1.
Lebanon
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Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a sovereign state in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, Lebanons location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity. At just 10,452 km2, it is the smallest recognized country on the entire mainland Asian continent, the earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than seven thousand years, predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Canaanites/Phoenicians and their kingdoms, a culture that flourished for over a thousand years. In 64 BC, the region came under the rule of the Roman Empire, in the Mount Lebanon range a monastic tradition known as the Maronite Church was established. As the Arab Muslims conquered the region, the Maronites held onto their religion, however, a new religious group, the Druze, established themselves in Mount Lebanon as well, generating a religious divide that has lasted for centuries. During the Crusades, the Maronites re-established contact with the Roman Catholic Church, the ties they established with the Latins have influenced the region into the modern era. The region eventually was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1516 to 1918, following the collapse of the empire after World War I, the five provinces that constitute modern Lebanon came under the French Mandate of Lebanon. The French expanded the borders of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, which was populated by Maronites and Druze. Lebanon gained independence in 1943, establishing confessionalism, a unique, foreign troops withdrew completely from Lebanon on 31 December 1946. Lebanon has been a member of the Organisation internationale de la francophonie since 1973, despite its small size, the country has developed a well-known culture and has been highly influential in the Arab world. Before the Lebanese Civil War, the experienced a period of relative calm and renowned prosperity, driven by tourism, agriculture, commerce. At the end of the war, there were efforts to revive the economy. In spite of troubles, Lebanon has the highest Human Development Index and GDP per capita in the Arab world. The name of Mount Lebanon originates from the Phoenician root lbn meaning white, occurrences of the name have been found in different Middle Bronze Age texts from the library of Ebla, and three of the twelve tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The name is recorded in Ancient Egyptian as Rmnn, where R stood for Canaanite L, the name occurs nearly 70 times in the Hebrew Bible, as לְבָנוֹן. The borders of contemporary Lebanon are a product of the Treaty of Sèvres of 1920 and its territory was the core of the Bronze Age Phoenician city-states. After the 7th-century Muslim conquest of the Levant, it was part of the Rashidun, Umyayad, Abbasid Seljuk, with the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Greater Lebanon fell under French mandate in 1920, and gained independence under president Bechara El Khoury in 1943
2.
Beqaa Governorate
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Beqaa is a governorate in Lebanon with a population of 750,000 inhabitants. Beqaa Governorate lies in the Beqaa Valley between the Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges and covers an area of 4,429 km², Beqaa Valley is the primary center of Lebanons agriculture. The Litani River and Asi River run through the alley, the temperature ranges from -10 °C to 35 °C throughout the year. Beqaa receives heavy rain and snow during the winter, the villages of Zahlé, Machgara, Niha, Anjar, Qab Elias, Kfar Zabad, Karaon Dam, Chtaura, and Furzul are the areas main tourism destinations. Beqaa Governorate lies on an ancient route between Lebanon, Syria, and the rest of the Arab world, the governorate is known for its wine industry, summer festivals, and its cuisine. The population is 60% Sunni, 30% Christian, 7% Shia, implementation of Baalbek-Hermel began in 2014 with the appointment of its first governor. Zahlé Majdal Anjar Barelias Fourzol Rayak Joub Jannine Al-Bireh, Lebanon Anjar Kherbet Rouha Nabi Ayla Al Karoun Khirbet Qanafar Machgara Deir El Ghazal Qabb Ilyas Qusaya Sawiri Mdoukha
3.
Anjar, Lebanon
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Anjar, also known as Haoush Mousa, is a town of Lebanon located in the Bekaa Valley. The population is 2,400, consisting almost entirely of Armenians, the total area is about twenty square kilometers. In the summer, the swells to 3,500. The towns establishment is attributed to the Umayyad caliph al-Walid I at the beginning of the 8th century as a palace-city. After being abandoned in later years, Anjar was resettled in 1939 with several thousand Armenian refugees from the Musa Dagh area and its neighborhoods are named after the six villages of Musa Dagh, Haji Habibli, Kebusiyeh, Vakif, Kheder Bek, Yoghunoluk and Bitias. The Syrian Army chose Anjar as one of its military bases in the Beqaa Valley. The majority of Anjars Armenians are Armenian Apostolics who belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian Apostolic Saint Paul Church is the second largest Armenian church in Lebanon. The Armenian Apostolic community has its own school, Haratch Calouste Gulbenkian Secondary School, the official opening of the school took place in 1941. The administration of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation contributed to the expansion of the school and our Lady of the Rosary Armenian Catholic Church in Anjar serves as church for the Armenian Catholics, who also run the Armenian Catholic Sisters School. In the beginning, the school had two divisions, St. Hovsep for the students and Sisters of Immaculate Conception for the female students. In 1954, these departments were united,1973 saw the official opening of the Aghajanian Orphan House, already serving as an Armenian Catholic orphanage since 1968. The Armenian Evangelical Church of Anjar is in operation to serve Anjars small Armenian Evangelical community, the Protestant community school was established in 1948 by Sister Hedwig Aienshanslin as part of her missionary work in Anjar. In 1953, the school, which had become an intermediate school, was promoted into a secondary school. It has day classes as well as boarding facilities for students from other regions who stay there throughout the winter. Formerly known as Gerrha, a built by Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid ibn Abdel Malek in the 8th century. The present-day name derives from Arabic Ayn Gerrha, or source of Gerrha, the ruins have been recognized as a World Heritage Site. Franco-Armenian relations Bacharach, Jere L. Marwanid Umayyad Building Activities, muqarnas, An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World. Official Website of Anjar Anjar, Archnet Digital Library, Website about Anjar Lebanon, the Cedars Land, Anjar Ya Libnan | Lebanon News | Spotlight on Anjar Photos of Anjar ruins
Lebanon
