Lebanon Travel
Halal Travel Guide: Beirut - Lebanon Capital, Mosques and City Life
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Reposted from the web
We flew from Istanbul to Beirut, dropped our bags at the hotel, and headed straight to Downtown Beirut. After the 2020 explosion, the military took over this area. The once-busy streets are now almost empty, like a ghost town. Roadblocks guard every entrance, soldiers stand watch, and windows and doors are shattered. The Beirut Souks shopping district, once packed with people, has almost no open shops and only a few people walking around.
After the Lebanese Civil War began in 1975, downtown Beirut became a no-man's-land known as the Green Line. It suffered heavy damage and reconstruction did not start until 1994. Because of political instability, the rebuilding took many years, and the Beirut Souks shopping district did not officially open until 2009.
At the entrance to the Beirut Souks stands the Zawiyat Ibn Arraq, the only remaining Mamluk-era building in Beirut. Religious authority Ibn 'Arraq Al-Dimashqi from Damascus built this structure in 1517, originally as a hospice. After Ibn 'Arraq passed away in 1526, the site became a school for Islamic law and a zawiya (small Sufi lodge) for his followers. The remaining vaulted building once connected to other courtyards and rooms.
In the evening, I went to the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut. Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri funded this mosque, which was built in the Ottoman style between 2002 and 2008. It is currently the largest mosque in Lebanon.
This is a Sunni mosque, and there were not many people there for namaz. I chatted with an older man for a while. He said the Sunni community in Beirut is not strong enough and suggested I visit Tripoli in the north, calling it a powerful Sunni city. In fact, Lebanon's Sunni population is mainly concentrated in the north, led by Tripoli, and in the eastern Bekaa Valley. In the capital, Beirut, the northwest is mainly Sunni, the southwest is mainly Shia, and the east is mainly Christian. During the civil war, the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque stood near the dividing line between the Muslim and Christian quarters. This dividing line was called the Green Line because weeds and trees grew over it when no one lived there during the war. It was once full of militia checkpoints and snipers, and many buildings were severely damaged.
After we came down from the prayer hall, Zainab happened to be interviewed by a local reporter, which was quite a special experience.
Guided by the reporter, we went to the Mawlid carnival held in the basement of the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque. This was my first time attending such a colorful Mawlid event abroad. The stalls inside were dazzling and diverse. There were children singing praises to the Prophet, educational games, introductions to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Arabic calligraphy displays, and various traditional snacks. The children were having so much fun they did not want to leave.
I did not expect to encounter such a magical scene on my first night in Lebanon. Upstairs was a deserted ghost town, while downstairs was a lively Mawlid celebration. It felt like a glimpse into the current state of a conflicted Lebanon.
After leaving the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, we went to the nearby Emir Assaf Mosque to participate in the praise of the Prophet, which was also part of the Mawlid activities. Twelve men in formal attire sat on the east side of the main hall, chanting praises to the Prophet in unison, with drums accompanying some of the passages. Their voices were deep, loud, and very powerful.
The Emir Assaf Mosque was built in the late 16th century by the Emir rulers of the local Lebanese Assaf dynasty (1306-1591). The Emir's palace and gardens once stood next to the mosque.
The Assaf dynasty was a Sunni Turkmen dynasty. In 1306, the Turkmen tribe led by the Assaf family was sent by the Mamluk governor of Damascus to suppress a rebellion north of Beirut. Later, the Mamluk dynasty appointed them to guard the coastal area north of Beirut and manage the local Shia residents. After the Ottoman Empire seized the Levant from the Mamluk dynasty in 1516, they appointed the Assaf family as the main agents for the Beirut and Tripoli regions. The Assaf dynasty attracted Maronite Christians to settle in northern Beirut by lowering taxes and housing prices to balance the local Sunni and Shia populations. In 1579, the Ottoman Empire established the Tripoli Eyalet to keep the Assaf dynasty in check. In 1591, the last Assaf Emir was shot to death on the orders of the Ottoman governor of Tripoli, marking the end of the Assaf dynasty.
I performed the night prayer (isha) at the Great Mosque of Al-Omari next to the Emir Assaf Mosque. There were very few people inside, and it felt as if time had stood still.
The Great Mosque of Al-Omari was reportedly founded in 635 during the reign of Caliph Umar, and in 1150, the Crusaders built a Romanesque Church of St. John here. After the Mamluk dynasty captured Tripoli in 1291, they converted it into a grand mosque, and in 1350, they added a Mamluk-style gate and minaret. During the French mandate of Lebanon from 1923 to 1946, the street-facing facade of the Great Mosque of Al-Omari was redesigned to match the architectural style of downtown Beirut, and a portico was added. The Great Mosque of Al-Omari suffered severe damage during the Lebanese Civil War, and renovations were completed in 2004.
I had dinner at T-Marbouta, a famous local restaurant in the Hamra district of Beirut. I ordered kibbeh mloukiyeh, hommos moutammam, and grilled meat, and drank herbal tea and mint tea. Kibbeh is a fried ball made of cracked wheat and minced lamb, a classic appetizer in the Levant region. The one I ate was topped with mloukiyeh (jute leaves), eggplant, walnuts, and pomegranate. Hommos is another classic Levantine appetizer made of mashed chickpeas.
Hamra is a lively and trendy neighborhood in Beirut near the American University. It is full of young people and has long been the cultural center of Beirut. The environment here is relatively nice, making it a good place for shopping in Beirut.
I stayed at the Serenada Golden Palace hotel in the heart of the Hamra district during this trip to Beirut. The hotel lobby is gorgeous and classic, reminding people of the prosperity and beauty of Beirut in the past. At the same time, opening the window in my room reveals buildings damaged by war, which immediately pulls you back to reality.
The hotel breakfast is quite rich, with all kinds of cheeses and a variety of fruits and vegetables, making it very healthy.
Compared to the empty downtown area of Beirut, the seaside promenade to the north is very lively. The Zaitunay Bay area, in particular, is full of cafes and Western-style restaurants, where many young people take photos and drink coffee. The Beirut Corniche was first built in the 1920s during the French Mandate. To boost tourism, the French expanded the seaside embankment into a wide walkway, planted palm trees, and built several chic hotels.
The most famous spot on the Corniche is the legendary St. Georges Hotel (Hotel St. Georges) shown in picture 3, which became a landmark of the Beirut waterfront after the French built it in 1934. The hotel was in its prime from the 1960s to the early 1970s, hosting many celebrities including film stars Brigitte Bardot, Marlon Brando, and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as King Hussein of Jordan and the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The hotel closed when the civil war began in 1975, and soon after, intense fighting known as the 'Battle of the Hotels' broke out as various factions fought for control, leaving the building severely damaged; the Syrian army later occupied it until 1990. Lebanon began rebuilding downtown Beirut in 1994, but restoration work on the hotel stalled for years due to conflicts between the construction company and the owners; just as repairs started in 2005, the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri occurred, and a bomb blast in front of the hotel caused heavy damage, causing work to stop again. Today, the St. Georges Yacht Club operates the hotel's outdoor restaurant and swimming pool, but the hotel building remains empty, keeping its war-torn appearance.
Continuing west is Paris Avenue, lined with tall palm trees, where many people walk or jog by the Mediterranean Sea, and others relax while smoking shisha. During the civil war, this area was buried under piles of trash and called the 'Normandy Dump,' but post-war reconstruction has restored the Corniche landscape. Even now, you can still imagine the intensity of the war by looking at some of the palm trees that are still covered in bullet holes.
Fast food in the Hamra district of Lebanon, where I had steak and fried chicken. There are many young people here and a wide variety of restaurants, including Chinese and Japanese food. Because the power supply is unstable, shops here suddenly go dark from time to time, but everyone except us stays very calm, waiting for the power to come back on by itself. I think it must be hard to use a desktop computer without a battery in Beirut, so everyone definitely chooses laptops.
I ate at Zaatar w Zeit, a famous Lebanese fast-food chain in the Hamra district, which specializes in Levantine-style flatbread (manakish) and serves very healthy food.
Manakish is a traditional bread that originated with the ancient Phoenicians; it can be topped with a spice blend (zaatar), cheese, or minced lamb. We ate the kind with zaatar, a unique mix of thyme, sumac, oregano, marjoram, and sesame seeds.
We also drank Lebanese coffee made from Arabica coffee beans and seasoned with cardamom. Arabica coffee is the first cultivated coffee variety. Its natural population is limited to southern Ethiopia and Yemen, where it plays an important role in Sufi practice. Yemeni Sufis use Arabica coffee to focus their minds during dhikr ceremonies and drink it to stay awake during night-time meditation. In the 15th century, coffee spread from the port of Mocha in Yemen to Egypt and Mecca, and soon reached the Levant under the Mamluk Sultanate.
Most early coffee-drinking Muslims were Sufis, while conservative orthodox scholars long rejected it because of its stimulating effects. In 1524, the Grand Mufti of the Ottoman Empire officially issued a fatwa allowing coffee consumption, and Arabica coffee quickly became popular across the Middle East.
We spent the evening drinking coffee at the legendary Younes Coffee in the Hamra district of Beirut. The founder of Younes Coffee, Amin Younes Sr., immigrated to Brazil in 1894 and worked on a Brazilian coffee tycoon's plantation for 20 years. Amin returned to Lebanon in 1935 and opened the first Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut. During World War II, the Lebanese currency crashed and wiped out most of Amin's savings, but he managed to pull through. In 1960, Amin's son Souheil joined the family business and helped his father open the first Younes Coffee branch in the Hamra district, which was one of the first cafes in Lebanon to buy an espresso machine. The original Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut was destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, leaving only the Hamra branch.
Abou Anwar worked at Younes Coffee for 60 years starting in 1954. He was the cafe's most senior master roaster, and his expert roasting skills attracted a large group of loyal customers. The coffee I ordered was the Abou Anwar Blend, named after him and mixed with his favorite fruits and spices.
I also made the classic trip to see the sunset at Pigeon Rocks, the most famous landmark in Beirut. I want to start by saying how kind the people we met in Beirut were. First, a Palestinian refugee grandmother offered us grapes. Then, on our way to Pigeon Rocks, a fellow Muslim (dosti) kindly showed us the way. The dosti even took us on a bus to find the right spot to wait for the bus to Pigeon Rocks. Lebanese buses do not have bus stops, so you can just wave one down anywhere along the road. Our dosti seemed more worried about the bus than we were. He waited with us and only waved goodbye after he made sure we were on the bus. He did not ask for a single cent. This dosti was the complete opposite of the tricycle driver who tried to rip us off on the way to the ancient city of Anjar.
There is a row of cafes next to Pigeon Rocks. From the Bay Rock Cafe in the south to the Starbucks in the north, they are all classic spots to watch the sunset. Even though many people post about this place online, it was not actually very crowded in the cafes. It was very relaxing. We ordered two juices and a salad at the Bay Rock Cafe and spent a romantic and wonderful evening there.
Supermarkets in downtown Beirut have all kinds of olives. They sell meat together with side dishes here, which feels very convenient. view all
We flew from Istanbul to Beirut, dropped our bags at the hotel, and headed straight to Downtown Beirut. After the 2020 explosion, the military took over this area. The once-busy streets are now almost empty, like a ghost town. Roadblocks guard every entrance, soldiers stand watch, and windows and doors are shattered. The Beirut Souks shopping district, once packed with people, has almost no open shops and only a few people walking around.
After the Lebanese Civil War began in 1975, downtown Beirut became a no-man's-land known as the Green Line. It suffered heavy damage and reconstruction did not start until 1994. Because of political instability, the rebuilding took many years, and the Beirut Souks shopping district did not officially open until 2009.
At the entrance to the Beirut Souks stands the Zawiyat Ibn Arraq, the only remaining Mamluk-era building in Beirut. Religious authority Ibn 'Arraq Al-Dimashqi from Damascus built this structure in 1517, originally as a hospice. After Ibn 'Arraq passed away in 1526, the site became a school for Islamic law and a zawiya (small Sufi lodge) for his followers. The remaining vaulted building once connected to other courtyards and rooms.
In the evening, I went to the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut. Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri funded this mosque, which was built in the Ottoman style between 2002 and 2008. It is currently the largest mosque in Lebanon.
This is a Sunni mosque, and there were not many people there for namaz. I chatted with an older man for a while. He said the Sunni community in Beirut is not strong enough and suggested I visit Tripoli in the north, calling it a powerful Sunni city. In fact, Lebanon's Sunni population is mainly concentrated in the north, led by Tripoli, and in the eastern Bekaa Valley. In the capital, Beirut, the northwest is mainly Sunni, the southwest is mainly Shia, and the east is mainly Christian. During the civil war, the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque stood near the dividing line between the Muslim and Christian quarters. This dividing line was called the Green Line because weeds and trees grew over it when no one lived there during the war. It was once full of militia checkpoints and snipers, and many buildings were severely damaged.
After we came down from the prayer hall, Zainab happened to be interviewed by a local reporter, which was quite a special experience.
Guided by the reporter, we went to the Mawlid carnival held in the basement of the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque. This was my first time attending such a colorful Mawlid event abroad. The stalls inside were dazzling and diverse. There were children singing praises to the Prophet, educational games, introductions to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Arabic calligraphy displays, and various traditional snacks. The children were having so much fun they did not want to leave.
I did not expect to encounter such a magical scene on my first night in Lebanon. Upstairs was a deserted ghost town, while downstairs was a lively Mawlid celebration. It felt like a glimpse into the current state of a conflicted Lebanon.
After leaving the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, we went to the nearby Emir Assaf Mosque to participate in the praise of the Prophet, which was also part of the Mawlid activities. Twelve men in formal attire sat on the east side of the main hall, chanting praises to the Prophet in unison, with drums accompanying some of the passages. Their voices were deep, loud, and very powerful.
The Emir Assaf Mosque was built in the late 16th century by the Emir rulers of the local Lebanese Assaf dynasty (1306-1591). The Emir's palace and gardens once stood next to the mosque.
The Assaf dynasty was a Sunni Turkmen dynasty. In 1306, the Turkmen tribe led by the Assaf family was sent by the Mamluk governor of Damascus to suppress a rebellion north of Beirut. Later, the Mamluk dynasty appointed them to guard the coastal area north of Beirut and manage the local Shia residents. After the Ottoman Empire seized the Levant from the Mamluk dynasty in 1516, they appointed the Assaf family as the main agents for the Beirut and Tripoli regions. The Assaf dynasty attracted Maronite Christians to settle in northern Beirut by lowering taxes and housing prices to balance the local Sunni and Shia populations. In 1579, the Ottoman Empire established the Tripoli Eyalet to keep the Assaf dynasty in check. In 1591, the last Assaf Emir was shot to death on the orders of the Ottoman governor of Tripoli, marking the end of the Assaf dynasty.
I performed the night prayer (isha) at the Great Mosque of Al-Omari next to the Emir Assaf Mosque. There were very few people inside, and it felt as if time had stood still.
The Great Mosque of Al-Omari was reportedly founded in 635 during the reign of Caliph Umar, and in 1150, the Crusaders built a Romanesque Church of St. John here. After the Mamluk dynasty captured Tripoli in 1291, they converted it into a grand mosque, and in 1350, they added a Mamluk-style gate and minaret. During the French mandate of Lebanon from 1923 to 1946, the street-facing facade of the Great Mosque of Al-Omari was redesigned to match the architectural style of downtown Beirut, and a portico was added. The Great Mosque of Al-Omari suffered severe damage during the Lebanese Civil War, and renovations were completed in 2004.
I had dinner at T-Marbouta, a famous local restaurant in the Hamra district of Beirut. I ordered kibbeh mloukiyeh, hommos moutammam, and grilled meat, and drank herbal tea and mint tea. Kibbeh is a fried ball made of cracked wheat and minced lamb, a classic appetizer in the Levant region. The one I ate was topped with mloukiyeh (jute leaves), eggplant, walnuts, and pomegranate. Hommos is another classic Levantine appetizer made of mashed chickpeas.
Hamra is a lively and trendy neighborhood in Beirut near the American University. It is full of young people and has long been the cultural center of Beirut. The environment here is relatively nice, making it a good place for shopping in Beirut.
I stayed at the Serenada Golden Palace hotel in the heart of the Hamra district during this trip to Beirut. The hotel lobby is gorgeous and classic, reminding people of the prosperity and beauty of Beirut in the past. At the same time, opening the window in my room reveals buildings damaged by war, which immediately pulls you back to reality.
The hotel breakfast is quite rich, with all kinds of cheeses and a variety of fruits and vegetables, making it very healthy.
Compared to the empty downtown area of Beirut, the seaside promenade to the north is very lively. The Zaitunay Bay area, in particular, is full of cafes and Western-style restaurants, where many young people take photos and drink coffee. The Beirut Corniche was first built in the 1920s during the French Mandate. To boost tourism, the French expanded the seaside embankment into a wide walkway, planted palm trees, and built several chic hotels.
The most famous spot on the Corniche is the legendary St. Georges Hotel (Hotel St. Georges) shown in picture 3, which became a landmark of the Beirut waterfront after the French built it in 1934. The hotel was in its prime from the 1960s to the early 1970s, hosting many celebrities including film stars Brigitte Bardot, Marlon Brando, and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as King Hussein of Jordan and the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The hotel closed when the civil war began in 1975, and soon after, intense fighting known as the 'Battle of the Hotels' broke out as various factions fought for control, leaving the building severely damaged; the Syrian army later occupied it until 1990. Lebanon began rebuilding downtown Beirut in 1994, but restoration work on the hotel stalled for years due to conflicts between the construction company and the owners; just as repairs started in 2005, the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri occurred, and a bomb blast in front of the hotel caused heavy damage, causing work to stop again. Today, the St. Georges Yacht Club operates the hotel's outdoor restaurant and swimming pool, but the hotel building remains empty, keeping its war-torn appearance.
Continuing west is Paris Avenue, lined with tall palm trees, where many people walk or jog by the Mediterranean Sea, and others relax while smoking shisha. During the civil war, this area was buried under piles of trash and called the 'Normandy Dump,' but post-war reconstruction has restored the Corniche landscape. Even now, you can still imagine the intensity of the war by looking at some of the palm trees that are still covered in bullet holes.
Fast food in the Hamra district of Lebanon, where I had steak and fried chicken. There are many young people here and a wide variety of restaurants, including Chinese and Japanese food. Because the power supply is unstable, shops here suddenly go dark from time to time, but everyone except us stays very calm, waiting for the power to come back on by itself. I think it must be hard to use a desktop computer without a battery in Beirut, so everyone definitely chooses laptops.
I ate at Zaatar w Zeit, a famous Lebanese fast-food chain in the Hamra district, which specializes in Levantine-style flatbread (manakish) and serves very healthy food.
