post 183/365
“In Khiam prison we died a hundred times every day. Torture included electric shocks, being tied naked to a whipping pole for hours under the burning sun in the summer and snow in the winter, and getting whipped and beaten continuously with metal rods, wires and nightsticks. We were caged and treated like animals. Believe me, it wasn’t so much about the pain, but the humiliation.”
Degol Abou Tass Continue reading
post 182/365
On a high hill overlooking the Mediterranean some 30 miles south of Beirut lies the pilgrimage town of Maghdoucheh, famous for its 30-meter bronze shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was here in Maghdoucheh that the Virgin Mary is said to have waited in a cave for her son Jesus to return with his disciples after preaching in nearby in Sidon. The statue, which depicts Mary holding Jesus in her arms, weighs a hefty six tons and was built in 1963 above the cave in which Mary was believed to have waited.
post 181/365
The modern art of glass blowing may use modernized equipment, but the essence of working with glass remains an ancient art. Molding red-hot liquid glass to create a lasting glass artifact is an act that requires a creative mind, dexterous handwork, and stamina, a very physically draining work.
post 180/365
Beirut windows slowly awaken
Houses piled up one on top of the other,
Whatever she does complements her
Together we live,
Each one on his own window
And life is ahead of us with its flowers and thorns
Beirut windows slowly awaken
Read in her coffee cups and tell me what do you foresee for her
She has seen a lot
Sweet days and sour ones
She doesn’t get enough of legends and life is still at its beginning
Beirut windows awaken slowly
Our stories hanging on clothesline, forgotten,
Colorful canvases on grey rooftops
Beirut windows slowly awaken
She stands in the early morning light
And puts kohol in her eyes
Someone will definitely drop by to visit her
And the sea with its ebbs and tides
Never tires and never stops
And no matter how old she gets
Only he is affectionate towards her
(lyrics translated from her song Shababik Beirut _ Beirut’s Windows)
post 179/365
“O, the mulberry tree is of trees the queen! Bare long after the rest are green; but as time steals onwards, while none perceives slowly she clothes herself with leaves.”
Dinah Maria Murlock Craik
post 178/365
As you stand next to the Saint George Hotel, facing the Saint George Bay, looking far onto the Mediterranean Sea, a legend centuries ago of bravery, love, and chivalry took place. Its story travelled with the Crusaders and was retold with the courtly appurtenances belonging to the genre of Romance. This Story is of a Roman soldier named George.
post 177/365
Funeral rites were one of the major types of religious cultic activity among the Phoenicians. It appears that burial of an intact body was the preferred method for dealing with the dead, though some examples of cremation have also been found. The wealthiest Phoenicians and members of royal families received elaborately decorated stone sarcophagi, which were placed in tombs cut directly out of rock. The bodies were typically given objects from their lives to accompany them: coins, food, cosmetics, toiletries, figurines, and so forth. The inclusion of both ritual and practical objects is often cited as evidence of belief in some sort of afterlife, possibly one in which the deceased could make use of these objects. This may be a case where the funeral rites of Egypt influenced the religious beliefs of the Phoenicians as for a long time.
post 176/365
As you drive past Tyre and its crowded streets, the scenery becomes more rural and the sky flat above you welcomes you to a clear view of a lonely road leading to Palestine with nothing but open blue skies. There is something quiet enchanting about a road by the sea that hasn’t been tampered by civilization. Although this whole region has been occupied by Israeli forces not long ago and has seen some atrocities, today it lies calmly drifting on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
post 175/365
The sweetest aspects of the Middle East would have to be its world-famous desserts, often characterized by their rich syrupy taste, nuts, and lack of cream. Knefeh bil jibin, one of my favorite desserts, is a cheese pastry soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup, typical of the regions. It is a specialty of the Levant.
post 174/365
Aanjar has a special beauty. The city’s slender columns and fragile arches stand in contrast to the massive bulk of the nearby Anti-Lebanon mountains, an eerie background for Aanjar extensive ruins and the memories of its short but energetic moment in history.
365 Days of Lebanon 