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Route of the Umayyads in Lebanon

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Route of the Umayyads in Lebanon LEBANON A country of sea, mountains and green valleys, existing coastal settlements which developed heart of the fertile meadows of Bekaa. Tyre, the Republic of Lebanon borders the east into the main cities on the Lebanese coast:Sidon in the south of the country, has an impressive Mediterranean with 223 kilometers of coast (Saida), Tyre (Sour), Berytus (Beirut), Aradus ensemble of remains of Roman architecture: from south to north, and its width varies from or Byblos (Jbeil). Later, these Canaanites who a stadium, a gymnasium, thermal bathes and 40 to 75 kilometers to the Eastern border with inhabited the coastal cities would be called a spectacular hippodrome the tiers of which Syria. The narrow plain coast, where cities and Phoenicians by the Greeks. Their city-states survived along with an obelisk to mark the turn villages line up quickly rises into the massif become maritime empires, they expanded their of carriages. Next to it, a byzantine arch reminds Mount Lebanon, whose peaks, snowy in winter, colonies in the coasts of the Mediterranean and us that the country was also, during centuries, reach up to 3000 meters high. Its slopes are some shores on the Atlantic, where they found a province of the Byzantine Empire. covered by the famous Cedar tree, the symbolic for example Gadir, Cadiz, until 1200 BC. The The second half of the sixth century was marked tree of country. Behind this first mountain chain, objects manufactured by their industries and by an economic crisis caused by natural disasters lies the Bekaa valley, planted of orchards and artisans, with materials from different origins - including the earthquake in the year 551 which vineyards, dominated to the east, by the peaks gold, bronze, ivory, glass - indicate an eminent destroyed many of the monuments of the city of of another mountain chain, the Anti Lebanon eclecticism in design, encompassing countless Beirut, among which the infamous Law School. Mountains. influences, that show in the magnificent pieces The decline of the coastal cities was followed This geographical characteristic of intimate exposed in the National Museum of Beirut. by the Muslim conquest in 634, and with the proximity between the sea and the mountain Its collections illustrate the long history of the formation of the first Muslim dynasty, the conditioned the history of this corner of the country of the Phoenicians, that was successively Umayyad dynasty, these cities were part of the Near East. The important Mediterranean facade invaded by several regional powers including large Muslim empire, and Arabic became the caused the exchanges between the Orient and the Egyptians, Hyksos, Hittites, Assyrians, language of the region. the Occident since the times of the Phoenicians. Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans. In the Umayyad period which lasted to the The mountain and its valleys served throughout The conquest of Alexander the Great of coastal middle of the eighth century, international history as refuge for many religious minorities, Phoenician cities towards 333, culminated with trade was revitalized; the linen of Egypt was for which today Lebanon is a mosaic that hosts the famous episode of the city of Tyre, would exported to Byzantium and to Europe. Spices five acknowledged branches of Islam (Sunnites, introduce definitely the Mediterranean Levant and silk from India crossed the land of the Shiites, Alaouites, Druzes, Ismailities) and eleven in the Hellenistic cultural sphere. The roman young Muslim empire to faraway destinations. Christian confessions of which the Maronite’s peace, between 64 BC and the end of the fourth Of worth mentioning is that Egypt was the first stand out. century AD brought an economical and cultural supplier of gold used mainly for minting coins Around 2700 AC, the Canaanites, Semite tribes boom to these cities, that left the permanent during this period. originating from Arabia and Mesopotamia, traces in various corners of the country. The migrated towards the territory of the actual temples of Bacchus, Venus and Jupiter, still Syria and Lebanon, some of them settled in pre- exist with extraordinary vigor in Baalbek, at the ROUTE OF THE UMAYYADS IN LEBANON Partners and Associates LEBANON Umayyad Route Route of the Umayyads in Lebanon The Umayyad route in Lebanon is a journey From Beirut to Anjar one has to cross the developments depending on the periods. In from the port cities that connected the eastern Western Lebanese Mountains with their curvy Tripoli for example, an important military and Mediterranean with the rest of the world to the routes and picturesque greenery until reaching commercial port in the late medieval period, interior of the country where the Umayyad city Dahr al-Baydar