Manakish is a traditional bread that originated with the ancient Phoenicians; it can be topped with a spice blend (zaatar), cheese, or minced lamb. We ate the kind with zaatar, a unique mix of thyme, sumac, oregano, marjoram, and sesame seeds.
We also drank Lebanese coffee made from Arabica coffee beans and seasoned with cardamom. Arabica coffee is the first cultivated coffee variety. Its natural population is limited to southern Ethiopia and Yemen, where it plays an important role in Sufi practice. Yemeni Sufis use Arabica coffee to focus their minds during dhikr ceremonies and drink it to stay awake during night-time meditation. In the 15th century, coffee spread from the port of Mocha in Yemen to Egypt and Mecca, and soon reached the Levant under the Mamluk Sultanate.
Most early coffee-drinking Muslims were Sufis, while conservative orthodox scholars long rejected it because of its stimulating effects. In 1524, the Grand Mufti of the Ottoman Empire officially issued a fatwa allowing coffee consumption, and Arabica coffee quickly became popular across the Middle East.
We spent the evening drinking coffee at the legendary Younes Coffee in the Hamra district of Beirut. The founder of Younes Coffee, Amin Younes Sr., immigrated to Brazil in 1894 and worked on a Brazilian coffee tycoon's plantation for 20 years. Amin returned to Lebanon in 1935 and opened the first Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut. During World War II, the Lebanese currency crashed and wiped out most of Amin's savings, but he managed to pull through. In 1960, Amin's son Souheil joined the family business and helped his father open the first Younes Coffee branch in the Hamra district, which was one of the first cafes in Lebanon to buy an espresso machine. The original Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut was destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, leaving only the Hamra branch.
Abou Anwar worked at Younes Coffee for 60 years starting in 1954. He was the cafe's most senior master roaster, and his expert roasting skills attracted a large group of loyal customers. The coffee I ordered was the Abou Anwar Blend, named after him and mixed with his favorite fruits and spices.
I also made the classic trip to see the sunset at Pigeon Rocks, the most famous landmark in Beirut. I want to start by saying how kind the people we met in Beirut were. First, a Palestinian refugee grandmother offered us grapes. Then, on our way to Pigeon Rocks, a fellow Muslim (dosti) kindly showed us the way. The dosti even took us on a bus to find the right spot to wait for the bus to Pigeon Rocks. Lebanese buses do not have bus stops, so you can just wave one down anywhere along the road. Our dosti seemed more worried about the bus than we were. He waited with us and only waved goodbye after he made sure we were on the bus. He did not ask for a single cent. This dosti was the complete opposite of the tricycle driver who tried to rip us off on the way to the ancient city of Anjar.
There is a row of cafes next to Pigeon Rocks. From the Bay Rock Cafe in the south to the Starbucks in the north, they are all classic spots to watch the sunset. Even though many people post about this place online, it was not actually very crowded in the cafes. It was very relaxing. We ordered two juices and a salad at the Bay Rock Cafe and spent a romantic and wonderful evening there.
Supermarkets in downtown Beirut have all kinds of olives. They sell meat together with side dishes here, which feels very convenient. view all
Reposted from the web
We flew from Istanbul to Beirut, dropped our bags at the hotel, and headed straight to Downtown Beirut. After the 2020 explosion, the military took over this area. The once-busy streets are now almost empty, like a ghost town. Roadblocks guard every entrance, soldiers stand watch, and windows and doors are shattered. The Beirut Souks shopping district, once packed with people, has almost no open shops and only a few people walking around.
After the Lebanese Civil War began in 1975, downtown Beirut became a no-man's-land known as the Green Line. It suffered heavy damage and reconstruction did not start until 1994. Because of political instability, the rebuilding took many years, and the Beirut Souks shopping district did not officially open until 2009.
At the entrance to the Beirut Souks stands the Zawiyat Ibn Arraq, the only remaining Mamluk-era building in Beirut. Religious authority Ibn 'Arraq Al-Dimashqi from Damascus built this structure in 1517, originally as a hospice. After Ibn 'Arraq passed away in 1526, the site became a school for Islamic law and a zawiya (small Sufi lodge) for his followers. The remaining vaulted building once connected to other courtyards and rooms.
In the evening, I went to the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut. Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri funded this mosque, which was built in the Ottoman style between 2002 and 2008. It is currently the largest mosque in Lebanon.
This is a Sunni mosque, and there were not many people there for namaz. I chatted with an older man for a while. He said the Sunni community in Beirut is not strong enough and suggested I visit Tripoli in the north, calling it a powerful Sunni city. In fact, Lebanon's Sunni population is mainly concentrated in the north, led by Tripoli, and in the eastern Bekaa Valley. In the capital, Beirut, the northwest is mainly Sunni, the southwest is mainly Shia, and the east is mainly Christian. During the civil war, the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque stood near the dividing line between the Muslim and Christian quarters. This dividing line was called the Green Line because weeds and trees grew over it when no one lived there during the war. It was once full of militia checkpoints and snipers, and many buildings were severely damaged.
After we came down from the prayer hall, Zainab happened to be interviewed by a local reporter, which was quite a special experience.
Guided by the reporter, we went to the Mawlid carnival held in the basement of the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque. This was my first time attending such a colorful Mawlid event abroad. The stalls inside were dazzling and diverse. There were children singing praises to the Prophet, educational games, introductions to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Arabic calligraphy displays, and various traditional snacks. The children were having so much fun they did not want to leave.
I did not expect to encounter such a magical scene on my first night in Lebanon. Upstairs was a deserted ghost town, while downstairs was a lively Mawlid celebration. It felt like a glimpse into the current state of a conflicted Lebanon.
After leaving the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, we went to the nearby Emir Assaf Mosque to participate in the praise of the Prophet, which was also part of the Mawlid activities. Twelve men in formal attire sat on the east side of the main hall, chanting praises to the Prophet in unison, with drums accompanying some of the passages. Their voices were deep, loud, and very powerful.
The Emir Assaf Mosque was built in the late 16th century by the Emir rulers of the local Lebanese Assaf dynasty (1306-1591). The Emir's palace and gardens once stood next to the mosque.
The Assaf dynasty was a Sunni Turkmen dynasty. In 1306, the Turkmen tribe led by the Assaf family was sent by the Mamluk governor of Damascus to suppress a rebellion north of Beirut. Later, the Mamluk dynasty appointed them to guard the coastal area north of Beirut and manage the local Shia residents. After the Ottoman Empire seized the Levant from the Mamluk dynasty in 1516, they appointed the Assaf family as the main agents for the Beirut and Tripoli regions. The Assaf dynasty attracted Maronite Christians to settle in northern Beirut by lowering taxes and housing prices to balance the local Sunni and Shia populations. In 1579, the Ottoman Empire established the Tripoli Eyalet to keep the Assaf dynasty in check. In 1591, the last Assaf Emir was shot to death on the orders of the Ottoman governor of Tripoli, marking the end of the Assaf dynasty.
I performed the night prayer (isha) at the Great Mosque of Al-Omari next to the Emir Assaf Mosque. There were very few people inside, and it felt as if time had stood still.
The Great Mosque of Al-Omari was reportedly founded in 635 during the reign of Caliph Umar, and in 1150, the Crusaders built a Romanesque Church of St. John here. After the Mamluk dynasty captured Tripoli in 1291, they converted it into a grand mosque, and in 1350, they added a Mamluk-style gate and minaret. During the French mandate of Lebanon from 1923 to 1946, the street-facing facade of the Great Mosque of Al-Omari was redesigned to match the architectural style of downtown Beirut, and a portico was added. The Great Mosque of Al-Omari suffered severe damage during the Lebanese Civil War, and renovations were completed in 2004.
I had dinner at T-Marbouta, a famous local restaurant in the Hamra district of Beirut. I ordered kibbeh mloukiyeh, hommos moutammam, and grilled meat, and drank herbal tea and mint tea. Kibbeh is a fried ball made of cracked wheat and minced lamb, a classic appetizer in the Levant region. The one I ate was topped with mloukiyeh (jute leaves), eggplant, walnuts, and pomegranate. Hommos is another classic Levantine appetizer made of mashed chickpeas.
Hamra is a lively and trendy neighborhood in Beirut near the American University. It is full of young people and has long been the cultural center of Beirut. The environment here is relatively nice, making it a good place for shopping in Beirut.
I stayed at the Serenada Golden Palace hotel in the heart of the Hamra district during this trip to Beirut. The hotel lobby is gorgeous and classic, reminding people of the prosperity and beauty of Beirut in the past. At the same time, opening the window in my room reveals buildings damaged by war, which immediately pulls you back to reality.
The hotel breakfast is quite rich, with all kinds of cheeses and a variety of fruits and vegetables, making it very healthy.
Compared to the empty downtown area of Beirut, the seaside promenade to the north is very lively. The Zaitunay Bay area, in particular, is full of cafes and Western-style restaurants, where many young people take photos and drink coffee. The Beirut Corniche was first built in the 1920s during the French Mandate. To boost tourism, the French expanded the seaside embankment into a wide walkway, planted palm trees, and built several chic hotels.
The most famous spot on the Corniche is the legendary St. Georges Hotel (Hotel St. Georges) shown in picture 3, which became a landmark of the Beirut waterfront after the French built it in 1934. The hotel was in its prime from the 1960s to the early 1970s, hosting many celebrities including film stars Brigitte Bardot, Marlon Brando, and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as King Hussein of Jordan and the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The hotel closed when the civil war began in 1975, and soon after, intense fighting known as the 'Battle of the Hotels' broke out as various factions fought for control, leaving the building severely damaged; the Syrian army later occupied it until 1990. Lebanon began rebuilding downtown Beirut in 1994, but restoration work on the hotel stalled for years due to conflicts between the construction company and the owners; just as repairs started in 2005, the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri occurred, and a bomb blast in front of the hotel caused heavy damage, causing work to stop again. Today, the St. Georges Yacht Club operates the hotel's outdoor restaurant and swimming pool, but the hotel building remains empty, keeping its war-torn appearance.
Continuing west is Paris Avenue, lined with tall palm trees, where many people walk or jog by the Mediterranean Sea, and others relax while smoking shisha. During the civil war, this area was buried under piles of trash and called the 'Normandy Dump,' but post-war reconstruction has restored the Corniche landscape. Even now, you can still imagine the intensity of the war by looking at some of the palm trees that are still covered in bullet holes.
Fast food in the Hamra district of Lebanon, where I had steak and fried chicken. There are many young people here and a wide variety of restaurants, including Chinese and Japanese food. Because the power supply is unstable, shops here suddenly go dark from time to time, but everyone except us stays very calm, waiting for the power to come back on by itself. I think it must be hard to use a desktop computer without a battery in Beirut, so everyone definitely chooses laptops.
I ate at Zaatar w Zeit, a famous Lebanese fast-food chain in the Hamra district, which specializes in Levantine-style flatbread (manakish) and serves very healthy food.
Manakish is a traditional bread that originated with the ancient Phoenicians; it can be topped with a spice blend (zaatar), cheese, or minced lamb. We ate the kind with zaatar, a unique mix of thyme, sumac, oregano, marjoram, and sesame seeds.
We also drank Lebanese coffee made from Arabica coffee beans and seasoned with cardamom. Arabica coffee is the first cultivated coffee variety. Its natural population is limited to southern Ethiopia and Yemen, where it plays an important role in Sufi practice. Yemeni Sufis use Arabica coffee to focus their minds during dhikr ceremonies and drink it to stay awake during night-time meditation. In the 15th century, coffee spread from the port of Mocha in Yemen to Egypt and Mecca, and soon reached the Levant under the Mamluk Sultanate.
Most early coffee-drinking Muslims were Sufis, while conservative orthodox scholars long rejected it because of its stimulating effects. In 1524, the Grand Mufti of the Ottoman Empire officially issued a fatwa allowing coffee consumption, and Arabica coffee quickly became popular across the Middle East.
We spent the evening drinking coffee at the legendary Younes Coffee in the Hamra district of Beirut. The founder of Younes Coffee, Amin Younes Sr., immigrated to Brazil in 1894 and worked on a Brazilian coffee tycoon's plantation for 20 years. Amin returned to Lebanon in 1935 and opened the first Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut. During World War II, the Lebanese currency crashed and wiped out most of Amin's savings, but he managed to pull through. In 1960, Amin's son Souheil joined the family business and helped his father open the first Younes Coffee branch in the Hamra district, which was one of the first cafes in Lebanon to buy an espresso machine. The original Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut was destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, leaving only the Hamra branch.
Abou Anwar worked at Younes Coffee for 60 years starting in 1954. He was the cafe's most senior master roaster, and his expert roasting skills attracted a large group of loyal customers. The coffee I ordered was the Abou Anwar Blend, named after him and mixed with his favorite fruits and spices.
I also made the classic trip to see the sunset at Pigeon Rocks, the most famous landmark in Beirut. I want to start by saying how kind the people we met in Beirut were. First, a Palestinian refugee grandmother offered us grapes. Then, on our way to Pigeon Rocks, a fellow Muslim (dosti) kindly showed us the way. The dosti even took us on a bus to find the right spot to wait for the bus to Pigeon Rocks. Lebanese buses do not have bus stops, so you can just wave one down anywhere along the road. Our dosti seemed more worried about the bus than we were. He waited with us and only waved goodbye after he made sure we were on the bus. He did not ask for a single cent. This dosti was the complete opposite of the tricycle driver who tried to rip us off on the way to the ancient city of Anjar.
There is a row of cafes next to Pigeon Rocks. From the Bay Rock Cafe in the south to the Starbucks in the north, they are all classic spots to watch the sunset. Even though many people post about this place online, it was not actually very crowded in the cafes. It was very relaxing. We ordered two juices and a salad at the Bay Rock Cafe and spent a romantic and wonderful evening there.
Supermarkets in downtown Beirut have all kinds of olives. They sell meat together with side dishes here, which feels very convenient.
We flew from Istanbul to Beirut, dropped our bags at the hotel, and headed straight to Downtown Beirut. After the 2020 explosion, the military took over this area. The once-busy streets are now almost empty, like a ghost town. Roadblocks guard every entrance, soldiers stand watch, and windows and doors are shattered. The Beirut Souks shopping district, once packed with people, has almost no open shops and only a few people walking around.
After the Lebanese Civil War began in 1975, downtown Beirut became a no-man's-land known as the Green Line. It suffered heavy damage and reconstruction did not start until 1994. Because of political instability, the rebuilding took many years, and the Beirut Souks shopping district did not officially open until 2009.
At the entrance to the Beirut Souks stands the Zawiyat Ibn Arraq, the only remaining Mamluk-era building in Beirut. Religious authority Ibn 'Arraq Al-Dimashqi from Damascus built this structure in 1517, originally as a hospice. After Ibn 'Arraq passed away in 1526, the site became a school for Islamic law and a zawiya (small Sufi lodge) for his followers. The remaining vaulted building once connected to other courtyards and rooms.
In the evening, I went to the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut. Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri funded this mosque, which was built in the Ottoman style between 2002 and 2008. It is currently the largest mosque in Lebanon.
This is a Sunni mosque, and there were not many people there for namaz. I chatted with an older man for a while. He said the Sunni community in Beirut is not strong enough and suggested I visit Tripoli in the north, calling it a powerful Sunni city. In fact, Lebanon's Sunni population is mainly concentrated in the north, led by Tripoli, and in the eastern Bekaa Valley. In the capital, Beirut, the northwest is mainly Sunni, the southwest is mainly Shia, and the east is mainly Christian. During the civil war, the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque stood near the dividing line between the Muslim and Christian quarters. This dividing line was called the Green Line because weeds and trees grew over it when no one lived there during the war. It was once full of militia checkpoints and snipers, and many buildings were severely damaged.
After we came down from the prayer hall, Zainab happened to be interviewed by a local reporter, which was quite a special experience.
Guided by the reporter, we went to the Mawlid carnival held in the basement of the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque. This was my first time attending such a colorful Mawlid event abroad. The stalls inside were dazzling and diverse. There were children singing praises to the Prophet, educational games, introductions to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Arabic calligraphy displays, and various traditional snacks. The children were having so much fun they did not want to leave.
I did not expect to encounter such a magical scene on my first night in Lebanon. Upstairs was a deserted ghost town, while downstairs was a lively Mawlid celebration. It felt like a glimpse into the current state of a conflicted Lebanon.
After leaving the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, we went to the nearby Emir Assaf Mosque to participate in the praise of the Prophet, which was also part of the Mawlid activities. Twelve men in formal attire sat on the east side of the main hall, chanting praises to the Prophet in unison, with drums accompanying some of the passages. Their voices were deep, loud, and very powerful.
The Emir Assaf Mosque was built in the late 16th century by the Emir rulers of the local Lebanese Assaf dynasty (1306-1591). The Emir's palace and gardens once stood next to the mosque.
The Assaf dynasty was a Sunni Turkmen dynasty. In 1306, the Turkmen tribe led by the Assaf family was sent by the Mamluk governor of Damascus to suppress a rebellion north of Beirut. Later, the Mamluk dynasty appointed them to guard the coastal area north of Beirut and manage the local Shia residents. After the Ottoman Empire seized the Levant from the Mamluk dynasty in 1516, they appointed the Assaf family as the main agents for the Beirut and Tripoli regions. The Assaf dynasty attracted Maronite Christians to settle in northern Beirut by lowering taxes and housing prices to balance the local Sunni and Shia populations. In 1579, the Ottoman Empire established the Tripoli Eyalet to keep the Assaf dynasty in check. In 1591, the last Assaf Emir was shot to death on the orders of the Ottoman governor of Tripoli, marking the end of the Assaf dynasty.
I performed the night prayer (isha) at the Great Mosque of Al-Omari next to the Emir Assaf Mosque. There were very few people inside, and it felt as if time had stood still.
The Great Mosque of Al-Omari was reportedly founded in 635 during the reign of Caliph Umar, and in 1150, the Crusaders built a Romanesque Church of St. John here. After the Mamluk dynasty captured Tripoli in 1291, they converted it into a grand mosque, and in 1350, they added a Mamluk-style gate and minaret. During the French mandate of Lebanon from 1923 to 1946, the street-facing facade of the Great Mosque of Al-Omari was redesigned to match the architectural style of downtown Beirut, and a portico was added. The Great Mosque of Al-Omari suffered severe damage during the Lebanese Civil War, and renovations were completed in 2004.
