Lebanon Tourism, culture, music and events

  Date: Saturday, April 12, 2014 By: Samya Kullab Source: The Daily Star TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The demographically diverse Mina, the harbor town just five kilometers from downtown Tripoli, is distinguished by its nautical charms, guileless diversions and simple indulgences. Some defining features of the area include the verdant islands off the coast – four of which have been declared natural reserves where fish are bred in their natural habitat – the town’s old lighthouse and its breezy four kilometer seashore, which is almost always teeming with people who’ve come from far and wide to take advantage of the fresh air. Rambunctious children play along the corniche on weekends as their parents stroll vigilantly by, youths whizz past on bicycles and elderly men ...

Date: Friday, April 11, 2014 By: Beckie Strum Source: The Daily Star BEIRUT: Local anthropologist and tour operator Nour Farra Haddad has released what is arguably the most comprehensive guidebook ever on ecotourism in Lebanon. Broken down into five color-coded sections spanning 400 pages, “Eco- Lebanon Nature and Rural Tourism: A Guide to Unveil Lebanon” is a joint project between Haddad and the Tourism Ministry, with the help of Hospitality Services. The book, a guided directory written in English, aims to promote internal tourism among Lebanese as foreign visitors have dwindled alongside security. “The idea of the book, now especially, is to develop domestic tourism because we all know nowadays that we don’t have international tourists coming from abroad,” H...

  Date: Thursday, April 10, 2014 By: Venetia Rainey Source: The Daily Star BATROUN, Lebanon: “We are beer lovers here,” says Jamil al-Haddad, his hands playing with a mock-up bottle for the lager he is creating. “In Batroun, if you go and visit someone in his home, he will not invite you to drink coffee, he will offer you a beer. We have the highest consumption of beer here in all of Lebanon.”It’s an unverifiable and dubious fact, but the passion with which Haddad says it makes all of that irrelevant. For him, Batroun is about to become the epicenter of an invigorated beer culture and the birthplace of the country’s soon-to-be newest brew: Colonel. “So this is part of why I started to think, I’m from Batroun and I need to brew beer. Khallas, this is how it started,...

Date: Tuesday, April 08, 2014 By: Kate Maddox Source: The Daily Star BEIRUT: Situated in the heart of Furn al-Hayek in Ashrafieh, Green Tara House is big and airy, with colorful rugs and textiles filling most rooms. The vibe is distinctly Eastern in the French Mandate-era house, however, which goes well with the slew of new yoga classes and alternative therapies being offered on the second floor of the old building. For the next two days, the space will host a series of conferences and private sessions with tarot master Patrick Spennato, who specializes in the late 18th century practice of reading the cards as a form of alternative self-development. Green Tara Gallery, opened by Karima Hawwa in December 2012, sells imported fabrics, art, furniture, rugs and clothin...

Date: Monday, April 07, 2014 By: Beckie Strum Source: The Daily Star BEIRUT: In Saturday’s fading daylight, several scruffy-faced musicians and a dozen children had transformed a nondescript parking lot in Saifi Village with the acoustic melodies of childhood summer camp. A popcorn maker sat just beyond the benches of warbling kids, as did card tables covered in freshly painted crafts. All that was needed was a fire in the evening darkness to complete the illusion of being in the middle of the woods instead of Beirut’s urban center. Souk el Tayeb, Beirut’s landmark farmers market held at Beirut Souks, has expanded its presence to Saifi Village. For its first season at this new venue, the market is being held in the evening to celebrate the warm weather with a we...

In with the new at Lebanon's wineries   Date: Sunday, April 06, 2014 By: Beckie Strum   Source:   The Daily Star BEIRUT: “You want something new? Come,” commanded Habib Karam, the owner of Karam Winery. Rather than answer the question with his own vintage, Karam hauled me through an exhibition of Lebanese wineries to his competitor Chateau Nakad. Nakad and Karam were two of around a dozen Lebanese winemakers participating in the HORECA hospitality trade show at the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure center since Tuesday. For the biggest gathering of the country’s food and beverage industries, local wineries enticed show-goers with their latest innovations, such as fresh, not-yet-bottled vintages and more adventurous spirits than the quintessential arak. One such example was Chateau Nakad’s meska liqueur. “Now, this is new,” Karam said, gleaming as if he’d made it himself. Meska, also known in English as mastic or gum arabic, is an ingredient derived from t...