Lebanon

History of Lebanon

The country of Lebanon was occupied by no more than 16 countries: Egyptians, Hittites, Babylonians, Persians, the army of Alexander the Great, the Roman Byzantine Empire, the occupants of the Arabian Peninsula, the Crusaders, the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, France, Israel and Syria.
Byblos (a Lebanese city) is the oldest city in the world and still exists to this day.
The name “Lebanon”, that has existed without interruption for nearly 4,000 years, is the name of the oldest country/nation’s in the world!
Lebanon is the only Asian country with no desert.
There are 15 rivers/streams in Lebanon, each taking its source from its own mountains.
Lebanon is a country with the largest number of archaeological sites in the world!
The first alphabet was created in Byblos, a city in Lebanon.
The only existing temple dedicated to Jupiter, to this day, is located in Baalbeck, Lebanon (Sun City).
The name “Byblos” comes from the BIBLE!
Lebanon is the country on which we wrote the most books.
Lebanon is the only country that is not in a dictatorship in the Arab world (yes, we have a President!).
The first miracle of Jesus Christ took place in Lebanon, in Qana (the transformation of water into wine).
The Phoenicians (people originally from Lebanon) built the first boat and were the first navigators in the world!
The Phoenicians also reached America long before Christopher Columbus.
The first law school in the world was built in Beirut, 20, Downtown.
The people said that the cedars were planted by God’s own hands (that’s why these trees are nicknamed “the Cedars of God” and that is why Lebanon is called “God’s Country on Earth”).

… May God bless my homeland forever …

Share these writings with the world! I’m proud to be Lebanese!

Interesting facts

Statistics about Lebanon

Lebanon has 18 religious communities.
40 newspapers are published daily.
There are 42 universities.
There is more than 100 banks (the banks, not branches of banks).
70% of students attend private schools.
Many Lebanese are Christians (the highest percentage of all Arab countries).
There is a doctor for 10 people (in Europe and America, the ratio is 1 for 100).
Lebanon’s name appears 75 times in the Old Testament.
The name Cedar (the national tree of Lebanon) also appears 75 times in the Old Testament!
Beirut was destroyed and rebuilt 9 times (that’s why it’s compared to the Phoenix).
The Lebanese population has 4 million people.
About 15 million Lebanese live outside Lebanon!

Lebanese Language

The nature of the Lebanese language to me is a rich, colorful, singing, joyful and deeply warm language. This language was spoken throughout Lebanon up to 900 years before Jesus Christ and comes from the Semitic language Aramaic. Later, several dialects have appeared mainly in the mountains and northern Lebanon, while Arabic is spoken in coastal cities. Towards the 17th century the marriage took place between Aramaic and Arabic. Around the 20th century we added a bit of Turkish and continued to grow by incorporating French and some English.

The resemblance between Arabic and Lebanese is their semantic root. They have a lot in common like words and grammar. As if we compare the Italian and Spanish. The Aramaic language has to give the Lebanese word structure and its warmth.

While having so much love for the pure Arab values and wealth, I say that I speak Lebanese.