is luxurious and exquisite, and the maturity of Roman culture can be faintly seen in the excessive decoration. War life in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, has never been separated from the smoke of war. We can interpret the scars left by the war on this beautiful Mediterranean city from the ruins everywhere in the city. However, people living in this city are not so heavy. Although shrouded in the cloud of war, Beirut, known as "Paris in the Middle East", is still sunny. Due to historical reasons, Lebanon has become a multi-ethnic country, where there are immigrants and their descendants from many European countries. The pure Islamic nation has gradually been assimilated, and the original customs and habits have become very "Europeanized". On the streets of Beirut, women wearing European fashion clothes can be seen everywhere. Basically, they can't find any strict Islamic commandments to imprison women. Their beautiful figures freely shuttle through the sunny streets of Beirut, and we can hear their carefree laughter from the speeding cars. When dealing with foreigners, they often bring you the romance and charm of "Paris in the Middle East" with active smiles.

Colorful clothes hung on the balcony, men and women chatting in the sun, and all kinds of kittens yawning in the corner are telling us that it seems that this place will never be destroyed by war. In the charming seaside, whenever the sun sets, many tourists fish leisurely in the crisp sound of the waves. After nightfall, on the streets of Beirut, brand-name cars, new or old, carrying all kinds of people, go fast under the dazzling neon lights.

The only symbol of war is in many corners of Beirut, where Lebanese soldiers with live ammunition are on duty 24 hours a day. They are often beside armored vehicles or tanks. But when foreigners look at them, they often get a kind smile. We once saw several Lebanese soldiers sitting beside their armored vehicles, drinking tea by the sea. When they learned that we were journalists from China, they raised their hands and wished our team victory loudly. It seems that in Beirut, where war may come at any time, I am used to living in war. It is more than 3000 meters high, and the top of the mountain is covered with snow, but at the foot of the mountain, there are fruit trees in the forest, and full of green complements the Mediterranean. It's really colorful and fascinating. Cars can drive from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain along the wide winding mountain road. There are many villas, hotels and restaurants with novel styles between the hillsides, which are hidden among the lush trees. From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, we can see a very interesting phenomenon along the way: people ski happily on the mountain, colorful umbrellas gather on the beach below, and the crowd is crowded. Male and female tourists either play and chase on the sea or lie naked on the beach in the sun. A travel book published in Lebanon once wrote humorously: "Come to Beirut! You can ski in the mountains and swim in the sea in one day. " In the same area, due to the great temperature difference between mountains, such a bizarre scene appeared.