Discover Chtaura

In Chtaura, the Emile Hannouche Museum is a tangible cultural landmark. It opened in the city on September 22, 2017. Its collection includes more than 900 Lebanese paintings. If cultural interests factor into your choice of where to stay, the collection can serve as a point of reference.

Further points of interest in the wider Bekaa destination

In Zahlé, a bronze statue of the Virgin Mary stands in the Tower of Our Lady of Zahlé and the Bekaa. It is nine meters tall and was created by the Italian artist Pierotti. An elevator leads to the statue. If access by elevator is important to your plans, check in advance whether it is currently operating. The height, material, and artist’s name offer different ways to understand the monument: they describe its scale, construction, and artistic attribution.

The Festival of the Vine traditionally takes place in Zahlé every September. Over several weeks, the program includes daily concerts, plays, readings, and art exhibitions. The traditional September timing offers a general guide; for specific travel plans, check the dates for the relevant edition. This helps distinguish the recurring event from a particular festival date.

Anjar is an excavated fortified city and is considered an outstanding example of urban planning under the Umayyad Caliphate in the 8th century. The rectangular site measures 385 × 350 meters. Walls enclosed the area, flanked by forty towers. The two side lengths are close, giving the overall layout an almost square shape. Together with the fortifications, this creates a clearly defined urban plan.

Anjar’s internal layout is also described in precise terms: the main axis runs from north to south, while a secondary axis runs from east to west. These two axes divide the site into four equal quarters. The great palace of the caliph and the mosque are located in the southeastern quarter, on the highest part of the site. Here, the orientation of the city axes, the division into equal areas, and the location of the two buildings come together.

The Aammiq Swamp adds a natural landmark to the wider Bekaa destination. It lies at an elevation of about 865 meters on the western side of the central Bekaa Valley, at the foot of the eastern slopes of the Barouk Mountains. The elevation is approximate; together with the location description, it places the swamp between the valley and the mountain slopes. This natural landmark differs from the urban and architectural examples in Zahlé and Anjar.

For planning purposes, it is useful to distinguish between a seasonal event and year-round cultural or natural features: the festival is traditionally associated with September, while Anjar’s urban layout and the described location of the Aammiq Swamp offer other points of reference.

Discover more destinations: Beit Al Dine, Jezzîne, Aley, Damour, Admā, Zahlé, Beirut, Dahr Broummana.

Go to the main travel overview: Lebanon.