To Jbeil

The Mediterranean sprays against the shoreline of the world's oldest seaport, Jbeil (also known as Byblos), are breathtaking. After driving through Jabal Libnan we reached the seaport and I marveled at its antique grandeur. The view was beyond belief, in front of me was the Mediterranean, further on was the ancient Byblos castle, to the right the ancient seaport, used by mariners since time immemorial.

The castle was a combination of two parts fairy tale mixed with one half history text book. The area had been continuously inhabited by some of the world's most interesting invaders and civilizations. To name a few of them the Phoenicians, Alexander the Great's Greeks, Ramses' Egyptians, Romans, Frankish Crusaders, Ottomans, Arabs, and yes, even the French all called Jbeil and its castle home at one time or another. The ruins were quite expansive, and spread over a large area that was buttressed by the sea. At the top of the castle there was a view to die for. I could see all the way out to the Mediterranean and the whole city (including the old historic parts) of Jbeil.

Jbeil is a primarily Christian city on the Lebanese coast, so the political graffiti was a bit different than what one would find in a place like Beirut. The main contenders for wall space in Jbeil were Bachir Gemayel (assassinated president of Lebanon and founder of the Lebanese Forces), Orange check marks belonging to Michel Aoun's Tayyar Movement, Kataeb Party graffiti in the shape of a cedar, and Samir Geagea and his Lebanese Forces.

You could definately see that Jbeil had been hit hard by the lack of tourists. The zouk (market) down by the ancient seaport was virtually empty, the vendors tried to charge an arm and a leg for anything, I must say though I found a beautiful (albeit overpriced, so I didn't purchase anything) book store loaded with Lebanese history books in three different languages.

I love the imagery that always shows Israel or Lebanon with a dove and olive branch in its mouth. These are two places where political violence knows no bounds, but I can understand the pictures to a point. As I stood atop the Jbeil castle I realized how peaceful a place Lebanon could potentially be. I would guess that the combination of seaspray, expansive views, Crusader era embattlements and the beautiful breeze would have that effect.