History of Lebanon

Lebanon 's long and often turbulent history reaches back to the dawn of civilization. Its earliest settlers were the Phoenicians who came from the Arabian Peninsula around 3,500 BC. They established cities at Beirut , Byblos , Tyre , Sidon , and Baalbek and spread their 22-letter Phoenician alphabet throughout the region.

After a succession of different rulers, they became part of the Roman Empire in 64 BC when Pomey the Great conquered the territory that comprises modern Lebanon and governed it as part of the province of Syria . Aramaic replaced Phoenician as the main language and by the 7th century, the Christian sect that was later to become the Maronite church settled in the northern districts of Lebanon, The geographical inaccessibility that made Lebanon attractive as a religious refuge appealed to Muslims; the Shiites found a haven there during the 9th century and the Druzes in the 11th century.

Lebanon lies on the east cost of the Mediterranean . It is one of the smallest independent countries in the world with an area of 10,452 square kilometers.  Lebanon is rich in ancient ruins and history. For more than five millennia, Lebanon was associated to the histories of the great empires - the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Umayyad, the Abbasids, the Ottomans and the French.

There are hundreds of hotels, restaurants, coffee houses, and night clubs to suit every taste and accommodate thousands of tourists.  Lebanon welcomes the world to its ruins from antiquity and to its scenic beauty at any time throughout the year. Arabic is the official language, French and English are fluently spoken.

The currency is the Lebanese pound (Lira), U.S. $1= L.L.1,510. Tourists are allowed to bring in and take unlimited amounts of foreign currency. Lebanese merchants accept U.S. dollars, personal cheques, MasterCard, Visa, and American Express.