Portal:Lebanon

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The Lebanon Portal

A view of Byblos, Lebanon

Lebanon, officially the Lebanese Republic, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west; Cyprus lies a short distance from the coastline. Lebanon has a population of more than five million and an area of 10,452 square kilometres (4,036 sq mi). Beirut is the country's capital and largest city.

Human habitation in Lebanon dates to 5000 BC. From 3200 to 539 BC, it was part of Phoenicia, a maritime civilization that spanned the Mediterranean Basin. In 64 BC, the region became part of the Roman Empire and the subsequent Byzantine Empire. After the seventh century, it came under the rule of different Arab Islamic caliphates, including the Rashidun, Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. The 11th century saw the establishment of Christian Crusader states, which fell to the Ayyubids and the Mamluks. Lebanon came under Ottoman rule in the early 16th century. Under Ottoman sultan Abdulmejid I, the first Lebanese proto-state, the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, was established as a home for Maronite Christians, as part of the Tanzimat reforms.

Lebanon is a developing country, ranked 112th on the Human Development Index. It has been classified as a lower-middle-income country. The Lebanese liquidity crisis, coupled with nationwide corruption and disasters such as the 2020 Beirut explosion, precipitated the collapse of Lebanon's currency and fomented political instability, widespread resource shortages, and high unemployment and poverty. The World Bank has defined Lebanon's economic crisis as one of the world's worst since the 19th century. Despite the country's small size, Lebanese culture is renowned both in the Arab world and globally, powered primarily by the large and influential Lebanese diaspora. Lebanon is a founding member of the United Nations and the Arab League, and a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, and the Group of 77. (Full article...)

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Engraving of a portrait of Fakhr al-Din by Giovanni Mariti, 1787

Fakhr al-Din Ma'n (Arabic: فَخْر ٱلدِّين مَعْن, romanized: Fakhr al-Dīn Maʿn; 6 August 1572 – 13 April 1635), commonly known as Fakhr al-Din II or Fakhreddine II (Arabic: فخر الدين الثاني, romanized: Fakhr al-Dīn al-Thānī), was the paramount Druze emir of Mount Lebanon from the Ma'n dynasty, an Ottoman governor of Sidon-Beirut and Safed, and the strongman over much of the Levant from the 1620s to 1633. For uniting modern Lebanon's constituent parts and communities, especially the Druze and the Maronites, under a single authority for the first time in history, he is generally regarded as the country's founder. Although he ruled in the name of the Ottomans, he acted with considerable autonomy and developed close ties with European powers in defiance of the Ottoman imperial government.

Fakhr al-Din succeeded his father as the emir of the Chouf mountains in 1591. He was appointed over the sanjaks (districts) of Sidon-Beirut in 1593 and Safed in 1602. Despite joining the rebellion of Ali Janbulad in 1606, Fakhr al-Din remained in his post and the Ottomans recognized his takeover of the Keserwan mountains from his rival Yusuf Sayfa. Seven years later, an imperial campaign was launched against him for allying with Tuscany and garrisoning the strategic fortresses of Shaqif Arnun and Subayba. He escaped and became an exile in Tuscany and Sicily. Upon his return in 1618, he resumed control of his former domains and within three years took over northern Mount Lebanon, which was predominantly Maronite.

After Fakhr al-Din routed the governor of Damascus at the Battle of Anjar in 1623, he extended his control to the Beqaa Valley, the stronghold of his rivals, the Harfush dynasty. Fakhr al-Din proceeded to capture fortresses across central Syria, gained practical control of Tripoli and its eyalet, and acquired tax farms as far north as Latakia. Although he frequently attained government favor by timely forwarding of tax revenue, bribing officials, and using opportunities of mutual interest to eliminate local rivals, his outsized power and autonomy were considered a rebellion by the imperial government. A near-contemporary historian remarked that "the only thing left for him to do was to claim the Sultanate". He surrendered to the Ottomans during a siege of his Chouf hideout in 1633 and was executed in Constantinople two years later. In 1697 Fakhr al-Din's grandnephew was awarded a tax farm spanning southern Mount Lebanon. It was gradually expanded by the Ma'ns' marital relatives, the Shihabs, in 1711, and was a precursor to the Lebanese Republic. (Full article...)