I had dinner at T-Marbouta, a famous local restaurant in the Hamra district of Beirut. I ordered kibbeh mloukiyeh, hommos moutammam, and grilled meat, and drank herbal tea and mint tea. Kibbeh is a fried ball made of cracked wheat and minced lamb, a classic appetizer in the Levant region. The one I ate was topped with mloukiyeh (jute leaves), eggplant, walnuts, and pomegranate. Hommos is another classic Levantine appetizer made of mashed chickpeas.
Hamra is a lively and trendy neighborhood in Beirut near the American University. It is full of young people and has long been the cultural center of Beirut. The environment here is relatively nice, making it a good place for shopping in Beirut.
I stayed at the Serenada Golden Palace hotel in the heart of the Hamra district during this trip to Beirut. The hotel lobby is gorgeous and classic, reminding people of the prosperity and beauty of Beirut in the past. At the same time, opening the window in my room reveals buildings damaged by war, which immediately pulls you back to reality.
The hotel breakfast is quite rich, with all kinds of cheeses and a variety of fruits and vegetables, making it very healthy.
Compared to the empty downtown area of Beirut, the seaside promenade to the north is very lively. The Zaitunay Bay area, in particular, is full of cafes and Western-style restaurants, where many young people take photos and drink coffee. The Beirut Corniche was first built in the 1920s during the French Mandate. To boost tourism, the French expanded the seaside embankment into a wide walkway, planted palm trees, and built several chic hotels.
The most famous spot on the Corniche is the legendary St. Georges Hotel (Hotel St. Georges) shown in picture 3, which became a landmark of the Beirut waterfront after the French built it in 1934. The hotel was in its prime from the 1960s to the early 1970s, hosting many celebrities including film stars Brigitte Bardot, Marlon Brando, and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as King Hussein of Jordan and the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The hotel closed when the civil war began in 1975, and soon after, intense fighting known as the 'Battle of the Hotels' broke out as various factions fought for control, leaving the building severely damaged; the Syrian army later occupied it until 1990. Lebanon began rebuilding downtown Beirut in 1994, but restoration work on the hotel stalled for years due to conflicts between the construction company and the owners; just as repairs started in 2005, the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri occurred, and a bomb blast in front of the hotel caused heavy damage, causing work to stop again. Today, the St. Georges Yacht Club operates the hotel's outdoor restaurant and swimming pool, but the hotel building remains empty, keeping its war-torn appearance.
Continuing west is Paris Avenue, lined with tall palm trees, where many people walk or jog by the Mediterranean Sea, and others relax while smoking shisha. During the civil war, this area was buried under piles of trash and called the 'Normandy Dump,' but post-war reconstruction has restored the Corniche landscape. Even now, you can still imagine the intensity of the war by looking at some of the palm trees that are still covered in bullet holes.
Fast food in the Hamra district of Lebanon, where I had steak and fried chicken. There are many young people here and a wide variety of restaurants, including Chinese and Japanese food. Because the power supply is unstable, shops here suddenly go dark from time to time, but everyone except us stays very calm, waiting for the power to come back on by itself. I think it must be hard to use a desktop computer without a battery in Beirut, so everyone definitely chooses laptops.
I ate at Zaatar w Zeit, a famous Lebanese fast-food chain in the Hamra district, which specializes in Levantine-style flatbread (manakish) and serves very healthy food.
Manakish is a traditional bread that originated with the ancient Phoenicians; it can be topped with a spice blend (zaatar), cheese, or minced lamb. We ate the kind with zaatar, a unique mix of thyme, sumac, oregano, marjoram, and sesame seeds.
We also drank Lebanese coffee made from Arabica coffee beans and seasoned with cardamom. Arabica coffee is the first cultivated coffee variety. Its natural population is limited to southern Ethiopia and Yemen, where it plays an important role in Sufi practice. Yemeni Sufis use Arabica coffee to focus their minds during dhikr ceremonies and drink it to stay awake during night-time meditation. In the 15th century, coffee spread from the port of Mocha in Yemen to Egypt and Mecca, and soon reached the Levant under the Mamluk Sultanate.
Most early coffee-drinking Muslims were Sufis, while conservative orthodox scholars long rejected it because of its stimulating effects. In 1524, the Grand Mufti of the Ottoman Empire officially issued a fatwa allowing coffee consumption, and Arabica coffee quickly became popular across the Middle East.
We spent the evening drinking coffee at the legendary Younes Coffee in the Hamra district of Beirut. The founder of Younes Coffee, Amin Younes Sr., immigrated to Brazil in 1894 and worked on a Brazilian coffee tycoon's plantation for 20 years. Amin returned to Lebanon in 1935 and opened the first Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut. During World War II, the Lebanese currency crashed and wiped out most of Amin's savings, but he managed to pull through. In 1960, Amin's son Souheil joined the family business and helped his father open the first Younes Coffee branch in the Hamra district, which was one of the first cafes in Lebanon to buy an espresso machine. The original Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut was destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, leaving only the Hamra branch.
Abou Anwar worked at Younes Coffee for 60 years starting in 1954. He was the cafe's most senior master roaster, and his expert roasting skills attracted a large group of loyal customers. The coffee I ordered was the Abou Anwar Blend, named after him and mixed with his favorite fruits and spices.
I also made the classic trip to see the sunset at Pigeon Rocks, the most famous landmark in Beirut. I want to start by saying how kind the people we met in Beirut were. First, a Palestinian refugee grandmother offered us grapes. Then, on our way to Pigeon Rocks, a fellow Muslim (dosti) kindly showed us the way. The dosti even took us on a bus to find the right spot to wait for the bus to Pigeon Rocks. Lebanese buses do not have bus stops, so you can just wave one down anywhere along the road. Our dosti seemed more worried about the bus than we were. He waited with us and only waved goodbye after he made sure we were on the bus. He did not ask for a single cent. This dosti was the complete opposite of the tricycle driver who tried to rip us off on the way to the ancient city of Anjar.
There is a row of cafes next to Pigeon Rocks. From the Bay Rock Cafe in the south to the Starbucks in the north, they are all classic spots to watch the sunset. Even though many people post about this place online, it was not actually very crowded in the cafes. It was very relaxing. We ordered two juices and a salad at the Bay Rock Cafe and spent a romantic and wonderful evening there.
Supermarkets in downtown Beirut have all kinds of olives. They sell meat together with side dishes here, which feels very convenient.
Halal Travel Guide: Lebanon - Umayyad Cities, Ancient Mosques and History
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 11 views • 12 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Early in the morning, I took a minibus from the Cola bus station south of Beirut, headed east over the Lebanon Mountains, and entered the town of Chtoura in the Bekaa Valley. From there, I took a three-wheeled taxi to the Umayyad ancient city of Anjar near the Syrian border. This place has been an important passage connecting Beirut and Damascus since ancient times. Anjar is the best-preserved ruin of an Umayyad dynasty palace city. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984.
The Umayyad dynasty (661–750) was the first hereditary dynasty of the Arab Empire. It is referred to as the 'White-robed Dashi' in the Old Book of Tang. During the Umayyad period, the territory of the Arab Empire expanded rapidly, and the country was very prosperous. The Al-Aqsa Mosque built by the Umayyad dynasty in Jerusalem and the Umayyad Mosque built in Damascus are both masterpieces in architectural history.
According to the records of the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, the ancient city of Anjar was built between 714 and 715 by al-Abbas, the son of the sixth Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I (reigned 705-715). It is over 1,300 years old and is the oldest ancient Islamic city I have visited so far.
Prince al-Abbas was an important general of the Umayyad dynasty in the early 8th century. He made great military achievements in the wars against the Byzantine Empire and once served as the supreme military commander of the Umayyad dynasty. It is speculated that the ancient city of Anjar may have used a large number of captives brought back by Prince al-Abbas from his campaigns against the Byzantine Empire as laborers, which is why the architectural stone carvings have a strong Byzantine style. After the fall of the Umayyad dynasty, the ancient city of Anjar was buried for a long time. It was only rediscovered by archaeologists in the late 1940s, so many ruins have been preserved to this day, making it the best example for studying Umayyad urban planning.
The ancient city is designed based on the layout of an ancient Roman city. A rectangular city wall surrounds the area, and two main roads intersect to connect the four gates in the north, south, east, and west, dividing the city into four parts. There are colonnades along the main roads, with rows of shops similar to Roman tabernae on both sides. A classic ancient Roman four-sided gate (tetrapylon) stands at the intersection. The four areas of the city have different functions. The southeast contains the Great Palace and the mosque, the northeast contains the Small Palace (harem) and baths, and the northwest and southwest are residential areas.
The Great Palace and mosque in the southeast of Anjar are the best-preserved areas. You can see the precious architectural facades and colonnade settings of the Umayyad palace. This layout of bayts (suites) is a typical Umayyad practice. The palace has two majlis (reception halls) with semicircular niches, which may have been two stories high. The colonnades seen today are the result of restoration after excavation.
Both the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I and his son, Prince al-Abbas, may have ruled from here. During the reign of Al-Walid I, the Umayyad Caliphate enjoyed stability and economic prosperity, reaching the peak of its national power. At the same time, his massive military spending and luxurious lifestyle created a heavy financial burden for his successors.
In the early 8th century, the Umayyad Caliphate expanded rapidly, conquering Bukhara, Khwarazm, Samarkand, and the Fergana region in Central Asia. In South Asia, the Umayyad Caliphate reached the Sindh region in northwestern India. In the west, the Umayyad Caliphate conquered the Berbers of North Africa, invaded the Visigothic Kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula in 711, and took control of Spain.
The vast amount of war spoils brought back from these conquests allowed Al-Walid I to build many public works and social welfare projects. His brothers and sons built many transit stations and wells along the roads leading to the capital, Damascus, and installed streetlights within the city. He funded the construction of irrigation networks and canals in places like Iraq, restoring agricultural production that had been destroyed by war. To help pilgrims, Al-Walid I installed water dispensers in Mecca, improved roads through mountain passes, and built wells throughout the Hejaz region. Al-Walid I's greatest achievement was building the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. This great mosque and the ancient city of Anjar were completed around the same time, and both are precious historical sites left behind by the Umayyad Caliphate.
Walking through the small palace (harem), the baths, and the streets of the residential area opposite in the ancient city of Anjar truly feels like returning to the Arab Empire 1,300 years ago. This method of alternating layers of stone and brick is a tradition inherited from the Byzantines. Judging from the two houses excavated in the southwest area, there may have been only 24 similar houses in the city. Therefore, some scholars speculate that this place may have just been a market on the road from Beirut to Damascus, or a large military camp providing supplies.
Many beautifully decorated friezes were unearthed inside the small palace (harem), carved with rich geometric and plant patterns. Some of these are displayed at the small palace site, and one was placed directly at a boarding gate in Beirut Airport, likely because Lebanon wants tourists visiting their country to see them.
After leaving the ancient city of Anjar, I took a three-wheeled taxi back to the town of Chtoura, then switched to a minibus heading north to the ancient city of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley. Once I arrived, I went straight to the Umayyad Mosque for namaz. The doors are usually locked and only open for the five daily prayers, closing again right after, so it is quite difficult for regular tourists to get inside.
The Umayyad Mosque in Baalbek was also built by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I in 715, the same year as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and both stand together as the oldest surviving mosque buildings in the world.
Compared to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque is simpler, but the overall style is still very similar. Some of the stone parts inside the main hall may have been taken from the nearby Roman-era Baalbek Citadel, and the column capitals have a strong Greco-Roman and Byzantine style. A flood hit Baalbek in 1318, causing serious damage to the Umayyad Mosque, washing away the walls and the pulpit (minbar), which were later repaired by the Mamluk prince ruling Baalbek at the time, Najm al-Din Hassan.
The Umayyad Mosque was badly damaged in a 1996 earthquake in Baalbek, and it was later restored by a team led by Dr. Saleh Lamei Mustafa, the former dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Beirut Arab University. The restoration work lasted for two years and was finally completed in 1998.
Today, many ancient stone pieces are still scattered around the courtyard of the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque, giving it a rich sense of history. view all
Early in the morning, I took a minibus from the Cola bus station south of Beirut, headed east over the Lebanon Mountains, and entered the town of Chtoura in the Bekaa Valley. From there, I took a three-wheeled taxi to the Umayyad ancient city of Anjar near the Syrian border. This place has been an important passage connecting Beirut and Damascus since ancient times. Anjar is the best-preserved ruin of an Umayyad dynasty palace city. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984.
The Umayyad dynasty (661–750) was the first hereditary dynasty of the Arab Empire. It is referred to as the 'White-robed Dashi' in the Old Book of Tang. During the Umayyad period, the territory of the Arab Empire expanded rapidly, and the country was very prosperous. The Al-Aqsa Mosque built by the Umayyad dynasty in Jerusalem and the Umayyad Mosque built in Damascus are both masterpieces in architectural history.
According to the records of the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, the ancient city of Anjar was built between 714 and 715 by al-Abbas, the son of the sixth Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I (reigned 705-715). It is over 1,300 years old and is the oldest ancient Islamic city I have visited so far.
Prince al-Abbas was an important general of the Umayyad dynasty in the early 8th century. He made great military achievements in the wars against the Byzantine Empire and once served as the supreme military commander of the Umayyad dynasty. It is speculated that the ancient city of Anjar may have used a large number of captives brought back by Prince al-Abbas from his campaigns against the Byzantine Empire as laborers, which is why the architectural stone carvings have a strong Byzantine style. After the fall of the Umayyad dynasty, the ancient city of Anjar was buried for a long time. It was only rediscovered by archaeologists in the late 1940s, so many ruins have been preserved to this day, making it the best example for studying Umayyad urban planning.
The ancient city is designed based on the layout of an ancient Roman city. A rectangular city wall surrounds the area, and two main roads intersect to connect the four gates in the north, south, east, and west, dividing the city into four parts. There are colonnades along the main roads, with rows of shops similar to Roman tabernae on both sides. A classic ancient Roman four-sided gate (tetrapylon) stands at the intersection. The four areas of the city have different functions. The southeast contains the Great Palace and the mosque, the northeast contains the Small Palace (harem) and baths, and the northwest and southwest are residential areas.
The Great Palace and mosque in the southeast of Anjar are the best-preserved areas. You can see the precious architectural facades and colonnade settings of the Umayyad palace. This layout of bayts (suites) is a typical Umayyad practice. The palace has two majlis (reception halls) with semicircular niches, which may have been two stories high. The colonnades seen today are the result of restoration after excavation.
Both the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I and his son, Prince al-Abbas, may have ruled from here. During the reign of Al-Walid I, the Umayyad Caliphate enjoyed stability and economic prosperity, reaching the peak of its national power. At the same time, his massive military spending and luxurious lifestyle created a heavy financial burden for his successors.
In the early 8th century, the Umayyad Caliphate expanded rapidly, conquering Bukhara, Khwarazm, Samarkand, and the Fergana region in Central Asia. In South Asia, the Umayyad Caliphate reached the Sindh region in northwestern India. In the west, the Umayyad Caliphate conquered the Berbers of North Africa, invaded the Visigothic Kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula in 711, and took control of Spain.
The vast amount of war spoils brought back from these conquests allowed Al-Walid I to build many public works and social welfare projects. His brothers and sons built many transit stations and wells along the roads leading to the capital, Damascus, and installed streetlights within the city. He funded the construction of irrigation networks and canals in places like Iraq, restoring agricultural production that had been destroyed by war. To help pilgrims, Al-Walid I installed water dispensers in Mecca, improved roads through mountain passes, and built wells throughout the Hejaz region. Al-Walid I's greatest achievement was building the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. This great mosque and the ancient city of Anjar were completed around the same time, and both are precious historical sites left behind by the Umayyad Caliphate.
Walking through the small palace (harem), the baths, and the streets of the residential area opposite in the ancient city of Anjar truly feels like returning to the Arab Empire 1,300 years ago. This method of alternating layers of stone and brick is a tradition inherited from the Byzantines. Judging from the two houses excavated in the southwest area, there may have been only 24 similar houses in the city. Therefore, some scholars speculate that this place may have just been a market on the road from Beirut to Damascus, or a large military camp providing supplies.
Many beautifully decorated friezes were unearthed inside the small palace (harem), carved with rich geometric and plant patterns. Some of these are displayed at the small palace site, and one was placed directly at a boarding gate in Beirut Airport, likely because Lebanon wants tourists visiting their country to see them.
After leaving the ancient city of Anjar, I took a three-wheeled taxi back to the town of Chtoura, then switched to a minibus heading north to the ancient city of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley. Once I arrived, I went straight to the Umayyad Mosque for namaz. The doors are usually locked and only open for the five daily prayers, closing again right after, so it is quite difficult for regular tourists to get inside.
The Umayyad Mosque in Baalbek was also built by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I in 715, the same year as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and both stand together as the oldest surviving mosque buildings in the world.
Compared to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque is simpler, but the overall style is still very similar. Some of the stone parts inside the main hall may have been taken from the nearby Roman-era Baalbek Citadel, and the column capitals have a strong Greco-Roman and Byzantine style. A flood hit Baalbek in 1318, causing serious damage to the Umayyad Mosque, washing away the walls and the pulpit (minbar), which were later repaired by the Mamluk prince ruling Baalbek at the time, Najm al-Din Hassan.
The Umayyad Mosque was badly damaged in a 1996 earthquake in Baalbek, and it was later restored by a team led by Dr. Saleh Lamei Mustafa, the former dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Beirut Arab University. The restoration work lasted for two years and was finally completed in 1998.
Today, many ancient stone pieces are still scattered around the courtyard of the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque, giving it a rich sense of history. view all
Reposted from the web
Early in the morning, I took a minibus from the Cola bus station south of Beirut, headed east over the Lebanon Mountains, and entered the town of Chtoura in the Bekaa Valley. From there, I took a three-wheeled taxi to the Umayyad ancient city of Anjar near the Syrian border. This place has been an important passage connecting Beirut and Damascus since ancient times. Anjar is the best-preserved ruin of an Umayyad dynasty palace city. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984.
The Umayyad dynasty (661–750) was the first hereditary dynasty of the Arab Empire. It is referred to as the 'White-robed Dashi' in the Old Book of Tang. During the Umayyad period, the territory of the Arab Empire expanded rapidly, and the country was very prosperous. The Al-Aqsa Mosque built by the Umayyad dynasty in Jerusalem and the Umayyad Mosque built in Damascus are both masterpieces in architectural history.
According to the records of the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, the ancient city of Anjar was built between 714 and 715 by al-Abbas, the son of the sixth Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I (reigned 705-715). It is over 1,300 years old and is the oldest ancient Islamic city I have visited so far.
