Features

Lebanon - Not the Middle East we know: history and hedonism in Lebanon

by William "Gobbo" Dobson

A place of bizarre and often contradictory juxtapositions, mosques next to churches, five-star hotels shadowed by bombed-out buildings, beautiful, scantily-clad girls walking down the street with their burka-covered friends, and huge super clubs and karaoke bars in a predominantly Muslim society, Lebanon is a country which thrives on the locals' almost hedonistic desire to enjoy themselves whatever the circumstances.

Fresh from various civil wars, and with tension still rife in the region, armoured tanks and Hezbollah soldiers with their AK47s can make the initial experience of Beirut slightly daunting. However, once you realise that this actually makes the city safer you can start to enjoy it for what it is. With skiing (as high as the Alps, and a fraction of the price) just 45 mins away from idyllic Mediterranean beaches, some of the finest cuisine in the world (both local and international: Yabani is better and cheaper than any of the Japanese restaurants I have been to in England), gorgeous weather and welcoming people, it is a city where people come to have fun.

Rue Monot and Rue Gemmayze are replete with fantastic bars, and if you want to continue your partying after they begin to wind down, then there are plenty of nightclubs to choose from. B018 is particularly impressive, especially when the retractable roof opens up to the night sky. Just don't get there before about 3 o'clock, or you will have the place to yourself.

However, there is so much more to Lebanon that just the Beirut nightlife. It is a country with so much history, much of which is undoubtedly bloody, but as it moves into hopefully more prosperous times, there are still fascinating reminders of past events. Travel to Baalbek in the fertile wine growing regions of the Bekaa Valley and you will be witness to one of most spectacular archaeological sites in the region, an area of temples built by previous conquerors such as the Phoenicians and the Romans, amongst others. In Beirut itself you can still see the devastating scars of the Civil War, yet at the same time you can see the shoots of recovery, most notably in the meticulously restored Place D'Etoile. Ravaged during the war, the area could now easily be mistaken for a boulevard in Paris, with the exception of ubiquitous smoke from shisha pipes, and the Hezbollah camp behind.

Head up the coast to the seaside village of Byblos (Jbail to the locals) and you are reminded of the heady days of the pre-war 1960s, when the Byblos Fishing Club restaurant entertained the likes of Bridget Bardot, Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra (their pictures can still be seen on the walls). Nowadays the town is much quieter and more quaint with a unique and charming mix of Mediterranean fishing village (pictured) and Arab souk, not to mention the citadel dating back to the Crusades. It is also home to a couple of fantastic and great value fish restaurants overlooking the harbour (avoid the Fishing Club except as a tourist attraction).

Although accommodation can be hard to find in the town itself, just 2km up the road there is a campsite perched on the cliffs above the sea. It also has wooden tent-like structures (including private bathrooms) for about £3 a night (pictured). Back in the other direction towards Beirut, Edde Sands Beach club is home to swimming pools, restaurants, bars, a spa and a perfect white sandy beach.

Although there is no doubt that the country is still coming to terms with the disasters of the last few decades, and the political situation is unstable to say the least, it is clear that Lebanon is bursting to show the rest of the world the progress being made in a country which, on the surface, seems to have it all. Whatever is reported in the Western press, Lebanon is certainly not a dangerous place to travel to, and for those who make the effort, it is full of unexpected rewards.