Beirut – „Paris of the East“
Beirut – the capital of Lebanon – is with its approximated 2.000.000 inhabitants the politic, economic and cultural centre of the country. The beautiful historic cityscape of Beirut attracts tourists from all over the world.
2009 „The New York Times“ listed Beirut as the number one place to visit. Justifiably so: Beirut, situated at the western Mediterranean coast, spreads a unique cosmopolitan charme and fascinates with its diverse faces. Theatres, museums, Cuisine, numerous sighseeings and an exciting nightlife let Beirut become one of the most exciting citys of the world.
Beirut – Rich history since more than 5000 years
Beirut looks back on an eventful history. The first mention of the metropolis takes place in letters of the 15th century BC. Today, excavations in Beirut have unearthed layers of Phoenician, Roman, Hellenistic, Arab, Byzantine, Crusader and Ottoman remains and tells of the colorful history of the Lebanese capital.
Beirut – “The City that never dies”
Throughout history, Beirut has been destroyed several times – for the last time when the civil war raged in Lebanon between 1975 and 1990. But the Lebanes people rebuilt their city every single time and Beirut came to be known as „the city that never dies“. This is why Beirut is still dominated by many historical buildings from various epochs and became a popular destination for tourists from both the Arab and the Western world.
Beirut – Cultural Capital of the Middle East
Beirut’s culture has evolved under the influence of many different peoples, civilizations and religions. It is the most religiously diverse city of Lebanon and all of the Middle East. All sorts of Christians live here as well as Shiites and Sunnites and others. During the civil war, the city split up in a Muslim west and a Christian east – today, the different religuous groups live door by door again.
The different influences characterized the manifold cityscape with its beautiful architecture. For visitors there are lots of places to discover, like the Al-Omari Mosque: Built in the 12th century the gigantic mosque impresses with its oriental aura. But that’s only one spot to visit – there is so much more to see in Beirut!
Beautiful landscape and a warm climate in and around Beirut
Beirut is located on a Peninsula at the Mediteranean coast and marks almost exactly the midpoint of the Lebanese coastline. Landwards, the city is flanked by mountains, especially by the two hills „Al-Musaytibah“ and „Al-Ashrafieh“. The nature around Beirut is rather diverse – rocky beaches and cliffs can be found as well as sandy shores and mountains.
The climate of Beirut is subtropical. Characteristics are hot, humid summers and mild winters. The average annual temperature in Beirut is around 18° Celsius (~64° F).