Prince al-Abbas was an important general of the Umayyad dynasty in the early 8th century. He made great military achievements in the wars against the Byzantine Empire and once served as the supreme military commander of the Umayyad dynasty. It is speculated that the ancient city of Anjar may have used a large number of captives brought back by Prince al-Abbas from his campaigns against the Byzantine Empire as laborers, which is why the architectural stone carvings have a strong Byzantine style. After the fall of the Umayyad dynasty, the ancient city of Anjar was buried for a long time. It was only rediscovered by archaeologists in the late 1940s, so many ruins have been preserved to this day, making it the best example for studying Umayyad urban planning.
The ancient city is designed based on the layout of an ancient Roman city. A rectangular city wall surrounds the area, and two main roads intersect to connect the four gates in the north, south, east, and west, dividing the city into four parts. There are colonnades along the main roads, with rows of shops similar to Roman tabernae on both sides. A classic ancient Roman four-sided gate (tetrapylon) stands at the intersection. The four areas of the city have different functions. The southeast contains the Great Palace and the mosque, the northeast contains the Small Palace (harem) and baths, and the northwest and southwest are residential areas.
The Great Palace and mosque in the southeast of Anjar are the best-preserved areas. You can see the precious architectural facades and colonnade settings of the Umayyad palace. This layout of bayts (suites) is a typical Umayyad practice. The palace has two majlis (reception halls) with semicircular niches, which may have been two stories high. The colonnades seen today are the result of restoration after excavation.
Both the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I and his son, Prince al-Abbas, may have ruled from here. During the reign of Al-Walid I, the Umayyad Caliphate enjoyed stability and economic prosperity, reaching the peak of its national power. At the same time, his massive military spending and luxurious lifestyle created a heavy financial burden for his successors.
In the early 8th century, the Umayyad Caliphate expanded rapidly, conquering Bukhara, Khwarazm, Samarkand, and the Fergana region in Central Asia. In South Asia, the Umayyad Caliphate reached the Sindh region in northwestern India. In the west, the Umayyad Caliphate conquered the Berbers of North Africa, invaded the Visigothic Kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula in 711, and took control of Spain.
The vast amount of war spoils brought back from these conquests allowed Al-Walid I to build many public works and social welfare projects. His brothers and sons built many transit stations and wells along the roads leading to the capital, Damascus, and installed streetlights within the city. He funded the construction of irrigation networks and canals in places like Iraq, restoring agricultural production that had been destroyed by war. To help pilgrims, Al-Walid I installed water dispensers in Mecca, improved roads through mountain passes, and built wells throughout the Hejaz region. Al-Walid I's greatest achievement was building the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. This great mosque and the ancient city of Anjar were completed around the same time, and both are precious historical sites left behind by the Umayyad Caliphate.
Walking through the small palace (harem), the baths, and the streets of the residential area opposite in the ancient city of Anjar truly feels like returning to the Arab Empire 1,300 years ago. This method of alternating layers of stone and brick is a tradition inherited from the Byzantines. Judging from the two houses excavated in the southwest area, there may have been only 24 similar houses in the city. Therefore, some scholars speculate that this place may have just been a market on the road from Beirut to Damascus, or a large military camp providing supplies.
Many beautifully decorated friezes were unearthed inside the small palace (harem), carved with rich geometric and plant patterns. Some of these are displayed at the small palace site, and one was placed directly at a boarding gate in Beirut Airport, likely because Lebanon wants tourists visiting their country to see them.
After leaving the ancient city of Anjar, I took a three-wheeled taxi back to the town of Chtoura, then switched to a minibus heading north to the ancient city of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley. Once I arrived, I went straight to the Umayyad Mosque for namaz. The doors are usually locked and only open for the five daily prayers, closing again right after, so it is quite difficult for regular tourists to get inside.
The Umayyad Mosque in Baalbek was also built by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I in 715, the same year as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and both stand together as the oldest surviving mosque buildings in the world.
Compared to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque is simpler, but the overall style is still very similar. Some of the stone parts inside the main hall may have been taken from the nearby Roman-era Baalbek Citadel, and the column capitals have a strong Greco-Roman and Byzantine style. A flood hit Baalbek in 1318, causing serious damage to the Umayyad Mosque, washing away the walls and the pulpit (minbar), which were later repaired by the Mamluk prince ruling Baalbek at the time, Najm al-Din Hassan.
The Umayyad Mosque was badly damaged in a 1996 earthquake in Baalbek, and it was later restored by a team led by Dr. Saleh Lamei Mustafa, the former dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Beirut Arab University. The restoration work lasted for two years and was finally completed in 1998.
Today, many ancient stone pieces are still scattered around the courtyard of the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque, giving it a rich sense of history.
Early in the morning, I took a minibus from the Cola bus station south of Beirut, headed east over the Lebanon Mountains, and entered the town of Chtoura in the Bekaa Valley. From there, I took a three-wheeled taxi to the Umayyad ancient city of Anjar near the Syrian border. This place has been an important passage connecting Beirut and Damascus since ancient times. Anjar is the best-preserved ruin of an Umayyad dynasty palace city. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984.
The Umayyad dynasty (661–750) was the first hereditary dynasty of the Arab Empire. It is referred to as the 'White-robed Dashi' in the Old Book of Tang. During the Umayyad period, the territory of the Arab Empire expanded rapidly, and the country was very prosperous. The Al-Aqsa Mosque built by the Umayyad dynasty in Jerusalem and the Umayyad Mosque built in Damascus are both masterpieces in architectural history.
According to the records of the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, the ancient city of Anjar was built between 714 and 715 by al-Abbas, the son of the sixth Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I (reigned 705-715). It is over 1,300 years old and is the oldest ancient Islamic city I have visited so far.
Prince al-Abbas was an important general of the Umayyad dynasty in the early 8th century. He made great military achievements in the wars against the Byzantine Empire and once served as the supreme military commander of the Umayyad dynasty. It is speculated that the ancient city of Anjar may have used a large number of captives brought back by Prince al-Abbas from his campaigns against the Byzantine Empire as laborers, which is why the architectural stone carvings have a strong Byzantine style. After the fall of the Umayyad dynasty, the ancient city of Anjar was buried for a long time. It was only rediscovered by archaeologists in the late 1940s, so many ruins have been preserved to this day, making it the best example for studying Umayyad urban planning.
The ancient city is designed based on the layout of an ancient Roman city. A rectangular city wall surrounds the area, and two main roads intersect to connect the four gates in the north, south, east, and west, dividing the city into four parts. There are colonnades along the main roads, with rows of shops similar to Roman tabernae on both sides. A classic ancient Roman four-sided gate (tetrapylon) stands at the intersection. The four areas of the city have different functions. The southeast contains the Great Palace and the mosque, the northeast contains the Small Palace (harem) and baths, and the northwest and southwest are residential areas.
The Great Palace and mosque in the southeast of Anjar are the best-preserved areas. You can see the precious architectural facades and colonnade settings of the Umayyad palace. This layout of bayts (suites) is a typical Umayyad practice. The palace has two majlis (reception halls) with semicircular niches, which may have been two stories high. The colonnades seen today are the result of restoration after excavation.
Both the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I and his son, Prince al-Abbas, may have ruled from here. During the reign of Al-Walid I, the Umayyad Caliphate enjoyed stability and economic prosperity, reaching the peak of its national power. At the same time, his massive military spending and luxurious lifestyle created a heavy financial burden for his successors.
In the early 8th century, the Umayyad Caliphate expanded rapidly, conquering Bukhara, Khwarazm, Samarkand, and the Fergana region in Central Asia. In South Asia, the Umayyad Caliphate reached the Sindh region in northwestern India. In the west, the Umayyad Caliphate conquered the Berbers of North Africa, invaded the Visigothic Kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula in 711, and took control of Spain.
The vast amount of war spoils brought back from these conquests allowed Al-Walid I to build many public works and social welfare projects. His brothers and sons built many transit stations and wells along the roads leading to the capital, Damascus, and installed streetlights within the city. He funded the construction of irrigation networks and canals in places like Iraq, restoring agricultural production that had been destroyed by war. To help pilgrims, Al-Walid I installed water dispensers in Mecca, improved roads through mountain passes, and built wells throughout the Hejaz region. Al-Walid I's greatest achievement was building the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. This great mosque and the ancient city of Anjar were completed around the same time, and both are precious historical sites left behind by the Umayyad Caliphate.
Walking through the small palace (harem), the baths, and the streets of the residential area opposite in the ancient city of Anjar truly feels like returning to the Arab Empire 1,300 years ago. This method of alternating layers of stone and brick is a tradition inherited from the Byzantines. Judging from the two houses excavated in the southwest area, there may have been only 24 similar houses in the city. Therefore, some scholars speculate that this place may have just been a market on the road from Beirut to Damascus, or a large military camp providing supplies.
Many beautifully decorated friezes were unearthed inside the small palace (harem), carved with rich geometric and plant patterns. Some of these are displayed at the small palace site, and one was placed directly at a boarding gate in Beirut Airport, likely because Lebanon wants tourists visiting their country to see them.
After leaving the ancient city of Anjar, I took a three-wheeled taxi back to the town of Chtoura, then switched to a minibus heading north to the ancient city of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley. Once I arrived, I went straight to the Umayyad Mosque for namaz. The doors are usually locked and only open for the five daily prayers, closing again right after, so it is quite difficult for regular tourists to get inside.
The Umayyad Mosque in Baalbek was also built by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I in 715, the same year as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and both stand together as the oldest surviving mosque buildings in the world.
Compared to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque is simpler, but the overall style is still very similar. Some of the stone parts inside the main hall may have been taken from the nearby Roman-era Baalbek Citadel, and the column capitals have a strong Greco-Roman and Byzantine style. A flood hit Baalbek in 1318, causing serious damage to the Umayyad Mosque, washing away the walls and the pulpit (minbar), which were later repaired by the Mamluk prince ruling Baalbek at the time, Najm al-Din Hassan.
The Umayyad Mosque was badly damaged in a 1996 earthquake in Baalbek, and it was later restored by a team led by Dr. Saleh Lamei Mustafa, the former dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Beirut Arab University. The restoration work lasted for two years and was finally completed in 1998.
Today, many ancient stone pieces are still scattered around the courtyard of the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque, giving it a rich sense of history.
Halal Travel Guide: Lebanon - Shia Shrines, Baalbek and Islamic History
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 9 views • 12 hours ago
Reposted from the web
I recently visited the Sayyida Khawla Shrine, a Shia holy site in Baalbek, which is the headquarters of Hezbollah in Lebanon and one of the most important Shia centers in the country. The tomb was first built in 680, and the current structure dates back to its reconstruction in 1656.
There are thick walls at the entrance of the tomb, along with armed guards. Women are checked separately, but the guards are friendly to foreign tourists. During the security check, they asked Zainab if she was from Iran or Pakistan. When she said she was from China, the guard was very surprised, said "Made in China" in English, and let her in without checking.
Sayyida Khawla was the daughter of Imam Hussein and the great-granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. An ancient cypress tree inside the tomb is said to have been planted by the fourth Shia Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abidin (659-712). Legend says that after Imam Hussein was martyred in Karbala on the day of Ashura in 680, his female relatives were captured and taken to Damascus with the Umayyad caravan. During the long and difficult journey, Sayyida Khawla fell from a camel while passing through Baalbek and died from her injuries.
In the street scenes of Baalbek, mosques and Roman temples exist side by side. Following online advice, I did not take any photos related to Hezbollah. Besides the Shia community, there are also Christians and Sunnis here. There is even a mosque built during the Umayyad dynasty that is still used by Sunnis today, and I will post photos of this Umayyad mosque later.
During the 2006 Lebanon War, Baalbek was a major target for the Israeli military and was hit by over 70 bombs, which damaged the ancient Roman ruins.
We had lunch in Baalbek, and you can see the ruins of the Roman temple from the restaurant's rooftop terrace.
We ordered Sajiye stew, Fokhara rice, Ayran yogurt drink, and the local Lebanese meat pie called Sfeha. Sfeha from Baalbek is very famous. Sfeha is filled with lamb, tomatoes, and onions. The lamb has a perfect balance of fat and lean meat, ground very finely, and seasoned with cinnamon and allspice. Sajiye and Fokhara are actually names of cookware. Sajiye refers to an iron pot, while Fokhara refers to a clay pot. Both dishes are sealed with a flatbread called Saj while cooking. The rice in the Bukhara clay pot (fokhara) is cooked with olive oil, caramelized onions, and spices that turn it yellow, and it tastes great. view all
I recently visited the Sayyida Khawla Shrine, a Shia holy site in Baalbek, which is the headquarters of Hezbollah in Lebanon and one of the most important Shia centers in the country. The tomb was first built in 680, and the current structure dates back to its reconstruction in 1656.
There are thick walls at the entrance of the tomb, along with armed guards. Women are checked separately, but the guards are friendly to foreign tourists. During the security check, they asked Zainab if she was from Iran or Pakistan. When she said she was from China, the guard was very surprised, said "Made in China" in English, and let her in without checking.
Sayyida Khawla was the daughter of Imam Hussein and the great-granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. An ancient cypress tree inside the tomb is said to have been planted by the fourth Shia Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abidin (659-712). Legend says that after Imam Hussein was martyred in Karbala on the day of Ashura in 680, his female relatives were captured and taken to Damascus with the Umayyad caravan. During the long and difficult journey, Sayyida Khawla fell from a camel while passing through Baalbek and died from her injuries.
In the street scenes of Baalbek, mosques and Roman temples exist side by side. Following online advice, I did not take any photos related to Hezbollah. Besides the Shia community, there are also Christians and Sunnis here. There is even a mosque built during the Umayyad dynasty that is still used by Sunnis today, and I will post photos of this Umayyad mosque later.
During the 2006 Lebanon War, Baalbek was a major target for the Israeli military and was hit by over 70 bombs, which damaged the ancient Roman ruins.
We had lunch in Baalbek, and you can see the ruins of the Roman temple from the restaurant's rooftop terrace.
We ordered Sajiye stew, Fokhara rice, Ayran yogurt drink, and the local Lebanese meat pie called Sfeha. Sfeha from Baalbek is very famous. Sfeha is filled with lamb, tomatoes, and onions. The lamb has a perfect balance of fat and lean meat, ground very finely, and seasoned with cinnamon and allspice. Sajiye and Fokhara are actually names of cookware. Sajiye refers to an iron pot, while Fokhara refers to a clay pot. Both dishes are sealed with a flatbread called Saj while cooking. The rice in the Bukhara clay pot (fokhara) is cooked with olive oil, caramelized onions, and spices that turn it yellow, and it tastes great. view all
Reposted from the web
I recently visited the Sayyida Khawla Shrine, a Shia holy site in Baalbek, which is the headquarters of Hezbollah in Lebanon and one of the most important Shia centers in the country. The tomb was first built in 680, and the current structure dates back to its reconstruction in 1656.
There are thick walls at the entrance of the tomb, along with armed guards. Women are checked separately, but the guards are friendly to foreign tourists. During the security check, they asked Zainab if she was from Iran or Pakistan. When she said she was from China, the guard was very surprised, said "Made in China" in English, and let her in without checking.
Sayyida Khawla was the daughter of Imam Hussein and the great-granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. An ancient cypress tree inside the tomb is said to have been planted by the fourth Shia Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abidin (659-712). Legend says that after Imam Hussein was martyred in Karbala on the day of Ashura in 680, his female relatives were captured and taken to Damascus with the Umayyad caravan. During the long and difficult journey, Sayyida Khawla fell from a camel while passing through Baalbek and died from her injuries.
In the street scenes of Baalbek, mosques and Roman temples exist side by side. Following online advice, I did not take any photos related to Hezbollah. Besides the Shia community, there are also Christians and Sunnis here. There is even a mosque built during the Umayyad dynasty that is still used by Sunnis today, and I will post photos of this Umayyad mosque later.
During the 2006 Lebanon War, Baalbek was a major target for the Israeli military and was hit by over 70 bombs, which damaged the ancient Roman ruins.
We had lunch in Baalbek, and you can see the ruins of the Roman temple from the restaurant's rooftop terrace.
We ordered Sajiye stew, Fokhara rice, Ayran yogurt drink, and the local Lebanese meat pie called Sfeha. Sfeha from Baalbek is very famous. Sfeha is filled with lamb, tomatoes, and onions. The lamb has a perfect balance of fat and lean meat, ground very finely, and seasoned with cinnamon and allspice. Sajiye and Fokhara are actually names of cookware. Sajiye refers to an iron pot, while Fokhara refers to a clay pot. Both dishes are sealed with a flatbread called Saj while cooking. The rice in the Bukhara clay pot (fokhara) is cooked with olive oil, caramelized onions, and spices that turn it yellow, and it tastes great.
I recently visited the Sayyida Khawla Shrine, a Shia holy site in Baalbek, which is the headquarters of Hezbollah in Lebanon and one of the most important Shia centers in the country. The tomb was first built in 680, and the current structure dates back to its reconstruction in 1656.
There are thick walls at the entrance of the tomb, along with armed guards. Women are checked separately, but the guards are friendly to foreign tourists. During the security check, they asked Zainab if she was from Iran or Pakistan. When she said she was from China, the guard was very surprised, said "Made in China" in English, and let her in without checking.
Sayyida Khawla was the daughter of Imam Hussein and the great-granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. An ancient cypress tree inside the tomb is said to have been planted by the fourth Shia Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abidin (659-712). Legend says that after Imam Hussein was martyred in Karbala on the day of Ashura in 680, his female relatives were captured and taken to Damascus with the Umayyad caravan. During the long and difficult journey, Sayyida Khawla fell from a camel while passing through Baalbek and died from her injuries.
In the street scenes of Baalbek, mosques and Roman temples exist side by side. Following online advice, I did not take any photos related to Hezbollah. Besides the Shia community, there are also Christians and Sunnis here. There is even a mosque built during the Umayyad dynasty that is still used by Sunnis today, and I will post photos of this Umayyad mosque later.
During the 2006 Lebanon War, Baalbek was a major target for the Israeli military and was hit by over 70 bombs, which damaged the ancient Roman ruins.
We had lunch in Baalbek, and you can see the ruins of the Roman temple from the restaurant's rooftop terrace.
We ordered Sajiye stew, Fokhara rice, Ayran yogurt drink, and the local Lebanese meat pie called Sfeha. Sfeha from Baalbek is very famous. Sfeha is filled with lamb, tomatoes, and onions. The lamb has a perfect balance of fat and lean meat, ground very finely, and seasoned with cinnamon and allspice. Sajiye and Fokhara are actually names of cookware. Sajiye refers to an iron pot, while Fokhara refers to a clay pot. Both dishes are sealed with a flatbread called Saj while cooking. The rice in the Bukhara clay pot (fokhara) is cooked with olive oil, caramelized onions, and spices that turn it yellow, and it tastes great.
