Portal:Lebanon

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The Lebanon Portal

A view of Byblos, Lebanon

Lebanon (/ˈlɛbənɒn, -nən/ ^ⓘ LEB-ə-non, -⁠nən; Arabic: لُبْنَان, romanized: Lubnān, local pronunciation: [lɪbˈneːn]), officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia, 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 country's coastline. It is at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula. 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 empire that stretched the Mediterranean Basin. In 64 BC, the region became part of the Roman Empire, and later the Byzantine Empire. After the 7th century, it came under the rule of different caliphates, including the Rashidun, Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphate. The 11th century saw the establishment of Crusader states, which fell to the Ayyubids and the Mamluks, and eventually the Ottomans. Under Ottoman ruler Abdulmejid I, the first Lebanese proto-state, the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, was established in the 19th century as a home for Maronite Christians, in the Tanzimat period.

Lebanon is a developing country, ranked 112th on the Human Development Index. It has been classified as an upper-middle-income state. 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 Lebanese diaspora. Lebanon is a founding member of the United Nations and of the Arab League, and is 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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Modern distribution of Levantine

Levantine Arabic, also called Shami (autonym: ‏شامي‎ šāmi or اللهجة الشامية el-lahje š-šāmiyye), is an Arabic variety spoken in the Levant, namely in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and southern Turkey (historically only in Adana, Mersin and Hatay provinces). With over 54 million speakers, Levantine is, alongside Egyptian, one of the two prestige varieties of spoken Arabic comprehensible all over the Arab world.

Levantine is not officially recognized in any state or territory. Although it is the majority language in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria, it is predominantly used as a spoken vernacular in daily communication, whereas most written and official documents and media in these countries use the official Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), a form of literary Arabic only acquired through formal education that does not function as a native language. In Israel and Turkey, Levantine is a minority language.

The Palestinian dialect is the closest vernacular Arabic variety to MSA, with about 50% of common words. Nevertheless, Levantine and MSA are not mutually intelligible. Levantine speakers therefore often call their language ‏العامية‎ al-ʿāmmiyya , 'slang', 'dialect', or 'colloquial'. However, with the emergence of social media, attitudes toward Levantine have improved. The amount of written Levantine has significantly increased, especially online, where Levantine is written using Arabic, Latin, or Hebrew characters. Levantine pronunciation varies greatly along social, ethnic, and geographical lines. Its grammar is similar to that shared by most vernacular varieties of Arabic. Its lexicon is overwhelmingly Arabic, with a significant Aramaic influence. (Full article...)

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1940 Mandatory Palestine v Lebanon football match Bodashtart Byzantine Empire Fakhr al-Din II Law school of Berytus Roman temple of Bziza Royal necropolis of Byblos Russian occupations of Beirut Salih ibn Mirdas Temple of Eshmun

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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 people are robbing Lebanese banks to get their own money back?
... that Lebanese LGBT rights activist Sandra Melhem, one of the foremost promoters of drag culture in Beirut, was given an award for her humanitarian relief work after the 2020 Beirut explosion?
... 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?
... that Albert Bahhuth fled the Lebanese Civil War and owned a Subway franchise before being named an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles?
... that the first day of filming of the psychological thriller Farah coincided with the beginning of the 2019 Lebanese protests?

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Saad with Ansar in 2019

Hassan Ali "Soony" Saad (/ˈsuːni ˈsɑːd/ SOO-nee SAHD; Arabic: حسن علي "سوني" سعد, [ˈħasan ˈʕali ˈsoːni ˈsaʕad]; born August 17, 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Malaysian club Penang and the Lebanon national team.

Saad began his senior career with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Sporting Kansas City in 2011, with whom he won the 2012 U.S. Open Cup and 2013 MLS Cup. He moved to Thailand with BEC Tero Sasana before their 2015 season. However, due to an injury, he didn't appear for the club, and was sent out on loan to Pattaya United in the 2016 season. Saad returned to Sporting KC in 2017, and was sent on loan to their affiliate club Swope Park Rangers, before joining Indy Eleven in 2018. He then moved back to Asia, playing for Ansar in Lebanon, Ansan Greeners in South Korea, Al-Wehdat in Jordan, PT Prachuap in Thailand, and Penang in Malaysia.

Born in the United States, Saad also holds Lebanese citizenship due to his origins. He is a former United States youth international and a full Lebanon international since 2013. Saad represented Lebanon at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the 2015 and 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, and the 2019 WAFF Championship. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Flag as drawn and approved by the members of the Lebanese parliament during the declaration of independence in 1943 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 2A building in Ghazieh, near Sidon, bombed by the Israeli Air Force (IAF), 20 July 2006 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 3Csontváry Kosztka, Tivadar - Pilgrimage to the Cedars of Lebanon (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 4Anti-Syrian protesters heading to Martyrs' Square in Beirut on foot and in vehicles, 13 March 2005 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 5Palm trees at the seafront in Corniche Beirut (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 6An array of Lebanese cuisine. (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 7City of Zahlé at the eastern edge of the Mount Lebanon Range in eastern Lebanon (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 8Bashir Shihab II (from History of Lebanon)
Image 9Gibran Khalil Gibran Garden and surroundings in Beirut Central District, Majidiye, Beirut (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 10Beirut in 1950 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 11Aerial photo of Beirut, Lebanon's capital (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 12Protesters in Beirut. Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, 20 October 2019 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 13Beiteddine Palace, venue of the Beiteddine Festival (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 14Christian 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 15Portrait of Elie Hobeika (from History of Lebanon)
Image 16The Green Line that separated West and East Beirut, 1982 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 17Sidewalk Cafes are a trademark of the BCD (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 18Portrait 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 19Map 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 20A map of Mount Lebanon c. AD 1180 (from History of Lebanon)
Image 21The Grand Serail, also known as the Government Palace, is the headquarters of the prime minister of Lebanon (from Politics of Lebanon)
Image 22Rue Maarad is a main street in the central district (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 23Fakhreddine II (from History of Lebanon)
Image 24Aftermath of the 4 August 2020 Beirut explosion (from History of Lebanon)
Image 25Khalil Gibran (April 1913) (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 26Fairuz playing guitar (from Culture of Lebanon)
Image 27Map of the Shebaa farms (from History of Lebanon)
Image 28Lebanon Parliament 2018 (from Politics of Lebanon)
Image 29Map 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 30The funeral of the assassinated Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri (from History of Lebanon)
Image 31A selection of Lebanese dishes from Cafe Nouf Restaurant in London (from Culture of Lebanon)