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... that code-switching in Lebanon is so common that "hi, كيفك؟ Ça va ?", which combines English, Levantine Arabic and French, is a typical greeting?
... that George Lutfallah sought to use his wealth to become king of Lebanon, viewing his presidential candidacy as a stepping stone to that goal?
... that Reine Abbas chose the name Wixel Studios, a blend of "Weird Pixel", in recognition of being one of the only gaming studios in Lebanon?
... that photographer Denis Cameron covered the Lebanese Civil War, the Iranian Revolution, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Gulf War?
... that the cedar tree on the Lebanese flag is mentioned 103 times in the Bible?
... that the royal necropolis of Ayaa in Sidon, Lebanon, was accidentally discovered in the late 19th century by a workman who stumbled upon a shaft and chamber tomb while quarrying for stone?

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Khalifa in 2019

Mia Khalifa (Arabic: ميا خليفة, born February 10, 1993) is a Lebanese-American media personality and former pornographic film actress. In 2014, she performed in a controversial porn scene featuring a hijab, which drew global attention. The scene made Khalifa immensely popular but also drew backlash.

Despite the brevity of her three-month career in adult films, Khalifa was voted the top porn star on Pornhub in 2015. The website xHamster reported that she was the most-searched-for pornographic actress of 2016. In 2018, she became the most-searched-for actress on Pornhub.

After leaving the adult industry, Khalifa has worked as a webcam model, an OnlyFans creator, and a sports commentator, and has advocated for sex workers' rights. She launched her own line of jewelry in 2023. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Lebanon-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A building in Ghazieh, near Sidon, bombed by the Israeli Air Force (IAF), 20 July 2006 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 2Aerial photo of Beirut, Lebanon's capital (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 3Gibran Khalil Gibran Garden and surroundings in Beirut Central District, Majidiye, Beirut (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 4Rue Maarad is a main street in the central district (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 5Fakhreddine II (from History of Lebanon)
Image 6Beirut in 1950 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 7Csontváry Kosztka, Tivadar - Pilgrimage to the Cedars of Lebanon (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 8City of Zahlé at the eastern edge of the Mount Lebanon Range in eastern Lebanon (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 9Map showing power balance in Lebanon, 1976:
Dark Green – controlled by Syria;
Purple – controlled by Maronite groups;
Light Green – controlled by Palestinian militias (from History of Lebanon)
Image 10A map of Mount Lebanon c. AD 1180 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 11Anti-Syrian protesters heading to Martyrs' Square in Beirut on foot and in vehicles, 13 March 2005 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 12Bashir Shihab II (from History of Lebanon)
Image 13The Green Line that separated West and East Beirut, 1982 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 14Sidewalk Cafes are a trademark of the BCD (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 15An array of Lebanese cuisine. (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 16The funeral of the assassinated Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri (from History of Lebanon)
Image 17Map showing power balance in Lebanon, 1983: Green – controlled by Syria, purple – controlled by Christian groups, yellow – controlled by Israel, blue – controlled by the United Nations (from History of Lebanon)
Image 18Khalil Gibran (April 1913) (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 19Map of the Shebaa farms (from History of Lebanon)
Image 20Beiteddine Palace, venue of the Beiteddine Festival (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 21Aftermath of the October 2024 Bachoura airstrike in central Beirut (from History of Lebanon)
Image 22Portrait of Elie Hobeika (from History of Lebanon)
Image 23Protesters in Beirut. Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, 20 October 2019 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 24Palm trees at the seafront in Corniche Beirut (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 25Lebanon Parliament 2018 (from Politics of Lebanon)
Image 26The Grand Serail, also known as the Government Palace, is the headquarters of the prime minister of Lebanon (from Politics of Lebanon)
Image 27Aftermath of the 4 August 2020 Beirut explosion (from History of Lebanon)
Image 28Portrait of Fakhreddine while he was in Tuscany, stating "Faccardino grand emir dei Drusi" translated as "Fakhreddine: great emir of the Druze" (from History of Lebanon)
Image 29Christian Church and Druze Khalwa in Shuf Mountains: Historically; the Druzes and the Christians in the Shuf Mountains lived in complete harmony. (from History of Lebanon)
Image 30Fairuz playing guitar (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 31A selection of Lebanese dishes from Cafe Nouf Restaurant in London (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 32Flag as drawn and approved by the members of the Lebanese parliament during the declaration of independence in 1943 (from History of Lebanon)