Halal Travel Guide: Beirut - Lebanon Capital, Mosques and City Life
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 15 views • 12 hours ago
Reposted from the web
We flew from Istanbul to Beirut, dropped our bags at the hotel, and headed straight to Downtown Beirut. After the 2020 explosion, the military took over this area. The once-busy streets are now almost empty, like a ghost town. Roadblocks guard every entrance, soldiers stand watch, and windows and doors are shattered. The Beirut Souks shopping district, once packed with people, has almost no open shops and only a few people walking around.
After the Lebanese Civil War began in 1975, downtown Beirut became a no-man's-land known as the Green Line. It suffered heavy damage and reconstruction did not start until 1994. Because of political instability, the rebuilding took many years, and the Beirut Souks shopping district did not officially open until 2009.
At the entrance to the Beirut Souks stands the Zawiyat Ibn Arraq, the only remaining Mamluk-era building in Beirut. Religious authority Ibn 'Arraq Al-Dimashqi from Damascus built this structure in 1517, originally as a hospice. After Ibn 'Arraq passed away in 1526, the site became a school for Islamic law and a zawiya (small Sufi lodge) for his followers. The remaining vaulted building once connected to other courtyards and rooms.
In the evening, I went to the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut. Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri funded this mosque, which was built in the Ottoman style between 2002 and 2008. It is currently the largest mosque in Lebanon.
This is a Sunni mosque, and there were not many people there for namaz. I chatted with an older man for a while. He said the Sunni community in Beirut is not strong enough and suggested I visit Tripoli in the north, calling it a powerful Sunni city. In fact, Lebanon's Sunni population is mainly concentrated in the north, led by Tripoli, and in the eastern Bekaa Valley. In the capital, Beirut, the northwest is mainly Sunni, the southwest is mainly Shia, and the east is mainly Christian. During the civil war, the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque stood near the dividing line between the Muslim and Christian quarters. This dividing line was called the Green Line because weeds and trees grew over it when no one lived there during the war. It was once full of militia checkpoints and snipers, and many buildings were severely damaged.
After we came down from the prayer hall, Zainab happened to be interviewed by a local reporter, which was quite a special experience.
Guided by the reporter, we went to the Mawlid carnival held in the basement of the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque. This was my first time attending such a colorful Mawlid event abroad. The stalls inside were dazzling and diverse. There were children singing praises to the Prophet, educational games, introductions to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Arabic calligraphy displays, and various traditional snacks. The children were having so much fun they did not want to leave.
I did not expect to encounter such a magical scene on my first night in Lebanon. Upstairs was a deserted ghost town, while downstairs was a lively Mawlid celebration. It felt like a glimpse into the current state of a conflicted Lebanon.
After leaving the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, we went to the nearby Emir Assaf Mosque to participate in the praise of the Prophet, which was also part of the Mawlid activities. Twelve men in formal attire sat on the east side of the main hall, chanting praises to the Prophet in unison, with drums accompanying some of the passages. Their voices were deep, loud, and very powerful.
The Emir Assaf Mosque was built in the late 16th century by the Emir rulers of the local Lebanese Assaf dynasty (1306-1591). The Emir's palace and gardens once stood next to the mosque.
The Assaf dynasty was a Sunni Turkmen dynasty. In 1306, the Turkmen tribe led by the Assaf family was sent by the Mamluk governor of Damascus to suppress a rebellion north of Beirut. Later, the Mamluk dynasty appointed them to guard the coastal area north of Beirut and manage the local Shia residents. After the Ottoman Empire seized the Levant from the Mamluk dynasty in 1516, they appointed the Assaf family as the main agents for the Beirut and Tripoli regions. The Assaf dynasty attracted Maronite Christians to settle in northern Beirut by lowering taxes and housing prices to balance the local Sunni and Shia populations. In 1579, the Ottoman Empire established the Tripoli Eyalet to keep the Assaf dynasty in check. In 1591, the last Assaf Emir was shot to death on the orders of the Ottoman governor of Tripoli, marking the end of the Assaf dynasty.
I performed the night prayer (isha) at the Great Mosque of Al-Omari next to the Emir Assaf Mosque. There were very few people inside, and it felt as if time had stood still.
The Great Mosque of Al-Omari was reportedly founded in 635 during the reign of Caliph Umar, and in 1150, the Crusaders built a Romanesque Church of St. John here. After the Mamluk dynasty captured Tripoli in 1291, they converted it into a grand mosque, and in 1350, they added a Mamluk-style gate and minaret. During the French mandate of Lebanon from 1923 to 1946, the street-facing facade of the Great Mosque of Al-Omari was redesigned to match the architectural style of downtown Beirut, and a portico was added. The Great Mosque of Al-Omari suffered severe damage during the Lebanese Civil War, and renovations were completed in 2004.
I had dinner at T-Marbouta, a famous local restaurant in the Hamra district of Beirut. I ordered kibbeh mloukiyeh, hommos moutammam, and grilled meat, and drank herbal tea and mint tea. Kibbeh is a fried ball made of cracked wheat and minced lamb, a classic appetizer in the Levant region. The one I ate was topped with mloukiyeh (jute leaves), eggplant, walnuts, and pomegranate. Hommos is another classic Levantine appetizer made of mashed chickpeas.
Hamra is a lively and trendy neighborhood in Beirut near the American University. It is full of young people and has long been the cultural center of Beirut. The environment here is relatively nice, making it a good place for shopping in Beirut.
I stayed at the Serenada Golden Palace hotel in the heart of the Hamra district during this trip to Beirut. The hotel lobby is gorgeous and classic, reminding people of the prosperity and beauty of Beirut in the past. At the same time, opening the window in my room reveals buildings damaged by war, which immediately pulls you back to reality.
The hotel breakfast is quite rich, with all kinds of cheeses and a variety of fruits and vegetables, making it very healthy.
Compared to the empty downtown area of Beirut, the seaside promenade to the north is very lively. The Zaitunay Bay area, in particular, is full of cafes and Western-style restaurants, where many young people take photos and drink coffee. The Beirut Corniche was first built in the 1920s during the French Mandate. To boost tourism, the French expanded the seaside embankment into a wide walkway, planted palm trees, and built several chic hotels.
The most famous spot on the Corniche is the legendary St. Georges Hotel (Hotel St. Georges) shown in picture 3, which became a landmark of the Beirut waterfront after the French built it in 1934. The hotel was in its prime from the 1960s to the early 1970s, hosting many celebrities including film stars Brigitte Bardot, Marlon Brando, and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as King Hussein of Jordan and the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The hotel closed when the civil war began in 1975, and soon after, intense fighting known as the 'Battle of the Hotels' broke out as various factions fought for control, leaving the building severely damaged; the Syrian army later occupied it until 1990. Lebanon began rebuilding downtown Beirut in 1994, but restoration work on the hotel stalled for years due to conflicts between the construction company and the owners; just as repairs started in 2005, the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri occurred, and a bomb blast in front of the hotel caused heavy damage, causing work to stop again. Today, the St. Georges Yacht Club operates the hotel's outdoor restaurant and swimming pool, but the hotel building remains empty, keeping its war-torn appearance.
Continuing west is Paris Avenue, lined with tall palm trees, where many people walk or jog by the Mediterranean Sea, and others relax while smoking shisha. During the civil war, this area was buried under piles of trash and called the 'Normandy Dump,' but post-war reconstruction has restored the Corniche landscape. Even now, you can still imagine the intensity of the war by looking at some of the palm trees that are still covered in bullet holes.
Fast food in the Hamra district of Lebanon, where I had steak and fried chicken. There are many young people here and a wide variety of restaurants, including Chinese and Japanese food. Because the power supply is unstable, shops here suddenly go dark from time to time, but everyone except us stays very calm, waiting for the power to come back on by itself. I think it must be hard to use a desktop computer without a battery in Beirut, so everyone definitely chooses laptops.
I ate at Zaatar w Zeit, a famous Lebanese fast-food chain in the Hamra district, which specializes in Levantine-style flatbread (manakish) and serves very healthy food.
Manakish is a traditional bread that originated with the ancient Phoenicians; it can be topped with a spice blend (zaatar), cheese, or minced lamb. We ate the kind with zaatar, a unique mix of thyme, sumac, oregano, marjoram, and sesame seeds.
We also drank Lebanese coffee made from Arabica coffee beans and seasoned with cardamom. Arabica coffee is the first cultivated coffee variety. Its natural population is limited to southern Ethiopia and Yemen, where it plays an important role in Sufi practice. Yemeni Sufis use Arabica coffee to focus their minds during dhikr ceremonies and drink it to stay awake during night-time meditation. In the 15th century, coffee spread from the port of Mocha in Yemen to Egypt and Mecca, and soon reached the Levant under the Mamluk Sultanate.
Most early coffee-drinking Muslims were Sufis, while conservative orthodox scholars long rejected it because of its stimulating effects. In 1524, the Grand Mufti of the Ottoman Empire officially issued a fatwa allowing coffee consumption, and Arabica coffee quickly became popular across the Middle East.
We spent the evening drinking coffee at the legendary Younes Coffee in the Hamra district of Beirut. The founder of Younes Coffee, Amin Younes Sr., immigrated to Brazil in 1894 and worked on a Brazilian coffee tycoon's plantation for 20 years. Amin returned to Lebanon in 1935 and opened the first Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut. During World War II, the Lebanese currency crashed and wiped out most of Amin's savings, but he managed to pull through. In 1960, Amin's son Souheil joined the family business and helped his father open the first Younes Coffee branch in the Hamra district, which was one of the first cafes in Lebanon to buy an espresso machine. The original Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut was destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, leaving only the Hamra branch.
Abou Anwar worked at Younes Coffee for 60 years starting in 1954. He was the cafe's most senior master roaster, and his expert roasting skills attracted a large group of loyal customers. The coffee I ordered was the Abou Anwar Blend, named after him and mixed with his favorite fruits and spices.
I also made the classic trip to see the sunset at Pigeon Rocks, the most famous landmark in Beirut. I want to start by saying how kind the people we met in Beirut were. First, a Palestinian refugee grandmother offered us grapes. Then, on our way to Pigeon Rocks, a fellow Muslim (dosti) kindly showed us the way. The dosti even took us on a bus to find the right spot to wait for the bus to Pigeon Rocks. Lebanese buses do not have bus stops, so you can just wave one down anywhere along the road. Our dosti seemed more worried about the bus than we were. He waited with us and only waved goodbye after he made sure we were on the bus. He did not ask for a single cent. This dosti was the complete opposite of the tricycle driver who tried to rip us off on the way to the ancient city of Anjar.
There is a row of cafes next to Pigeon Rocks. From the Bay Rock Cafe in the south to the Starbucks in the north, they are all classic spots to watch the sunset. Even though many people post about this place online, it was not actually very crowded in the cafes. It was very relaxing. We ordered two juices and a salad at the Bay Rock Cafe and spent a romantic and wonderful evening there.
Supermarkets in downtown Beirut have all kinds of olives. They sell meat together with side dishes here, which feels very convenient. view all
We flew from Istanbul to Beirut, dropped our bags at the hotel, and headed straight to Downtown Beirut. After the 2020 explosion, the military took over this area. The once-busy streets are now almost empty, like a ghost town. Roadblocks guard every entrance, soldiers stand watch, and windows and doors are shattered. The Beirut Souks shopping district, once packed with people, has almost no open shops and only a few people walking around.
After the Lebanese Civil War began in 1975, downtown Beirut became a no-man's-land known as the Green Line. It suffered heavy damage and reconstruction did not start until 1994. Because of political instability, the rebuilding took many years, and the Beirut Souks shopping district did not officially open until 2009.
At the entrance to the Beirut Souks stands the Zawiyat Ibn Arraq, the only remaining Mamluk-era building in Beirut. Religious authority Ibn 'Arraq Al-Dimashqi from Damascus built this structure in 1517, originally as a hospice. After Ibn 'Arraq passed away in 1526, the site became a school for Islamic law and a zawiya (small Sufi lodge) for his followers. The remaining vaulted building once connected to other courtyards and rooms.
In the evening, I went to the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut. Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri funded this mosque, which was built in the Ottoman style between 2002 and 2008. It is currently the largest mosque in Lebanon.
This is a Sunni mosque, and there were not many people there for namaz. I chatted with an older man for a while. He said the Sunni community in Beirut is not strong enough and suggested I visit Tripoli in the north, calling it a powerful Sunni city. In fact, Lebanon's Sunni population is mainly concentrated in the north, led by Tripoli, and in the eastern Bekaa Valley. In the capital, Beirut, the northwest is mainly Sunni, the southwest is mainly Shia, and the east is mainly Christian. During the civil war, the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque stood near the dividing line between the Muslim and Christian quarters. This dividing line was called the Green Line because weeds and trees grew over it when no one lived there during the war. It was once full of militia checkpoints and snipers, and many buildings were severely damaged.
After we came down from the prayer hall, Zainab happened to be interviewed by a local reporter, which was quite a special experience.
Guided by the reporter, we went to the Mawlid carnival held in the basement of the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque. This was my first time attending such a colorful Mawlid event abroad. The stalls inside were dazzling and diverse. There were children singing praises to the Prophet, educational games, introductions to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Arabic calligraphy displays, and various traditional snacks. The children were having so much fun they did not want to leave.
I did not expect to encounter such a magical scene on my first night in Lebanon. Upstairs was a deserted ghost town, while downstairs was a lively Mawlid celebration. It felt like a glimpse into the current state of a conflicted Lebanon.
After leaving the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, we went to the nearby Emir Assaf Mosque to participate in the praise of the Prophet, which was also part of the Mawlid activities. Twelve men in formal attire sat on the east side of the main hall, chanting praises to the Prophet in unison, with drums accompanying some of the passages. Their voices were deep, loud, and very powerful.
The Emir Assaf Mosque was built in the late 16th century by the Emir rulers of the local Lebanese Assaf dynasty (1306-1591). The Emir's palace and gardens once stood next to the mosque.
The Assaf dynasty was a Sunni Turkmen dynasty. In 1306, the Turkmen tribe led by the Assaf family was sent by the Mamluk governor of Damascus to suppress a rebellion north of Beirut. Later, the Mamluk dynasty appointed them to guard the coastal area north of Beirut and manage the local Shia residents. After the Ottoman Empire seized the Levant from the Mamluk dynasty in 1516, they appointed the Assaf family as the main agents for the Beirut and Tripoli regions. The Assaf dynasty attracted Maronite Christians to settle in northern Beirut by lowering taxes and housing prices to balance the local Sunni and Shia populations. In 1579, the Ottoman Empire established the Tripoli Eyalet to keep the Assaf dynasty in check. In 1591, the last Assaf Emir was shot to death on the orders of the Ottoman governor of Tripoli, marking the end of the Assaf dynasty.
I performed the night prayer (isha) at the Great Mosque of Al-Omari next to the Emir Assaf Mosque. There were very few people inside, and it felt as if time had stood still.
The Great Mosque of Al-Omari was reportedly founded in 635 during the reign of Caliph Umar, and in 1150, the Crusaders built a Romanesque Church of St. John here. After the Mamluk dynasty captured Tripoli in 1291, they converted it into a grand mosque, and in 1350, they added a Mamluk-style gate and minaret. During the French mandate of Lebanon from 1923 to 1946, the street-facing facade of the Great Mosque of Al-Omari was redesigned to match the architectural style of downtown Beirut, and a portico was added. The Great Mosque of Al-Omari suffered severe damage during the Lebanese Civil War, and renovations were completed in 2004.
I had dinner at T-Marbouta, a famous local restaurant in the Hamra district of Beirut. I ordered kibbeh mloukiyeh, hommos moutammam, and grilled meat, and drank herbal tea and mint tea. Kibbeh is a fried ball made of cracked wheat and minced lamb, a classic appetizer in the Levant region. The one I ate was topped with mloukiyeh (jute leaves), eggplant, walnuts, and pomegranate. Hommos is another classic Levantine appetizer made of mashed chickpeas.
Hamra is a lively and trendy neighborhood in Beirut near the American University. It is full of young people and has long been the cultural center of Beirut. The environment here is relatively nice, making it a good place for shopping in Beirut.
I stayed at the Serenada Golden Palace hotel in the heart of the Hamra district during this trip to Beirut. The hotel lobby is gorgeous and classic, reminding people of the prosperity and beauty of Beirut in the past. At the same time, opening the window in my room reveals buildings damaged by war, which immediately pulls you back to reality.
The hotel breakfast is quite rich, with all kinds of cheeses and a variety of fruits and vegetables, making it very healthy.
Compared to the empty downtown area of Beirut, the seaside promenade to the north is very lively. The Zaitunay Bay area, in particular, is full of cafes and Western-style restaurants, where many young people take photos and drink coffee. The Beirut Corniche was first built in the 1920s during the French Mandate. To boost tourism, the French expanded the seaside embankment into a wide walkway, planted palm trees, and built several chic hotels.
The most famous spot on the Corniche is the legendary St. Georges Hotel (Hotel St. Georges) shown in picture 3, which became a landmark of the Beirut waterfront after the French built it in 1934. The hotel was in its prime from the 1960s to the early 1970s, hosting many celebrities including film stars Brigitte Bardot, Marlon Brando, and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as King Hussein of Jordan and the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The hotel closed when the civil war began in 1975, and soon after, intense fighting known as the 'Battle of the Hotels' broke out as various factions fought for control, leaving the building severely damaged; the Syrian army later occupied it until 1990. Lebanon began rebuilding downtown Beirut in 1994, but restoration work on the hotel stalled for years due to conflicts between the construction company and the owners; just as repairs started in 2005, the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri occurred, and a bomb blast in front of the hotel caused heavy damage, causing work to stop again. Today, the St. Georges Yacht Club operates the hotel's outdoor restaurant and swimming pool, but the hotel building remains empty, keeping its war-torn appearance.
Continuing west is Paris Avenue, lined with tall palm trees, where many people walk or jog by the Mediterranean Sea, and others relax while smoking shisha. During the civil war, this area was buried under piles of trash and called the 'Normandy Dump,' but post-war reconstruction has restored the Corniche landscape. Even now, you can still imagine the intensity of the war by looking at some of the palm trees that are still covered in bullet holes.
Fast food in the Hamra district of Lebanon, where I had steak and fried chicken. There are many young people here and a wide variety of restaurants, including Chinese and Japanese food. Because the power supply is unstable, shops here suddenly go dark from time to time, but everyone except us stays very calm, waiting for the power to come back on by itself. I think it must be hard to use a desktop computer without a battery in Beirut, so everyone definitely chooses laptops.
