post 214/365
“hilo hal halak yalli lebsstih” (those earrings you are wearing are really nice)”
“merci, m2addam” (thank you, it’s given to you)
“la2, merci, hilo 3ala sahbo” (no thank you, it’s pretty on its wearer)
Month: July 2016
The Beauty of Needlework
post 213/365
Embroidery has long since been part of the Lebanese heritage of handicrafts. There are some kinds of embroideries like the Oya that most probably have been acquired at the time of the Ottoman Empire. Embroidery in Lebanon is not considered to be a craft as all families, whether peasants, villagers or city-dwellers, practiced it as well as crochet, thus perpetuating ancestral traditions. The young ladies were most hard-working as they had to start preparing their trousseau as of their tenth year. The latter had to contain both embroidery for personal use such as veils, undergarments and dresses, and embroidery items for household use: window, cupboard and closet curtains, bed covers, protective covers for sofas and tablecloths.
Beirut’s Old Manara
Post 212/365
There was a time in Beirut when, what seemed like a mammoth structure, black and white stripes ascending up to the skies, played a major role in this city. Built on a little hill facing the Mediterranean Sea, the tallest one in the land, it stood still, proud, and useful. Now it stands there suffocating for air minisculed by the huge buildings around it. It stands there although still perceptible, yet useless in all its might.
The Summer Drinks
post 211/365
Similar to food, home made drinks are not only a staple in every Lebanese home but also reflect the earth’s bounty. There is something quiet wonderful about the combination of elements that make those typical Lebanese drinks so superb. It starts with their color, as they range in hues from pastel to darker burgundies. Then comes the smell as the drink reaches your lips and the flora of all the ingredients invigorates your spirit. Although they differ in texture, there is something quiet refreshing about them and the combination of those aromas with ice makes them the perfect summer drink.
When Silence Reigns
post 210/365
Unconstrained, free flowing stream, glitters and glimmers with sunbeam as it travels through the land reaching a halt above the village of Faraya. Its warm water glistens in the sun.
The Never Ending Pine Trees
post 209/365
The tall pines pick at sunlight piece by piece. The light splinters branch by branch lies scattered on the forest floor beneath. The innocence of the pines is obvious in this serene place.
The Phoenix
post 208/365
The Phoenicians first manufactured bronze knives before moving to the use of more noble metals like silver and gold. Archeologists have found a strikingly handsome and modern silver knife incrusted with gold, in a royal tomb in Byblos dating from the 19th century B.C.
The Mountain Mondrian
post 207/365
Hand out the window treading air; no seat belts as popular Arabic songs are filtered through the radio. Truck drivers seem miniscule compared to those huge engines they drive from one end of the country to the other.
Giesen’s Lebanon
post 206/365
Pastel and earthy sceneries, leave their marks like bullets left on walls. Upon this war torn scenes, a blend of shades and light hear the drawings’ whisper of a war. This beautiful mess captured by Martin Giesen, washed and running flows with his strokes free but damp. They speak of life so light, pale, and tragic, where the wind blows soft in a ravaged war scene. In his faded colors they are but a dream, yet the Mediterranean still breathes a salty, calm breeze.
365 Days of Lebanon 