Over the Mountains and Through the Woods

Hi Everyone,

We’re about to leave for Byblos, thought to be the world’s oldest continuously occupied city and the birthplace of the modern alphabet. But Charlie and James are talking “boat” so we might be here a while.

Last week we took a wonderful drive over the mountains toward the Bekaa Valley. From the Stone’s chalet (palace) in Faqra, it’s a short drive to Lebanon’s most popular ski resort – Faraya Mzaar. Actually, you can see the lift from their garden. In winter, this entire area is covered in snow, and the skiing, snow boarding and snowmobiling is great. Now, the area is a tapestry of tan and green, with the valleys and hillsides lush with fruit and nut trees, vegetable gardens and flowers.

We piled in the car and headed to the resort area to look around; stopping at this amazing natural stone bridge that you would swear was man-made it is so perfect and passing ancient Greek temple ruins – which we can see from the chalet! There, among these serrated, razor-thin rock formations stand six Corinthian columns fronting stone temple walls. Dedicated to Adonis, the temple is fronted by a large rectangular court cut from the natural rock, flanked by two altars. A smaller temple is nearby, along with rock-cut tombs and a stone tower rebuilt by the Roman Emperor Claudius in 43AD. All of this sits next to the road, surrounded by a chain link fence, but with an open gate and no guard. You can wander the ruins at will. Unfortunately, many of the ruins throughout Lebanon have been destroyed by war, lack of concern, construction or ignorance. In Lebanon’s history, it has been inhabited since the Stone Age and conquered and reconquered numerous times. Always desirable for its seaports, cedar trees and location, the country was a prize for each new invader. More on that in a later blog.

I am totally overwhelmed with the beauty and history of this country and a bit sad that I have known so little about my ancestral roots for most of my life. For those of you who still have parents and grandparents….get them to tell you this stuff! I have found out that my grandmother’s family is a large and well-known Lebanese family. Currently, there is an Al Khazin (Americanized to Alkazin) in the Lebanese Parliament and another is a Minister in the Cabinet. (Hey, way better than being scofflaws or pita peddlers). I am trying to get more details and possibly make a contact. Also found out the family is from very near here, so that should help me pinpoint my search. Gosh, it would be so amazing to find a relative here!

So, we continued on our journey through the mountains. After leaving the developed area of ski resorts, the mountains became bleak, rocky and seemingly barren. Suddenly, from nowhere, a Bedouin shepherd appeared with his herd of black and white sheep and a scruffy sheepdog that was definitely in charge of the whole mob. They slowly crossed the road, sheep wandering here and there until the dog gave them “the look” and they continued up the other hillside. The shepherd, in traditional Bedouin robes, could have come from a thousand years before. The nomad Bedouins pitch tents in these barren mountain highlands during the warmer months while their herds graze on scrub and meager vegetation. The only signs of modernism are an occasional tractor and water tank that we reckoned they moved with them using the tractor. Not sure where they find water or fuel or food, but we saw laundry hanging and an older woman washing clothes in a large bucket. (Yes, I have photos – and no, I still haven’t learned how to load them).

There were a few armed Lebanese check points along the road as we neared the Bekaa Valley, which is a Hezbollah stronghold. We have two advantages at a checkpoint – if it’s good strategy to be English speaking and not understand Arabic and the soldiers’ questions (playing dumb, so to speak), we do that. If it’s better to engage in conversation with them in Arabic, we do that. James is great at playing the confused American tourist and we have a very hard time trying to keep straight faces as he massacres Arabic phrases. Of course, the loaded M-16’s are a strong motivation to behave. So far, we have found the soldiers to be friendly and helpful. The road we were on also goes to Syria, another reason for the checkpoints, but we stayed well away from any uncertain areas and decided to avoid going into the Bekaa Valley and Baalbek, its historic center, due to a large military presence on the road into the valley.

Instead we headed further into the mountains and down into the Adonis Valley, a deep, jagged slice in the mountains formed by the Nahr Ibrahim River. We discovered this entire area was a pilgrimage route and is dotted with monasteries, churches, grottoes and ancient remains. One temple is made from granite from the Pharonic-era quarries at Aswan in Egypt. The stone’s journey down the Nile, across the desert to the Lebanese coast, then up the steep valley solidifies the temple’s importance. Although Constantine destroyed the temple, its remains are still believed to have healing powers by both Christians and Muslims, who continue to tie strips of cloth to a nearby fig tree as part of an ancient ritual.

Almost around the next curve, we spotted a cross high atop a thin, jagged peak. A small building appeared, then a series of steep steps, which snaked up the side of the cliff. We discovered this was the famous Mar Butros (St Peter) church above the village of Aaqoura, thought to be the first Lebanese village to convert to Christianity. Aaqoura, a small village perched on the mountainside, has 42 churches and is a pilgrimage center for Christians who climb to Mar Butros each year.

In my next blog, our encounter with Walid and his family at a rural intersection and how it turned into a wonderful afternoon in his cherry orchard and my first taste of Saaj. And have I described Jallab yet? It’s a delicious cold drink of date syrup and rose water, filled with almonds, pistachios and pine nuts, which you eat with a spoon when you’ve finished the drink. Yum!!!!!

Sorry some of you are having trouble sending comments, but just send them to my email and I’ll get them that way. I love hearing from you!

Love to all,

Lari