I ate at Zaatar w Zeit, a famous Lebanese fast-food chain in the Hamra district, which specializes in Levantine-style flatbread (manakish) and serves very healthy food.
Manakish is a traditional bread that originated with the ancient Phoenicians; it can be topped with a spice blend (zaatar), cheese, or minced lamb. We ate the kind with zaatar, a unique mix of thyme, sumac, oregano, marjoram, and sesame seeds.
We also drank Lebanese coffee made from Arabica coffee beans and seasoned with cardamom. Arabica coffee is the first cultivated coffee variety. Its natural population is limited to southern Ethiopia and Yemen, where it plays an important role in Sufi practice. Yemeni Sufis use Arabica coffee to focus their minds during dhikr ceremonies and drink it to stay awake during night-time meditation. In the 15th century, coffee spread from the port of Mocha in Yemen to Egypt and Mecca, and soon reached the Levant under the Mamluk Sultanate.
Most early coffee-drinking Muslims were Sufis, while conservative orthodox scholars long rejected it because of its stimulating effects. In 1524, the Grand Mufti of the Ottoman Empire officially issued a fatwa allowing coffee consumption, and Arabica coffee quickly became popular across the Middle East.
We spent the evening drinking coffee at the legendary Younes Coffee in the Hamra district of Beirut. The founder of Younes Coffee, Amin Younes Sr., immigrated to Brazil in 1894 and worked on a Brazilian coffee tycoon's plantation for 20 years. Amin returned to Lebanon in 1935 and opened the first Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut. During World War II, the Lebanese currency crashed and wiped out most of Amin's savings, but he managed to pull through. In 1960, Amin's son Souheil joined the family business and helped his father open the first Younes Coffee branch in the Hamra district, which was one of the first cafes in Lebanon to buy an espresso machine. The original Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut was destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, leaving only the Hamra branch.
Abou Anwar worked at Younes Coffee for 60 years starting in 1954. He was the cafe's most senior master roaster, and his expert roasting skills attracted a large group of loyal customers. The coffee I ordered was the Abou Anwar Blend, named after him and mixed with his favorite fruits and spices.
I also made the classic trip to see the sunset at Pigeon Rocks, the most famous landmark in Beirut. I want to start by saying how kind the people we met in Beirut were. First, a Palestinian refugee grandmother offered us grapes. Then, on our way to Pigeon Rocks, a fellow Muslim (dosti) kindly showed us the way. The dosti even took us on a bus to find the right spot to wait for the bus to Pigeon Rocks. Lebanese buses do not have bus stops, so you can just wave one down anywhere along the road. Our dosti seemed more worried about the bus than we were. He waited with us and only waved goodbye after he made sure we were on the bus. He did not ask for a single cent. This dosti was the complete opposite of the tricycle driver who tried to rip us off on the way to the ancient city of Anjar.
There is a row of cafes next to Pigeon Rocks. From the Bay Rock Cafe in the south to the Starbucks in the north, they are all classic spots to watch the sunset. Even though many people post about this place online, it was not actually very crowded in the cafes. It was very relaxing. We ordered two juices and a salad at the Bay Rock Cafe and spent a romantic and wonderful evening there.
Supermarkets in downtown Beirut have all kinds of olives. They sell meat together with side dishes here, which feels very convenient. view all
Reposted from the web
We flew from Istanbul to Beirut, dropped our bags at the hotel, and headed straight to Downtown Beirut. After the 2020 explosion, the military took over this area. The once-busy streets are now almost empty, like a ghost town. Roadblocks guard every entrance, soldiers stand watch, and windows and doors are shattered. The Beirut Souks shopping district, once packed with people, has almost no open shops and only a few people walking around.
After the Lebanese Civil War began in 1975, downtown Beirut became a no-man's-land known as the Green Line. It suffered heavy damage and reconstruction did not start until 1994. Because of political instability, the rebuilding took many years, and the Beirut Souks shopping district did not officially open until 2009.
At the entrance to the Beirut Souks stands the Zawiyat Ibn Arraq, the only remaining Mamluk-era building in Beirut. Religious authority Ibn 'Arraq Al-Dimashqi from Damascus built this structure in 1517, originally as a hospice. After Ibn 'Arraq passed away in 1526, the site became a school for Islamic law and a zawiya (small Sufi lodge) for his followers. The remaining vaulted building once connected to other courtyards and rooms.
In the evening, I went to the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut. Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri funded this mosque, which was built in the Ottoman style between 2002 and 2008. It is currently the largest mosque in Lebanon.
This is a Sunni mosque, and there were not many people there for namaz. I chatted with an older man for a while. He said the Sunni community in Beirut is not strong enough and suggested I visit Tripoli in the north, calling it a powerful Sunni city. In fact, Lebanon's Sunni population is mainly concentrated in the north, led by Tripoli, and in the eastern Bekaa Valley. In the capital, Beirut, the northwest is mainly Sunni, the southwest is mainly Shia, and the east is mainly Christian. During the civil war, the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque stood near the dividing line between the Muslim and Christian quarters. This dividing line was called the Green Line because weeds and trees grew over it when no one lived there during the war. It was once full of militia checkpoints and snipers, and many buildings were severely damaged.
After we came down from the prayer hall, Zainab happened to be interviewed by a local reporter, which was quite a special experience.
Guided by the reporter, we went to the Mawlid carnival held in the basement of the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque. This was my first time attending such a colorful Mawlid event abroad. The stalls inside were dazzling and diverse. There were children singing praises to the Prophet, educational games, introductions to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Arabic calligraphy displays, and various traditional snacks. The children were having so much fun they did not want to leave.
I did not expect to encounter such a magical scene on my first night in Lebanon. Upstairs was a deserted ghost town, while downstairs was a lively Mawlid celebration. It felt like a glimpse into the current state of a conflicted Lebanon.
After leaving the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, we went to the nearby Emir Assaf Mosque to participate in the praise of the Prophet, which was also part of the Mawlid activities. Twelve men in formal attire sat on the east side of the main hall, chanting praises to the Prophet in unison, with drums accompanying some of the passages. Their voices were deep, loud, and very powerful.
The Emir Assaf Mosque was built in the late 16th century by the Emir rulers of the local Lebanese Assaf dynasty (1306-1591). The Emir's palace and gardens once stood next to the mosque.
The Assaf dynasty was a Sunni Turkmen dynasty. In 1306, the Turkmen tribe led by the Assaf family was sent by the Mamluk governor of Damascus to suppress a rebellion north of Beirut. Later, the Mamluk dynasty appointed them to guard the coastal area north of Beirut and manage the local Shia residents. After the Ottoman Empire seized the Levant from the Mamluk dynasty in 1516, they appointed the Assaf family as the main agents for the Beirut and Tripoli regions. The Assaf dynasty attracted Maronite Christians to settle in northern Beirut by lowering taxes and housing prices to balance the local Sunni and Shia populations. In 1579, the Ottoman Empire established the Tripoli Eyalet to keep the Assaf dynasty in check. In 1591, the last Assaf Emir was shot to death on the orders of the Ottoman governor of Tripoli, marking the end of the Assaf dynasty.
I performed the night prayer (isha) at the Great Mosque of Al-Omari next to the Emir Assaf Mosque. There were very few people inside, and it felt as if time had stood still.
The Great Mosque of Al-Omari was reportedly founded in 635 during the reign of Caliph Umar, and in 1150, the Crusaders built a Romanesque Church of St. John here. After the Mamluk dynasty captured Tripoli in 1291, they converted it into a grand mosque, and in 1350, they added a Mamluk-style gate and minaret. During the French mandate of Lebanon from 1923 to 1946, the street-facing facade of the Great Mosque of Al-Omari was redesigned to match the architectural style of downtown Beirut, and a portico was added. The Great Mosque of Al-Omari suffered severe damage during the Lebanese Civil War, and renovations were completed in 2004.
I had dinner at T-Marbouta, a famous local restaurant in the Hamra district of Beirut. I ordered kibbeh mloukiyeh, hommos moutammam, and grilled meat, and drank herbal tea and mint tea. Kibbeh is a fried ball made of cracked wheat and minced lamb, a classic appetizer in the Levant region. The one I ate was topped with mloukiyeh (jute leaves), eggplant, walnuts, and pomegranate. Hommos is another classic Levantine appetizer made of mashed chickpeas.
Hamra is a lively and trendy neighborhood in Beirut near the American University. It is full of young people and has long been the cultural center of Beirut. The environment here is relatively nice, making it a good place for shopping in Beirut.
I stayed at the Serenada Golden Palace hotel in the heart of the Hamra district during this trip to Beirut. The hotel lobby is gorgeous and classic, reminding people of the prosperity and beauty of Beirut in the past. At the same time, opening the window in my room reveals buildings damaged by war, which immediately pulls you back to reality.
The hotel breakfast is quite rich, with all kinds of cheeses and a variety of fruits and vegetables, making it very healthy.
Compared to the empty downtown area of Beirut, the seaside promenade to the north is very lively. The Zaitunay Bay area, in particular, is full of cafes and Western-style restaurants, where many young people take photos and drink coffee. The Beirut Corniche was first built in the 1920s during the French Mandate. To boost tourism, the French expanded the seaside embankment into a wide walkway, planted palm trees, and built several chic hotels.
The most famous spot on the Corniche is the legendary St. Georges Hotel (Hotel St. Georges) shown in picture 3, which became a landmark of the Beirut waterfront after the French built it in 1934. The hotel was in its prime from the 1960s to the early 1970s, hosting many celebrities including film stars Brigitte Bardot, Marlon Brando, and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as King Hussein of Jordan and the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The hotel closed when the civil war began in 1975, and soon after, intense fighting known as the 'Battle of the Hotels' broke out as various factions fought for control, leaving the building severely damaged; the Syrian army later occupied it until 1990. Lebanon began rebuilding downtown Beirut in 1994, but restoration work on the hotel stalled for years due to conflicts between the construction company and the owners; just as repairs started in 2005, the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri occurred, and a bomb blast in front of the hotel caused heavy damage, causing work to stop again. Today, the St. Georges Yacht Club operates the hotel's outdoor restaurant and swimming pool, but the hotel building remains empty, keeping its war-torn appearance.
Continuing west is Paris Avenue, lined with tall palm trees, where many people walk or jog by the Mediterranean Sea, and others relax while smoking shisha. During the civil war, this area was buried under piles of trash and called the 'Normandy Dump,' but post-war reconstruction has restored the Corniche landscape. Even now, you can still imagine the intensity of the war by looking at some of the palm trees that are still covered in bullet holes.
Fast food in the Hamra district of Lebanon, where I had steak and fried chicken. There are many young people here and a wide variety of restaurants, including Chinese and Japanese food. Because the power supply is unstable, shops here suddenly go dark from time to time, but everyone except us stays very calm, waiting for the power to come back on by itself. I think it must be hard to use a desktop computer without a battery in Beirut, so everyone definitely chooses laptops.
I ate at Zaatar w Zeit, a famous Lebanese fast-food chain in the Hamra district, which specializes in Levantine-style flatbread (manakish) and serves very healthy food.
Manakish is a traditional bread that originated with the ancient Phoenicians; it can be topped with a spice blend (zaatar), cheese, or minced lamb. We ate the kind with zaatar, a unique mix of thyme, sumac, oregano, marjoram, and sesame seeds.
We also drank Lebanese coffee made from Arabica coffee beans and seasoned with cardamom. Arabica coffee is the first cultivated coffee variety. Its natural population is limited to southern Ethiopia and Yemen, where it plays an important role in Sufi practice. Yemeni Sufis use Arabica coffee to focus their minds during dhikr ceremonies and drink it to stay awake during night-time meditation. In the 15th century, coffee spread from the port of Mocha in Yemen to Egypt and Mecca, and soon reached the Levant under the Mamluk Sultanate.
Most early coffee-drinking Muslims were Sufis, while conservative orthodox scholars long rejected it because of its stimulating effects. In 1524, the Grand Mufti of the Ottoman Empire officially issued a fatwa allowing coffee consumption, and Arabica coffee quickly became popular across the Middle East.
We spent the evening drinking coffee at the legendary Younes Coffee in the Hamra district of Beirut. The founder of Younes Coffee, Amin Younes Sr., immigrated to Brazil in 1894 and worked on a Brazilian coffee tycoon's plantation for 20 years. Amin returned to Lebanon in 1935 and opened the first Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut. During World War II, the Lebanese currency crashed and wiped out most of Amin's savings, but he managed to pull through. In 1960, Amin's son Souheil joined the family business and helped his father open the first Younes Coffee branch in the Hamra district, which was one of the first cafes in Lebanon to buy an espresso machine. The original Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut was destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, leaving only the Hamra branch.
Abou Anwar worked at Younes Coffee for 60 years starting in 1954. He was the cafe's most senior master roaster, and his expert roasting skills attracted a large group of loyal customers. The coffee I ordered was the Abou Anwar Blend, named after him and mixed with his favorite fruits and spices.
I also made the classic trip to see the sunset at Pigeon Rocks, the most famous landmark in Beirut. I want to start by saying how kind the people we met in Beirut were. First, a Palestinian refugee grandmother offered us grapes. Then, on our way to Pigeon Rocks, a fellow Muslim (dosti) kindly showed us the way. The dosti even took us on a bus to find the right spot to wait for the bus to Pigeon Rocks. Lebanese buses do not have bus stops, so you can just wave one down anywhere along the road. Our dosti seemed more worried about the bus than we were. He waited with us and only waved goodbye after he made sure we were on the bus. He did not ask for a single cent. This dosti was the complete opposite of the tricycle driver who tried to rip us off on the way to the ancient city of Anjar.
There is a row of cafes next to Pigeon Rocks. From the Bay Rock Cafe in the south to the Starbucks in the north, they are all classic spots to watch the sunset. Even though many people post about this place online, it was not actually very crowded in the cafes. It was very relaxing. We ordered two juices and a salad at the Bay Rock Cafe and spent a romantic and wonderful evening there.
Supermarkets in downtown Beirut have all kinds of olives. They sell meat together with side dishes here, which feels very convenient.
We flew from Istanbul to Beirut, dropped our bags at the hotel, and headed straight to Downtown Beirut. After the 2020 explosion, the military took over this area. The once-busy streets are now almost empty, like a ghost town. Roadblocks guard every entrance, soldiers stand watch, and windows and doors are shattered. The Beirut Souks shopping district, once packed with people, has almost no open shops and only a few people walking around.
After the Lebanese Civil War began in 1975, downtown Beirut became a no-man's-land known as the Green Line. It suffered heavy damage and reconstruction did not start until 1994. Because of political instability, the rebuilding took many years, and the Beirut Souks shopping district did not officially open until 2009.
At the entrance to the Beirut Souks stands the Zawiyat Ibn Arraq, the only remaining Mamluk-era building in Beirut. Religious authority Ibn 'Arraq Al-Dimashqi from Damascus built this structure in 1517, originally as a hospice. After Ibn 'Arraq passed away in 1526, the site became a school for Islamic law and a zawiya (small Sufi lodge) for his followers. The remaining vaulted building once connected to other courtyards and rooms.
In the evening, I went to the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut. Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri funded this mosque, which was built in the Ottoman style between 2002 and 2008. It is currently the largest mosque in Lebanon.
This is a Sunni mosque, and there were not many people there for namaz. I chatted with an older man for a while. He said the Sunni community in Beirut is not strong enough and suggested I visit Tripoli in the north, calling it a powerful Sunni city. In fact, Lebanon's Sunni population is mainly concentrated in the north, led by Tripoli, and in the eastern Bekaa Valley. In the capital, Beirut, the northwest is mainly Sunni, the southwest is mainly Shia, and the east is mainly Christian. During the civil war, the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque stood near the dividing line between the Muslim and Christian quarters. This dividing line was called the Green Line because weeds and trees grew over it when no one lived there during the war. It was once full of militia checkpoints and snipers, and many buildings were severely damaged.
After we came down from the prayer hall, Zainab happened to be interviewed by a local reporter, which was quite a special experience.
Guided by the reporter, we went to the Mawlid carnival held in the basement of the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque. This was my first time attending such a colorful Mawlid event abroad. The stalls inside were dazzling and diverse. There were children singing praises to the Prophet, educational games, introductions to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Arabic calligraphy displays, and various traditional snacks. The children were having so much fun they did not want to leave.
I did not expect to encounter such a magical scene on my first night in Lebanon. Upstairs was a deserted ghost town, while downstairs was a lively Mawlid celebration. It felt like a glimpse into the current state of a conflicted Lebanon.
After leaving the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, we went to the nearby Emir Assaf Mosque to participate in the praise of the Prophet, which was also part of the Mawlid activities. Twelve men in formal attire sat on the east side of the main hall, chanting praises to the Prophet in unison, with drums accompanying some of the passages. Their voices were deep, loud, and very powerful.
The Emir Assaf Mosque was built in the late 16th century by the Emir rulers of the local Lebanese Assaf dynasty (1306-1591). The Emir's palace and gardens once stood next to the mosque.
The Assaf dynasty was a Sunni Turkmen dynasty. In 1306, the Turkmen tribe led by the Assaf family was sent by the Mamluk governor of Damascus to suppress a rebellion north of Beirut. Later, the Mamluk dynasty appointed them to guard the coastal area north of Beirut and manage the local Shia residents. After the Ottoman Empire seized the Levant from the Mamluk dynasty in 1516, they appointed the Assaf family as the main agents for the Beirut and Tripoli regions. The Assaf dynasty attracted Maronite Christians to settle in northern Beirut by lowering taxes and housing prices to balance the local Sunni and Shia populations. In 1579, the Ottoman Empire established the Tripoli Eyalet to keep the Assaf dynasty in check. In 1591, the last Assaf Emir was shot to death on the orders of the Ottoman governor of Tripoli, marking the end of the Assaf dynasty.
I performed the night prayer (isha) at the Great Mosque of Al-Omari next to the Emir Assaf Mosque. There were very few people inside, and it felt as if time had stood still.
The Great Mosque of Al-Omari was reportedly founded in 635 during the reign of Caliph Umar, and in 1150, the Crusaders built a Romanesque Church of St. John here. After the Mamluk dynasty captured Tripoli in 1291, they converted it into a grand mosque, and in 1350, they added a Mamluk-style gate and minaret. During the French mandate of Lebanon from 1923 to 1946, the street-facing facade of the Great Mosque of Al-Omari was redesigned to match the architectural style of downtown Beirut, and a portico was added. The Great Mosque of Al-Omari suffered severe damage during the Lebanese Civil War, and renovations were completed in 2004.
