LEBANON

Lebanon (pronounced /ˈlɛbənɒn/ or /ˈlɛbənən/; Arabic: لُبْنَان‎ Lubnān;  (Armenian), Liban French: Liban), officially the Republic of Lebanon (Arabic: اَلْجُمْهُورِيَّة اَللُّبْنَانِيَّة; French: République libanaise), is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south. Lebanon’s location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has dictated its rich history, and shaped its cultural identity.

The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than 7,000 years—predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Phoenicians, a maritime culture that flourished for nearly 2,500 years (3000–539 BC).

Before the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990), the country experienced a period of relative calm and prosperity, driven by tourism, agriculture, and banking. Because of its financial power and diversity, Lebanon was known in its heyday as the “Switzerland of the East”. It attracted large numbers of tourists, such that the capital Beirut was referred to as “Paris of the Middle East.” At the end of the war, there were extensive efforts to revive the economy and rebuild national infrastructure.

Until July 2006, Lebanon enjoyed considerable stability, Beirut’s reconstruction was almost complete, and increasing numbers of tourists poured into the nation’s resorts. In 2009, despite a global recession, Lebanon enjoyed nine percent economic growth and hosted the largest number of tourists in its history.

The caves of Jeita, Lebanon

Considered one of the natural wonders and a miracle of nature, Jeita caves are located about 20 kilometers from Beirut, capital of Lebanon, in the valley of Nahr el Kalb, is a complex of caves formed by two stone caves limestone.

With a length of 6 200 meters long, through which a river runs underground, these caverns were decubiertas the year 1836 and made available to the public in 1958, made up of two levels, the upper level can be visited on foot and the bottom in small boats.

The stunning stalactites and stalagmites, we offer spectacular views, which in the crystallization process have been forming silhouettes of huge mushrooms, giant limestone orchids rosacea, animals and left the rest to your imagination.