lebanese family club

T h e f o u r t h r e g i o n i s c a l l e d A n t i - L e b a n o n o r t h e E a s t e r n M o u n t a i n R i d g e . I t e x t e n d s p a r a l l e l t o t h e m o u n t a i n c h a i n o f
M o u n t L e b a n o n a n d i s m o r e o r l e s s t h e s a m e i n l e n g t h . T h e p e a k s o f A n t i - L e b a n o n a r e m o r e r o u n d e d t h a n t h o s e o f M o u n t
Lebanon and the whole range is less inhabited and with less water available. Its highest point is Mount Hermon or
Jabal Al-Sheikh at 2814m. Other important mountain peaks are Mount Semrani (2360m,) Talaat Mussa (2610m) and Mount
M a z a r ( 1 6 3 0 m ) . T h e r i v e r H a s b a n i r i s e s i n A n t i - L e b a n o n a n d f l o w s s o u t h a n d j o i n i n g w i t h o t h e r s t r e a m s e v e n t u a l l y
becomes the river Jordan.
T h e c l i m a t e o f L e b a n o n h a d f o u r v e r y d i s t i n c t s e a s o n s . B e c a u s e o f t h e n a t u r e o f i t s t o p o g r a p h y i t h a s m a n y s m a l l s t r e a m s
and rivers, some of which have names going back to ancient times or even mythological names. There are the rivers
A d o n i s ( I b r a h i m ) , A l - L i t a n i ( L e o n t e s ) , t h e A l - H a s b a n i ( t r i b u t a r y o f t h e b i b l i c a l J o r d a n R i v e r ) , A l - A s s y ( O r o n t e s ) a n d
Nahr Al-Kalb (Dog River).
R i v e r E l K a l b o r D o g R i v e r a n d t h e P ro f i l e o f a n A s s y r i a n K i n g ( 1 s t
M i l l e n i u m B C ) n e x t t o t h e s t e l e o f P h a r a o h R a m e s s e s I I ( 1 2 7 6 B C ) s c u l p t e d o n
its famous rocks
T h i s l a s t r i v e r i s f a m o u s b e c a u s e a l l t h e
c o n q u e r o r s w h o p a s s e d a l o n g t h e L e b a n e s e c o a s t
over the centuries stopped there. They all left
a r e c o r d o f t h e i r n a m e s a n d e x p l o i t s c a r v e d o n
the rock which nature fortuitously placed along
the edge of the river. They include for example
a r e c o r d o f E s a r h a d d o n , t h e A s s y r i a n k i n g a t t h e
time of his war against the Egyptians in the year
6 7 1 B C . T h e r e i s t h e i n s c r i p t i o n o f
Nabuchodonozor II, the king of Babylon,
r e c o u n t i n g h i s e x p e d i t i o n t o L e b a n o n . T h e r e
a r e i m a g e s o f A s s y r i a n k i n g s w i t h t h e i r h e a d s
adorned with beautiful crowns. There is an
E g y p t i a n c a r v i n g s h o w i n g t h e P h a r a o h R a m s e s
I I , s a c r i f i c i n g a p r i s o n e r t o t h e g o d H a r m a k h i s .
There are Greek inscriptions. There is
i n s c r i p t i o n r e c a l l i n g t h e w o r k c a r r i e d o u t b y
the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Caracalla.
T h e r e a r e t h e A r a b i n s c r i p t i o n s o f t h e S u l t a n
S e i f E l - d i n B a r k o u k . T h e r e i s e v e n a n
i n s c r i p t i o n o f N a p o l e o n I I I , E m p e r o r o f F r a n c e .
Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians,
G r e e k s , R o m a n s , B y z a n t i n e s , Tu r k s , F r e n c h a n d
Arabs, a parade of ghosts from the distant past
who have left us a record of the history of the
world and their civilizations