I had dinner at T-Marbouta, a famous local restaurant in the Hamra district of Beirut. I ordered kibbeh mloukiyeh, hommos moutammam, and grilled meat, and drank herbal tea and mint tea. Kibbeh is a fried ball made of cracked wheat and minced lamb, a classic appetizer in the Levant region. The one I ate was topped with mloukiyeh (jute leaves), eggplant, walnuts, and pomegranate. Hommos is another classic Levantine appetizer made of mashed chickpeas.
Hamra is a lively and trendy neighborhood in Beirut near the American University. It is full of young people and has long been the cultural center of Beirut. The environment here is relatively nice, making it a good place for shopping in Beirut.
I stayed at the Serenada Golden Palace hotel in the heart of the Hamra district during this trip to Beirut. The hotel lobby is gorgeous and classic, reminding people of the prosperity and beauty of Beirut in the past. At the same time, opening the window in my room reveals buildings damaged by war, which immediately pulls you back to reality.
The hotel breakfast is quite rich, with all kinds of cheeses and a variety of fruits and vegetables, making it very healthy.
Compared to the empty downtown area of Beirut, the seaside promenade to the north is very lively. The Zaitunay Bay area, in particular, is full of cafes and Western-style restaurants, where many young people take photos and drink coffee. The Beirut Corniche was first built in the 1920s during the French Mandate. To boost tourism, the French expanded the seaside embankment into a wide walkway, planted palm trees, and built several chic hotels.
The most famous spot on the Corniche is the legendary St. Georges Hotel (Hotel St. Georges) shown in picture 3, which became a landmark of the Beirut waterfront after the French built it in 1934. The hotel was in its prime from the 1960s to the early 1970s, hosting many celebrities including film stars Brigitte Bardot, Marlon Brando, and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as King Hussein of Jordan and the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The hotel closed when the civil war began in 1975, and soon after, intense fighting known as the 'Battle of the Hotels' broke out as various factions fought for control, leaving the building severely damaged; the Syrian army later occupied it until 1990. Lebanon began rebuilding downtown Beirut in 1994, but restoration work on the hotel stalled for years due to conflicts between the construction company and the owners; just as repairs started in 2005, the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri occurred, and a bomb blast in front of the hotel caused heavy damage, causing work to stop again. Today, the St. Georges Yacht Club operates the hotel's outdoor restaurant and swimming pool, but the hotel building remains empty, keeping its war-torn appearance.
Continuing west is Paris Avenue, lined with tall palm trees, where many people walk or jog by the Mediterranean Sea, and others relax while smoking shisha. During the civil war, this area was buried under piles of trash and called the 'Normandy Dump,' but post-war reconstruction has restored the Corniche landscape. Even now, you can still imagine the intensity of the war by looking at some of the palm trees that are still covered in bullet holes.
Fast food in the Hamra district of Lebanon, where I had steak and fried chicken. There are many young people here and a wide variety of restaurants, including Chinese and Japanese food. Because the power supply is unstable, shops here suddenly go dark from time to time, but everyone except us stays very calm, waiting for the power to come back on by itself. I think it must be hard to use a desktop computer without a battery in Beirut, so everyone definitely chooses laptops.
I ate at Zaatar w Zeit, a famous Lebanese fast-food chain in the Hamra district, which specializes in Levantine-style flatbread (manakish) and serves very healthy food.
Manakish is a traditional bread that originated with the ancient Phoenicians; it can be topped with a spice blend (zaatar), cheese, or minced lamb. We ate the kind with zaatar, a unique mix of thyme, sumac, oregano, marjoram, and sesame seeds.
We also drank Lebanese coffee made from Arabica coffee beans and seasoned with cardamom. Arabica coffee is the first cultivated coffee variety. Its natural population is limited to southern Ethiopia and Yemen, where it plays an important role in Sufi practice. Yemeni Sufis use Arabica coffee to focus their minds during dhikr ceremonies and drink it to stay awake during night-time meditation. In the 15th century, coffee spread from the port of Mocha in Yemen to Egypt and Mecca, and soon reached the Levant under the Mamluk Sultanate.
Most early coffee-drinking Muslims were Sufis, while conservative orthodox scholars long rejected it because of its stimulating effects. In 1524, the Grand Mufti of the Ottoman Empire officially issued a fatwa allowing coffee consumption, and Arabica coffee quickly became popular across the Middle East.
We spent the evening drinking coffee at the legendary Younes Coffee in the Hamra district of Beirut. The founder of Younes Coffee, Amin Younes Sr., immigrated to Brazil in 1894 and worked on a Brazilian coffee tycoon's plantation for 20 years. Amin returned to Lebanon in 1935 and opened the first Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut. During World War II, the Lebanese currency crashed and wiped out most of Amin's savings, but he managed to pull through. In 1960, Amin's son Souheil joined the family business and helped his father open the first Younes Coffee branch in the Hamra district, which was one of the first cafes in Lebanon to buy an espresso machine. The original Younes Coffee in downtown Beirut was destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, leaving only the Hamra branch.
Abou Anwar worked at Younes Coffee for 60 years starting in 1954. He was the cafe's most senior master roaster, and his expert roasting skills attracted a large group of loyal customers. The coffee I ordered was the Abou Anwar Blend, named after him and mixed with his favorite fruits and spices.
I also made the classic trip to see the sunset at Pigeon Rocks, the most famous landmark in Beirut. I want to start by saying how kind the people we met in Beirut were. First, a Palestinian refugee grandmother offered us grapes. Then, on our way to Pigeon Rocks, a fellow Muslim (dosti) kindly showed us the way. The dosti even took us on a bus to find the right spot to wait for the bus to Pigeon Rocks. Lebanese buses do not have bus stops, so you can just wave one down anywhere along the road. Our dosti seemed more worried about the bus than we were. He waited with us and only waved goodbye after he made sure we were on the bus. He did not ask for a single cent. This dosti was the complete opposite of the tricycle driver who tried to rip us off on the way to the ancient city of Anjar.
There is a row of cafes next to Pigeon Rocks. From the Bay Rock Cafe in the south to the Starbucks in the north, they are all classic spots to watch the sunset. Even though many people post about this place online, it was not actually very crowded in the cafes. It was very relaxing. We ordered two juices and a salad at the Bay Rock Cafe and spent a romantic and wonderful evening there.
Supermarkets in downtown Beirut have all kinds of olives. They sell meat together with side dishes here, which feels very convenient.
Halal Travel Guide: Lebanon - Umayyad Cities, Ancient Mosques and History
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 11 views • 12 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Early in the morning, I took a minibus from the Cola bus station south of Beirut, headed east over the Lebanon Mountains, and entered the town of Chtoura in the Bekaa Valley. From there, I took a three-wheeled taxi to the Umayyad ancient city of Anjar near the Syrian border. This place has been an important passage connecting Beirut and Damascus since ancient times. Anjar is the best-preserved ruin of an Umayyad dynasty palace city. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984.
The Umayyad dynasty (661–750) was the first hereditary dynasty of the Arab Empire. It is referred to as the 'White-robed Dashi' in the Old Book of Tang. During the Umayyad period, the territory of the Arab Empire expanded rapidly, and the country was very prosperous. The Al-Aqsa Mosque built by the Umayyad dynasty in Jerusalem and the Umayyad Mosque built in Damascus are both masterpieces in architectural history.
According to the records of the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, the ancient city of Anjar was built between 714 and 715 by al-Abbas, the son of the sixth Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I (reigned 705-715). It is over 1,300 years old and is the oldest ancient Islamic city I have visited so far.
Prince al-Abbas was an important general of the Umayyad dynasty in the early 8th century. He made great military achievements in the wars against the Byzantine Empire and once served as the supreme military commander of the Umayyad dynasty. It is speculated that the ancient city of Anjar may have used a large number of captives brought back by Prince al-Abbas from his campaigns against the Byzantine Empire as laborers, which is why the architectural stone carvings have a strong Byzantine style. After the fall of the Umayyad dynasty, the ancient city of Anjar was buried for a long time. It was only rediscovered by archaeologists in the late 1940s, so many ruins have been preserved to this day, making it the best example for studying Umayyad urban planning.
The ancient city is designed based on the layout of an ancient Roman city. A rectangular city wall surrounds the area, and two main roads intersect to connect the four gates in the north, south, east, and west, dividing the city into four parts. There are colonnades along the main roads, with rows of shops similar to Roman tabernae on both sides. A classic ancient Roman four-sided gate (tetrapylon) stands at the intersection. The four areas of the city have different functions. The southeast contains the Great Palace and the mosque, the northeast contains the Small Palace (harem) and baths, and the northwest and southwest are residential areas.
The Great Palace and mosque in the southeast of Anjar are the best-preserved areas. You can see the precious architectural facades and colonnade settings of the Umayyad palace. This layout of bayts (suites) is a typical Umayyad practice. The palace has two majlis (reception halls) with semicircular niches, which may have been two stories high. The colonnades seen today are the result of restoration after excavation.
Both the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I and his son, Prince al-Abbas, may have ruled from here. During the reign of Al-Walid I, the Umayyad Caliphate enjoyed stability and economic prosperity, reaching the peak of its national power. At the same time, his massive military spending and luxurious lifestyle created a heavy financial burden for his successors.
In the early 8th century, the Umayyad Caliphate expanded rapidly, conquering Bukhara, Khwarazm, Samarkand, and the Fergana region in Central Asia. In South Asia, the Umayyad Caliphate reached the Sindh region in northwestern India. In the west, the Umayyad Caliphate conquered the Berbers of North Africa, invaded the Visigothic Kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula in 711, and took control of Spain.
The vast amount of war spoils brought back from these conquests allowed Al-Walid I to build many public works and social welfare projects. His brothers and sons built many transit stations and wells along the roads leading to the capital, Damascus, and installed streetlights within the city. He funded the construction of irrigation networks and canals in places like Iraq, restoring agricultural production that had been destroyed by war. To help pilgrims, Al-Walid I installed water dispensers in Mecca, improved roads through mountain passes, and built wells throughout the Hejaz region. Al-Walid I's greatest achievement was building the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. This great mosque and the ancient city of Anjar were completed around the same time, and both are precious historical sites left behind by the Umayyad Caliphate.
Walking through the small palace (harem), the baths, and the streets of the residential area opposite in the ancient city of Anjar truly feels like returning to the Arab Empire 1,300 years ago. This method of alternating layers of stone and brick is a tradition inherited from the Byzantines. Judging from the two houses excavated in the southwest area, there may have been only 24 similar houses in the city. Therefore, some scholars speculate that this place may have just been a market on the road from Beirut to Damascus, or a large military camp providing supplies.
Many beautifully decorated friezes were unearthed inside the small palace (harem), carved with rich geometric and plant patterns. Some of these are displayed at the small palace site, and one was placed directly at a boarding gate in Beirut Airport, likely because Lebanon wants tourists visiting their country to see them.
After leaving the ancient city of Anjar, I took a three-wheeled taxi back to the town of Chtoura, then switched to a minibus heading north to the ancient city of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley. Once I arrived, I went straight to the Umayyad Mosque for namaz. The doors are usually locked and only open for the five daily prayers, closing again right after, so it is quite difficult for regular tourists to get inside.
The Umayyad Mosque in Baalbek was also built by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I in 715, the same year as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and both stand together as the oldest surviving mosque buildings in the world.
Compared to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque is simpler, but the overall style is still very similar. Some of the stone parts inside the main hall may have been taken from the nearby Roman-era Baalbek Citadel, and the column capitals have a strong Greco-Roman and Byzantine style. A flood hit Baalbek in 1318, causing serious damage to the Umayyad Mosque, washing away the walls and the pulpit (minbar), which were later repaired by the Mamluk prince ruling Baalbek at the time, Najm al-Din Hassan.
The Umayyad Mosque was badly damaged in a 1996 earthquake in Baalbek, and it was later restored by a team led by Dr. Saleh Lamei Mustafa, the former dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Beirut Arab University. The restoration work lasted for two years and was finally completed in 1998.
Today, many ancient stone pieces are still scattered around the courtyard of the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque, giving it a rich sense of history. view all
Early in the morning, I took a minibus from the Cola bus station south of Beirut, headed east over the Lebanon Mountains, and entered the town of Chtoura in the Bekaa Valley. From there, I took a three-wheeled taxi to the Umayyad ancient city of Anjar near the Syrian border. This place has been an important passage connecting Beirut and Damascus since ancient times. Anjar is the best-preserved ruin of an Umayyad dynasty palace city. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984.
The Umayyad dynasty (661–750) was the first hereditary dynasty of the Arab Empire. It is referred to as the 'White-robed Dashi' in the Old Book of Tang. During the Umayyad period, the territory of the Arab Empire expanded rapidly, and the country was very prosperous. The Al-Aqsa Mosque built by the Umayyad dynasty in Jerusalem and the Umayyad Mosque built in Damascus are both masterpieces in architectural history.
According to the records of the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, the ancient city of Anjar was built between 714 and 715 by al-Abbas, the son of the sixth Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I (reigned 705-715). It is over 1,300 years old and is the oldest ancient Islamic city I have visited so far.
Prince al-Abbas was an important general of the Umayyad dynasty in the early 8th century. He made great military achievements in the wars against the Byzantine Empire and once served as the supreme military commander of the Umayyad dynasty. It is speculated that the ancient city of Anjar may have used a large number of captives brought back by Prince al-Abbas from his campaigns against the Byzantine Empire as laborers, which is why the architectural stone carvings have a strong Byzantine style. After the fall of the Umayyad dynasty, the ancient city of Anjar was buried for a long time. It was only rediscovered by archaeologists in the late 1940s, so many ruins have been preserved to this day, making it the best example for studying Umayyad urban planning.
The ancient city is designed based on the layout of an ancient Roman city. A rectangular city wall surrounds the area, and two main roads intersect to connect the four gates in the north, south, east, and west, dividing the city into four parts. There are colonnades along the main roads, with rows of shops similar to Roman tabernae on both sides. A classic ancient Roman four-sided gate (tetrapylon) stands at the intersection. The four areas of the city have different functions. The southeast contains the Great Palace and the mosque, the northeast contains the Small Palace (harem) and baths, and the northwest and southwest are residential areas.
The Great Palace and mosque in the southeast of Anjar are the best-preserved areas. You can see the precious architectural facades and colonnade settings of the Umayyad palace. This layout of bayts (suites) is a typical Umayyad practice. The palace has two majlis (reception halls) with semicircular niches, which may have been two stories high. The colonnades seen today are the result of restoration after excavation.
Both the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I and his son, Prince al-Abbas, may have ruled from here. During the reign of Al-Walid I, the Umayyad Caliphate enjoyed stability and economic prosperity, reaching the peak of its national power. At the same time, his massive military spending and luxurious lifestyle created a heavy financial burden for his successors.
In the early 8th century, the Umayyad Caliphate expanded rapidly, conquering Bukhara, Khwarazm, Samarkand, and the Fergana region in Central Asia. In South Asia, the Umayyad Caliphate reached the Sindh region in northwestern India. In the west, the Umayyad Caliphate conquered the Berbers of North Africa, invaded the Visigothic Kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula in 711, and took control of Spain.
The vast amount of war spoils brought back from these conquests allowed Al-Walid I to build many public works and social welfare projects. His brothers and sons built many transit stations and wells along the roads leading to the capital, Damascus, and installed streetlights within the city. He funded the construction of irrigation networks and canals in places like Iraq, restoring agricultural production that had been destroyed by war. To help pilgrims, Al-Walid I installed water dispensers in Mecca, improved roads through mountain passes, and built wells throughout the Hejaz region. Al-Walid I's greatest achievement was building the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. This great mosque and the ancient city of Anjar were completed around the same time, and both are precious historical sites left behind by the Umayyad Caliphate.
Walking through the small palace (harem), the baths, and the streets of the residential area opposite in the ancient city of Anjar truly feels like returning to the Arab Empire 1,300 years ago. This method of alternating layers of stone and brick is a tradition inherited from the Byzantines. Judging from the two houses excavated in the southwest area, there may have been only 24 similar houses in the city. Therefore, some scholars speculate that this place may have just been a market on the road from Beirut to Damascus, or a large military camp providing supplies.
Many beautifully decorated friezes were unearthed inside the small palace (harem), carved with rich geometric and plant patterns. Some of these are displayed at the small palace site, and one was placed directly at a boarding gate in Beirut Airport, likely because Lebanon wants tourists visiting their country to see them.
After leaving the ancient city of Anjar, I took a three-wheeled taxi back to the town of Chtoura, then switched to a minibus heading north to the ancient city of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley. Once I arrived, I went straight to the Umayyad Mosque for namaz. The doors are usually locked and only open for the five daily prayers, closing again right after, so it is quite difficult for regular tourists to get inside.
The Umayyad Mosque in Baalbek was also built by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I in 715, the same year as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and both stand together as the oldest surviving mosque buildings in the world.
Compared to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque is simpler, but the overall style is still very similar. Some of the stone parts inside the main hall may have been taken from the nearby Roman-era Baalbek Citadel, and the column capitals have a strong Greco-Roman and Byzantine style. A flood hit Baalbek in 1318, causing serious damage to the Umayyad Mosque, washing away the walls and the pulpit (minbar), which were later repaired by the Mamluk prince ruling Baalbek at the time, Najm al-Din Hassan.
The Umayyad Mosque was badly damaged in a 1996 earthquake in Baalbek, and it was later restored by a team led by Dr. Saleh Lamei Mustafa, the former dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Beirut Arab University. The restoration work lasted for two years and was finally completed in 1998.
Today, many ancient stone pieces are still scattered around the courtyard of the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque, giving it a rich sense of history. view all
Reposted from the web
Early in the morning, I took a minibus from the Cola bus station south of Beirut, headed east over the Lebanon Mountains, and entered the town of Chtoura in the Bekaa Valley. From there, I took a three-wheeled taxi to the Umayyad ancient city of Anjar near the Syrian border. This place has been an important passage connecting Beirut and Damascus since ancient times. Anjar is the best-preserved ruin of an Umayyad dynasty palace city. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984.
The Umayyad dynasty (661–750) was the first hereditary dynasty of the Arab Empire. It is referred to as the 'White-robed Dashi' in the Old Book of Tang. During the Umayyad period, the territory of the Arab Empire expanded rapidly, and the country was very prosperous. The Al-Aqsa Mosque built by the Umayyad dynasty in Jerusalem and the Umayyad Mosque built in Damascus are both masterpieces in architectural history.
According to the records of the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, the ancient city of Anjar was built between 714 and 715 by al-Abbas, the son of the sixth Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I (reigned 705-715). It is over 1,300 years old and is the oldest ancient Islamic city I have visited so far.
