{"id":13655,"date":"2023-03-02T06:03:29","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T06:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.min-on.org\/zh-hant\/?p=13655"},"modified":"2023-03-02T06:14:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T06:14:05","slug":"min-on-music-journey-no-66-lebanese-republic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.min-on.org\/zh-hant\/13655\/min-on-music-journey-no-66-lebanese-republic\/","title":{"rendered":"Min-On Music Journey No. 66: Lebanese Republic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Min-On\u2019s Music Journey! Today, the Min-On Concert Association and the Embassy of the Republic of Lebanon in Japan welcome you to Lebanon, a Middle Eastern country facing the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n

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Travel guide for Lebanon:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u30fbVisit the National Museum in the capital of Beirut<\/p>\n

\u30fbSee the ruins of Baalbek, a World Heritage Site<\/p>\n

\u30fbTry some local specialties here in Lebanon, a gourmet’s paradise<\/p>\n

\u30fbExperience the music scene in Beirut<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Lebanon has a population of approx. 5.2 million people residing within a land area of 10,452 square kilometers. It is the only country in the Middle East that does not have a desert. Lebanon\u2019s beautiful landscapes, including mountain ranges topped with snow, have earned it the nickname “Switzerland of the Middle East.”<\/p>\n

On today’s journey, we will travel around to the most notable places in Lebanon while exploring Lebanese music.<\/p>\n

Beirut, the warm and comfortable capital<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lebanon\u2019s capital of Beirut is the center of culture and commerce, and home to a large portion of the country’s population. A very culturally diverse city, it has been called “a museum of all peoples and faiths across the Near and Middle East.”<\/p>\n

Beirut is home to the largest museum of archeology in the country, the National Museum of Beirut. The museum has over 1,300 precious artifacts on display, including the sarcophagus of King Ahiram, the oldest surviving example of Phoenician script.<\/p>\n

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Beirut is the heart of commerce in the city, including many large shopping malls, markets and retail stores. It\u2019s also home to many luxury hotels, stylish restaurants and amusement facilities, making it a convenient central base for any stay in Lebanon.<\/p>\n

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Outskirts of Beirut<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are many great places to visit in the outskirts of Beirut, including the Jeita Grotto, which has breathtaking scenery, Casino du Liban, which hosts many musicals and dance shows, and the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon on the hill in Harissa, which offers sweeping views of the gorgeous coast and cityscape below.<\/p>\n

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\nThe Jeita Grotto (left) and The Shrine of Our Lady (right)<\/em><\/p>\n

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\nCasino du Liban<\/em><\/p>\n

Five World Heritage Sites<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks to its long history, Lebanon has five World Heritage Sites, and you can see all of them on a single journey through the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Anjar Ruins<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u30fbRuins of a fortified city on the Bekaa Plateau
\n\u30fbRuins from the Umayyad civilization, built in the 8th century<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tyre Ruins<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u30fbHistoric ruins facing the Mediterranean Sea
\n\u30fbRuins were built by the Phoenicians in the 11th century BC<\/span><\/p>\n

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Baalbek Ruins<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u30fbRuins from the Roman era built on the Bekaa Plateau
\n\u30fbOne of the largest ruins in the Middle East<\/span><\/p>\n

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Byblos<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u30fbRuins of a city thought to be the birthplace of the Phoenician civilization
\n\u30fbStructures from different historical periods, including forts from the Crusades<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ouadi Qadisha and the Forest of the Cedars of God<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u30fbA ravine and cedar forest found in the mountains of Lebanon
\n\u30fbLebanese cedars became a source of great prosperity for the Phoenicians<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Baalbek Ruins are one of the three largest ruins in the Middle East and Lebanon’s top sightseeing destination. The location also hosts music festivals and orchestra concerts, which is unusual and intriguing for a World Heritage Site.<\/p>\n

Lebanon as gourmet paradise of the Middle East<\/strong><\/p>\n

Through incorporation of many different outside cultures, even among different culinary legacies in the Middle East, Lebanon is known as a country of outstanding food. While cuisine from all over the world is available, enjoying unique Lebanese cuisine makes for a memorable and enjoyable experience for any visitor.<\/p>\n

The incredible variety of mezze<\/strong><\/p>\n

The defining feature of Lebanese cuisine is the dizzying variety of appetizers called mezze<\/em>. The most common mezze<\/em> include hummus, a paste made of chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and spices, falafel, croquettes made from chickpeas, and baba ghanoush, a fragrant paste made from roasted eggplants.<\/p>\n

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\nMezze (left) and hummus (right)<\/em><\/p>\n

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\nFalafel (left) and Baba ghanoush (right)<\/em><\/p>\n

Wine, beloved since the Phoenician era<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wine has thousands of years of history, but it’s thought that Phoenicians first popularized winemaking along the Mediterranean coastline. Lebanon’s Bekaa Plateau has an ideal environment for wine production.<\/p>\n

The location is considered a holy land for winemaking and is home to a number of prestigious wineries. They include Ch\u00e2teau Musar, which continues to enjoy worldwide acclaim, and Ch\u00e2teau Ksara, which has a long history dating back to its founding in 1857.<\/p>\n

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Lebanon\u2019s music culture<\/strong>
\nTraditional instruments introduced via the Silk Road<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some of the country’s iconic traditional instruments include the oud<\/em>, a stringed instrument, the mijwiz<\/em>, a woodwind instrument, and the rebab<\/em>, a single-stringed instrument played with a bow. All of these have been used for centuries in the Middle East and are loved for their unique sound.<\/p>\n

Please enjoy the piece played on traditional instruments from the concert of The Fahed Abdallah Troupe for Lebanese Arts, hosted by Min-On in 2002<\/p>\n