where the landscape changes we can clearly see the predominance of of Anjar is located. Costal Lebanese cities had dramatically. From there, the expansive and Mamluk buildings. In Byblos we see the clear been the link between the two worlds from the colourful Bekaa Valley spreads from north presence of Phoenician, Roman and Ottoman second millennium BC. The archaeological and to south. It is reminiscent of many fertile artifacts. In these periods, Byblos was an architectural remains in these cities attest to the plains around the Mediterranean, however, active port city. Beirut, whose pre-Ottoman succession of the civilizations that developed in the eastern mountains gives it a wonderful monuments disappeared, keeps an aura of the Mediterranean. They display the wealth of romantic aura. Contrast is clearly between the an Ottoman and French Mandate personality. the cultural exchange in the Mediterranean from fertile valley and the arid mountains. It is there Sidon was dormant since the Hellenistic period. when the Phoenicians sailed to the European where the Umayyad chose to build one of It witnessed a surge of commercial activities and North African shores to the present. These their early cities in the eastern Mediterranean, in the late Ottoman Period, particularly in its coastal cities are supplemented by Anjar, one along the cities in Syria, Jordan, and the West commercial relationship with the western of the Umayyad cities, which sprouted in the Bank. Next to the Umayyad city of Anjar, there Mediterranean. A prominent Ottoman Khan, eastern Mediterranean in the first half of the is the modern city, which is mostly inhabited the Khan el-Franj (the Europeans) dominated eighth century. by Armenians who migrated from Cilicia in the seascape overlooking the ancient citadel The route illustrates a wonderful and concise Turkey in the aftermath of the First World War. of the city. Tyre, a minor city in the Ottoman course in history of civilizations, with direct In there a little river runs among thickets of period keeps the memories of the Hellenistic and immediate comparison among all the trees with several restaurants installed along and Roman period prominently visible. architectural and cultural legacies of these its banks. The valley was considered precious The French Mandate introduced urban design to civilizations. even before the Umayyad period. To the north Lebanese cities, that took away many of historic Among the various architectural remains the of Anjar stand the remains of the Roman city monuments. The new buildings underlined urban fabrics of various periods still exist in of Baalbek (Heliopolis) with its large temple the “Arab” identity of these cities, with a clear various fragments, with pluralistic cultural precinct, which includes large courtyards, and influence by late 19th century French and Italian traits that mark the many aspects of daily life the still standing Temple of Bacchus, and the architecture. in these cities, including food, relationship with remains of the temples of Jupiter and Venus. A major characteristic of these cities is their the natural setting and the multitude of diverse close relationship with the interior of the landscapes. The Coastal cities of the Umayyad route in eastern Mediterranean. The route between Lebanon were all established in the period when Damascus and Beirut has been an active artery The Route of the Umayyads connects the the Phoenicians formed the Mediterranean. for commercial and cultural continuity. Lebanese historic coastal cities among each They all fell to Alexander the Great and their other and to the hinterland of the Umayyad city. relationship with the immediate culture of Whichever direction one takes the cities are the Mediterranean became stronger in the Tripoli, Byblos, Beirut, Sidon and Tyre. From Hellenistic and then in the Roman periods. When Beirut one would drive east to the Bekaa Valley the Umayyad Caliphate was established, the where the Umayyad city of Anjar, and the Umayyads tried to employ some coastal center city of Baalbek where is an Umayyad mosque. as launching pads to conquer Cyprus. These The scenery along the coastal route is that of attempts soon calmed down in the 8th century beaches, shores, populated areas on the west AD. Nevertheless, succeeding caliphates such side of the highway, and varieties of mountains as the Fatimids, and later sultanates such as the and hills on the east side of the route. Mountains Ayyubids, the Mamluks and the Ottoman used tend to look higher in the northern part of the the ports of these cities in their connections route, i.e. between Tripoli, Byblos and Beirut, with the rest of the Mediterranean, whether then from Beirut to Tyre in the south green hills in times of war or in times of peace and active are abundant. commerce. These cities witnessed uneven Partners and Associates.
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