Prince al-Abbas was an important general of the Umayyad dynasty in the early 8th century. He made great military achievements in the wars against the Byzantine Empire and once served as the supreme military commander of the Umayyad dynasty. It is speculated that the ancient city of Anjar may have used a large number of captives brought back by Prince al-Abbas from his campaigns against the Byzantine Empire as laborers, which is why the architectural stone carvings have a strong Byzantine style. After the fall of the Umayyad dynasty, the ancient city of Anjar was buried for a long time. It was only rediscovered by archaeologists in the late 1940s, so many ruins have been preserved to this day, making it the best example for studying Umayyad urban planning.
The ancient city is designed based on the layout of an ancient Roman city. A rectangular city wall surrounds the area, and two main roads intersect to connect the four gates in the north, south, east, and west, dividing the city into four parts. There are colonnades along the main roads, with rows of shops similar to Roman tabernae on both sides. A classic ancient Roman four-sided gate (tetrapylon) stands at the intersection. The four areas of the city have different functions. The southeast contains the Great Palace and the mosque, the northeast contains the Small Palace (harem) and baths, and the northwest and southwest are residential areas.
The Great Palace and mosque in the southeast of Anjar are the best-preserved areas. You can see the precious architectural facades and colonnade settings of the Umayyad palace. This layout of bayts (suites) is a typical Umayyad practice. The palace has two majlis (reception halls) with semicircular niches, which may have been two stories high. The colonnades seen today are the result of restoration after excavation.
Both the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I and his son, Prince al-Abbas, may have ruled from here. During the reign of Al-Walid I, the Umayyad Caliphate enjoyed stability and economic prosperity, reaching the peak of its national power. At the same time, his massive military spending and luxurious lifestyle created a heavy financial burden for his successors.
In the early 8th century, the Umayyad Caliphate expanded rapidly, conquering Bukhara, Khwarazm, Samarkand, and the Fergana region in Central Asia. In South Asia, the Umayyad Caliphate reached the Sindh region in northwestern India. In the west, the Umayyad Caliphate conquered the Berbers of North Africa, invaded the Visigothic Kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula in 711, and took control of Spain.
The vast amount of war spoils brought back from these conquests allowed Al-Walid I to build many public works and social welfare projects. His brothers and sons built many transit stations and wells along the roads leading to the capital, Damascus, and installed streetlights within the city. He funded the construction of irrigation networks and canals in places like Iraq, restoring agricultural production that had been destroyed by war. To help pilgrims, Al-Walid I installed water dispensers in Mecca, improved roads through mountain passes, and built wells throughout the Hejaz region. Al-Walid I's greatest achievement was building the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. This great mosque and the ancient city of Anjar were completed around the same time, and both are precious historical sites left behind by the Umayyad Caliphate.
Walking through the small palace (harem), the baths, and the streets of the residential area opposite in the ancient city of Anjar truly feels like returning to the Arab Empire 1,300 years ago. This method of alternating layers of stone and brick is a tradition inherited from the Byzantines. Judging from the two houses excavated in the southwest area, there may have been only 24 similar houses in the city. Therefore, some scholars speculate that this place may have just been a market on the road from Beirut to Damascus, or a large military camp providing supplies.
Many beautifully decorated friezes were unearthed inside the small palace (harem), carved with rich geometric and plant patterns. Some of these are displayed at the small palace site, and one was placed directly at a boarding gate in Beirut Airport, likely because Lebanon wants tourists visiting their country to see them.
After leaving the ancient city of Anjar, I took a three-wheeled taxi back to the town of Chtoura, then switched to a minibus heading north to the ancient city of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley. Once I arrived, I went straight to the Umayyad Mosque for namaz. The doors are usually locked and only open for the five daily prayers, closing again right after, so it is quite difficult for regular tourists to get inside.
The Umayyad Mosque in Baalbek was also built by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I in 715, the same year as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and both stand together as the oldest surviving mosque buildings in the world.
Compared to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque is simpler, but the overall style is still very similar. Some of the stone parts inside the main hall may have been taken from the nearby Roman-era Baalbek Citadel, and the column capitals have a strong Greco-Roman and Byzantine style. A flood hit Baalbek in 1318, causing serious damage to the Umayyad Mosque, washing away the walls and the pulpit (minbar), which were later repaired by the Mamluk prince ruling Baalbek at the time, Najm al-Din Hassan.
The Umayyad Mosque was badly damaged in a 1996 earthquake in Baalbek, and it was later restored by a team led by Dr. Saleh Lamei Mustafa, the former dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Beirut Arab University. The restoration work lasted for two years and was finally completed in 1998.
Today, many ancient stone pieces are still scattered around the courtyard of the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque, giving it a rich sense of history.
Early in the morning, I took a minibus from the Cola bus station south of Beirut, headed east over the Lebanon Mountains, and entered the town of Chtoura in the Bekaa Valley. From there, I took a three-wheeled taxi to the Umayyad ancient city of Anjar near the Syrian border. This place has been an important passage connecting Beirut and Damascus since ancient times. Anjar is the best-preserved ruin of an Umayyad dynasty palace city. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984.
The Umayyad dynasty (661–750) was the first hereditary dynasty of the Arab Empire. It is referred to as the 'White-robed Dashi' in the Old Book of Tang. During the Umayyad period, the territory of the Arab Empire expanded rapidly, and the country was very prosperous. The Al-Aqsa Mosque built by the Umayyad dynasty in Jerusalem and the Umayyad Mosque built in Damascus are both masterpieces in architectural history.
According to the records of the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, the ancient city of Anjar was built between 714 and 715 by al-Abbas, the son of the sixth Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I (reigned 705-715). It is over 1,300 years old and is the oldest ancient Islamic city I have visited so far.
Prince al-Abbas was an important general of the Umayyad dynasty in the early 8th century. He made great military achievements in the wars against the Byzantine Empire and once served as the supreme military commander of the Umayyad dynasty. It is speculated that the ancient city of Anjar may have used a large number of captives brought back by Prince al-Abbas from his campaigns against the Byzantine Empire as laborers, which is why the architectural stone carvings have a strong Byzantine style. After the fall of the Umayyad dynasty, the ancient city of Anjar was buried for a long time. It was only rediscovered by archaeologists in the late 1940s, so many ruins have been preserved to this day, making it the best example for studying Umayyad urban planning.
The ancient city is designed based on the layout of an ancient Roman city. A rectangular city wall surrounds the area, and two main roads intersect to connect the four gates in the north, south, east, and west, dividing the city into four parts. There are colonnades along the main roads, with rows of shops similar to Roman tabernae on both sides. A classic ancient Roman four-sided gate (tetrapylon) stands at the intersection. The four areas of the city have different functions. The southeast contains the Great Palace and the mosque, the northeast contains the Small Palace (harem) and baths, and the northwest and southwest are residential areas.
The Great Palace and mosque in the southeast of Anjar are the best-preserved areas. You can see the precious architectural facades and colonnade settings of the Umayyad palace. This layout of bayts (suites) is a typical Umayyad practice. The palace has two majlis (reception halls) with semicircular niches, which may have been two stories high. The colonnades seen today are the result of restoration after excavation.
Both the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I and his son, Prince al-Abbas, may have ruled from here. During the reign of Al-Walid I, the Umayyad Caliphate enjoyed stability and economic prosperity, reaching the peak of its national power. At the same time, his massive military spending and luxurious lifestyle created a heavy financial burden for his successors.
In the early 8th century, the Umayyad Caliphate expanded rapidly, conquering Bukhara, Khwarazm, Samarkand, and the Fergana region in Central Asia. In South Asia, the Umayyad Caliphate reached the Sindh region in northwestern India. In the west, the Umayyad Caliphate conquered the Berbers of North Africa, invaded the Visigothic Kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula in 711, and took control of Spain.
The vast amount of war spoils brought back from these conquests allowed Al-Walid I to build many public works and social welfare projects. His brothers and sons built many transit stations and wells along the roads leading to the capital, Damascus, and installed streetlights within the city. He funded the construction of irrigation networks and canals in places like Iraq, restoring agricultural production that had been destroyed by war. To help pilgrims, Al-Walid I installed water dispensers in Mecca, improved roads through mountain passes, and built wells throughout the Hejaz region. Al-Walid I's greatest achievement was building the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. This great mosque and the ancient city of Anjar were completed around the same time, and both are precious historical sites left behind by the Umayyad Caliphate.
Walking through the small palace (harem), the baths, and the streets of the residential area opposite in the ancient city of Anjar truly feels like returning to the Arab Empire 1,300 years ago. This method of alternating layers of stone and brick is a tradition inherited from the Byzantines. Judging from the two houses excavated in the southwest area, there may have been only 24 similar houses in the city. Therefore, some scholars speculate that this place may have just been a market on the road from Beirut to Damascus, or a large military camp providing supplies.
Many beautifully decorated friezes were unearthed inside the small palace (harem), carved with rich geometric and plant patterns. Some of these are displayed at the small palace site, and one was placed directly at a boarding gate in Beirut Airport, likely because Lebanon wants tourists visiting their country to see them.
After leaving the ancient city of Anjar, I took a three-wheeled taxi back to the town of Chtoura, then switched to a minibus heading north to the ancient city of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley. Once I arrived, I went straight to the Umayyad Mosque for namaz. The doors are usually locked and only open for the five daily prayers, closing again right after, so it is quite difficult for regular tourists to get inside.
The Umayyad Mosque in Baalbek was also built by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I in 715, the same year as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and both stand together as the oldest surviving mosque buildings in the world.
Compared to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque is simpler, but the overall style is still very similar. Some of the stone parts inside the main hall may have been taken from the nearby Roman-era Baalbek Citadel, and the column capitals have a strong Greco-Roman and Byzantine style. A flood hit Baalbek in 1318, causing serious damage to the Umayyad Mosque, washing away the walls and the pulpit (minbar), which were later repaired by the Mamluk prince ruling Baalbek at the time, Najm al-Din Hassan.
The Umayyad Mosque was badly damaged in a 1996 earthquake in Baalbek, and it was later restored by a team led by Dr. Saleh Lamei Mustafa, the former dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Beirut Arab University. The restoration work lasted for two years and was finally completed in 1998.
Today, many ancient stone pieces are still scattered around the courtyard of the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque, giving it a rich sense of history.
Halal Travel Guide: Lebanon - Shia Shrines, Baalbek and Islamic History
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I recently visited the Sayyida Khawla Shrine, a Shia holy site in Baalbek, which is the headquarters of Hezbollah in Lebanon and one of the most important Shia centers in the country. The tomb was first built in 680, and the current structure dates back to its reconstruction in 1656.
There are thick walls at the entrance of the tomb, along with armed guards. Women are checked separately, but the guards are friendly to foreign tourists. During the security check, they asked Zainab if she was from Iran or Pakistan. When she said she was from China, the guard was very surprised, said "Made in China" in English, and let her in without checking.
Sayyida Khawla was the daughter of Imam Hussein and the great-granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. An ancient cypress tree inside the tomb is said to have been planted by the fourth Shia Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abidin (659-712). Legend says that after Imam Hussein was martyred in Karbala on the day of Ashura in 680, his female relatives were captured and taken to Damascus with the Umayyad caravan. During the long and difficult journey, Sayyida Khawla fell from a camel while passing through Baalbek and died from her injuries.
In the street scenes of Baalbek, mosques and Roman temples exist side by side. Following online advice, I did not take any photos related to Hezbollah. Besides the Shia community, there are also Christians and Sunnis here. There is even a mosque built during the Umayyad dynasty that is still used by Sunnis today, and I will post photos of this Umayyad mosque later.
During the 2006 Lebanon War, Baalbek was a major target for the Israeli military and was hit by over 70 bombs, which damaged the ancient Roman ruins.
We had lunch in Baalbek, and you can see the ruins of the Roman temple from the restaurant's rooftop terrace.
We ordered Sajiye stew, Fokhara rice, Ayran yogurt drink, and the local Lebanese meat pie called Sfeha. Sfeha from Baalbek is very famous. Sfeha is filled with lamb, tomatoes, and onions. The lamb has a perfect balance of fat and lean meat, ground very finely, and seasoned with cinnamon and allspice. Sajiye and Fokhara are actually names of cookware. Sajiye refers to an iron pot, while Fokhara refers to a clay pot. Both dishes are sealed with a flatbread called Saj while cooking. The rice in the Bukhara clay pot (fokhara) is cooked with olive oil, caramelized onions, and spices that turn it yellow, and it tastes great. view all
I recently visited the Sayyida Khawla Shrine, a Shia holy site in Baalbek, which is the headquarters of Hezbollah in Lebanon and one of the most important Shia centers in the country. The tomb was first built in 680, and the current structure dates back to its reconstruction in 1656.
There are thick walls at the entrance of the tomb, along with armed guards. Women are checked separately, but the guards are friendly to foreign tourists. During the security check, they asked Zainab if she was from Iran or Pakistan. When she said she was from China, the guard was very surprised, said "Made in China" in English, and let her in without checking.
Sayyida Khawla was the daughter of Imam Hussein and the great-granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. An ancient cypress tree inside the tomb is said to have been planted by the fourth Shia Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abidin (659-712). Legend says that after Imam Hussein was martyred in Karbala on the day of Ashura in 680, his female relatives were captured and taken to Damascus with the Umayyad caravan. During the long and difficult journey, Sayyida Khawla fell from a camel while passing through Baalbek and died from her injuries.
In the street scenes of Baalbek, mosques and Roman temples exist side by side. Following online advice, I did not take any photos related to Hezbollah. Besides the Shia community, there are also Christians and Sunnis here. There is even a mosque built during the Umayyad dynasty that is still used by Sunnis today, and I will post photos of this Umayyad mosque later.
During the 2006 Lebanon War, Baalbek was a major target for the Israeli military and was hit by over 70 bombs, which damaged the ancient Roman ruins.
We had lunch in Baalbek, and you can see the ruins of the Roman temple from the restaurant's rooftop terrace.
We ordered Sajiye stew, Fokhara rice, Ayran yogurt drink, and the local Lebanese meat pie called Sfeha. Sfeha from Baalbek is very famous. Sfeha is filled with lamb, tomatoes, and onions. The lamb has a perfect balance of fat and lean meat, ground very finely, and seasoned with cinnamon and allspice. Sajiye and Fokhara are actually names of cookware. Sajiye refers to an iron pot, while Fokhara refers to a clay pot. Both dishes are sealed with a flatbread called Saj while cooking. The rice in the Bukhara clay pot (fokhara) is cooked with olive oil, caramelized onions, and spices that turn it yellow, and it tastes great. view all
Reposted from the web
I recently visited the Sayyida Khawla Shrine, a Shia holy site in Baalbek, which is the headquarters of Hezbollah in Lebanon and one of the most important Shia centers in the country. The tomb was first built in 680, and the current structure dates back to its reconstruction in 1656.
There are thick walls at the entrance of the tomb, along with armed guards. Women are checked separately, but the guards are friendly to foreign tourists. During the security check, they asked Zainab if she was from Iran or Pakistan. When she said she was from China, the guard was very surprised, said "Made in China" in English, and let her in without checking.
Sayyida Khawla was the daughter of Imam Hussein and the great-granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. An ancient cypress tree inside the tomb is said to have been planted by the fourth Shia Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abidin (659-712). Legend says that after Imam Hussein was martyred in Karbala on the day of Ashura in 680, his female relatives were captured and taken to Damascus with the Umayyad caravan. During the long and difficult journey, Sayyida Khawla fell from a camel while passing through Baalbek and died from her injuries.
In the street scenes of Baalbek, mosques and Roman temples exist side by side. Following online advice, I did not take any photos related to Hezbollah. Besides the Shia community, there are also Christians and Sunnis here. There is even a mosque built during the Umayyad dynasty that is still used by Sunnis today, and I will post photos of this Umayyad mosque later.
During the 2006 Lebanon War, Baalbek was a major target for the Israeli military and was hit by over 70 bombs, which damaged the ancient Roman ruins.
We had lunch in Baalbek, and you can see the ruins of the Roman temple from the restaurant's rooftop terrace.
We ordered Sajiye stew, Fokhara rice, Ayran yogurt drink, and the local Lebanese meat pie called Sfeha. Sfeha from Baalbek is very famous. Sfeha is filled with lamb, tomatoes, and onions. The lamb has a perfect balance of fat and lean meat, ground very finely, and seasoned with cinnamon and allspice. Sajiye and Fokhara are actually names of cookware. Sajiye refers to an iron pot, while Fokhara refers to a clay pot. Both dishes are sealed with a flatbread called Saj while cooking. The rice in the Bukhara clay pot (fokhara) is cooked with olive oil, caramelized onions, and spices that turn it yellow, and it tastes great.
I recently visited the Sayyida Khawla Shrine, a Shia holy site in Baalbek, which is the headquarters of Hezbollah in Lebanon and one of the most important Shia centers in the country. The tomb was first built in 680, and the current structure dates back to its reconstruction in 1656.
There are thick walls at the entrance of the tomb, along with armed guards. Women are checked separately, but the guards are friendly to foreign tourists. During the security check, they asked Zainab if she was from Iran or Pakistan. When she said she was from China, the guard was very surprised, said "Made in China" in English, and let her in without checking.
Sayyida Khawla was the daughter of Imam Hussein and the great-granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. An ancient cypress tree inside the tomb is said to have been planted by the fourth Shia Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abidin (659-712). Legend says that after Imam Hussein was martyred in Karbala on the day of Ashura in 680, his female relatives were captured and taken to Damascus with the Umayyad caravan. During the long and difficult journey, Sayyida Khawla fell from a camel while passing through Baalbek and died from her injuries.
In the street scenes of Baalbek, mosques and Roman temples exist side by side. Following online advice, I did not take any photos related to Hezbollah. Besides the Shia community, there are also Christians and Sunnis here. There is even a mosque built during the Umayyad dynasty that is still used by Sunnis today, and I will post photos of this Umayyad mosque later.
During the 2006 Lebanon War, Baalbek was a major target for the Israeli military and was hit by over 70 bombs, which damaged the ancient Roman ruins.
We had lunch in Baalbek, and you can see the ruins of the Roman temple from the restaurant's rooftop terrace.
We ordered Sajiye stew, Fokhara rice, Ayran yogurt drink, and the local Lebanese meat pie called Sfeha. Sfeha from Baalbek is very famous. Sfeha is filled with lamb, tomatoes, and onions. The lamb has a perfect balance of fat and lean meat, ground very finely, and seasoned with cinnamon and allspice. Sajiye and Fokhara are actually names of cookware. Sajiye refers to an iron pot, while Fokhara refers to a clay pot. Both dishes are sealed with a flatbread called Saj while cooking. The rice in the Bukhara clay pot (fokhara) is cooked with olive oil, caramelized onions, and spices that turn it yellow, and it tastes great.