Lebanon

Hey, I don't know what to say about my country... funny hein ?

It's a really small country of 10,452 km² located in the middle east... Hope some body know where is the middle east cuz a lot of my friends doesn't so I say that it's the country that is just above Israel...

Lebanon have a good geographical position between the three continents (Europe, Africa and Asia) and a good geography as the mountains are only 5 hours in car far from the beach (Mediterranean Sea)...

The main sectors of Lebanese economy are tourism and banking : "It was considered the banking capital of the Arab world and was widely known as the "Switzerland of the Middle East" due to its financial power. Lebanon also attracted large numbers of tourists, to the point that the capital Beirut became widely referred to as the "Paris of the Middle East." -> Wikipedia

Lebanon is the Arab country which have the largest number of Christians (40% of the total population) and I think the only Arab country where Christians can leave freely. There's several Christian religions but the most know are : Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Melkite Greek Catholics, Chaldean Catholic.

The official language of the country is Arabic. French are mostly used in education and on official documents while english are used in computing (softwares) and of course movies which are diffused in Original Version. The most spoke language is lebanese which is a little different of the written Arabic (words - pronunciations).

Lebanon took it's independence on November 22, 1943 under a French mandate.
Lebanese Flag :


That's a few words about my country, you can get more informations on : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon

P.S: Sorry I won't translate this topic in french unless some body asks me to do it... The questions are welcome

Did you make copy-stick? I understand now why you don't want to translate...

It's nice and I wonder, what means the flag's colors and symbols?

Sam wrote:

Did you make copy-stick? I understand now why you don't want to translate...

Non Sam je n'ai pas fait de copier-coller. J'ai tout écrit moi-même. Tout pourras toujours vérifier. C'est juste que la traduction prendrait beaucoup de temps... Mais si tu veux je peux la faire, tu n'as qu'à demander...
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No Sam I didn't copy and paste. I wrote everything my self ! You can always check. It's just that translation will take a long time... But if you want I can do it, just ask ...

Jérôme wrote:

It's nice and I wonder, what means the flag's colors and symbols?

La couleur rouge est le symbole du sang versé de tous les martyrs qui sont morts pour l'indépendance du liban.
La couleur blanche est le symbole de la paix et représente aussi la neige sur les sommets des montagnes.
Et le cèdre au ilieu représente la force et la verdure du liban (le cèdre resiste au froid et reste vert toute l'année)
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The red color is the symbol of the poured blood of all the martyrs that died for the independance of lebanon.
The white color is the symbol of peace and also represent the snow on the top of the mountains.
And the cedar in the middle represent the strengh and the greeness of lebanon (the cedars resist to the cold and stay green all the year)

I have learnt something!
I've never seen this flag before...thanks fady!

Yes i learnt something too!!! Thanks for those details. That would be so great if one day we would have one person of all the country in the the world on this forum. Don't you think ???

I guess nobody talk about USA or CANADA or even thailand ...

See you

I'll do something about Thailand soon, and probably Cambodia.

I wonder Faddy, do you know what talk about the Lebannon national anthem? Is that this song you use on your personnal website? Could you add link here?

C'est Fady et pas Faddy Jérome !!!
En tout cas oui pourquoi pas ? alors pour ceux qui veulent juste connaître la traduction des paroles en anglais vous les trouverez dans la partie en anglais. Pour ceux qui veulent écouter l'hymne national avec les paroles originales en arabe cliquer ici. Sinon si vous voulez juste écouter le rythme de l'hymne national cliquer ici
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It's Fady and not Faddy Jerome !!!
Anyway, yes why not ? so for those who just want to know the translation of the lyrics in english here they are :

All for the country, for the glory, for the flag
From the beginning of centuries, our pencil and sword
Our field and mountains are making the men
Our word and work on the way of perfection
All for the country, for the glory for the flag

Young and old at the voice of the country
Lions of forest at the time of violation
Our east is its heart forever Lebanon Its
God protects it all over the time
All for the country, for the glory for the flag

Its sea, its land, are the pearl of the two orients
Its symbol, its charity, fill up the two poles
Its name is its triumph since the time of our grandfathers
Its glory is its cedars, its symbol is for the end of epochs
All for the country, for the glory for the flag

For those who want to hear the national anthem with the original lyrics in arabic click here. Else if you just want to hear the rythm of the national anthem click here

J'ai oublié de dire que le Liban a des frontières avec la Syrie au nord et à l'est et avec la Palestine ou Israël au Sud.
La frontière Est and un peu naturelle parce qu'il y a des montagnes sur presque toute la frontière.
À l'ouest on a la mer méditerranée.
Les villes les plus importantes sont Beirouth (La capitale), Tripoli (où je vivais), Byblos (une ville historique et touristique) et Tyr et Sidon.
Vous pouvez une carte du Liban ici
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I forgot to say that lebanon have borders with Syria from the north and the East and with Palestine or Israël from the South.
The East border are some kind of natural because there's mountains on almost all the frontier.
At the Ouest we have the mediterranean sea.
The Main Cities are Beiruth (The capital), Tripoli (where I was living), Byblos (an historical and touristical city) and Tyr and Sidon.
You can view a map of lebanon here

This is Lebanon whose supplies Salomon in cedars for his royal palaces, and for God's Temple. Is this he why of the tree on the flag?

En effet Jérome le Liban apparaît plusieurs fois dans la Bible et on peut voir les différents versets ici.
Mais ce à quoi personne ne fait attention c'est qu'au temps de la Bible le Liban n'était qu'une chaine de montagnes "Les monts du Liban" et que le pays était la Phénicie.
Je ne sais pas si le cèdre a été choisit à cause des références bibliques mais je pense plutôt un symbole de la royauté (prestige), de l'éternité du Liban, de la résistance aux difficultés, etc...
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Youre right Jerome, Lebanon appears several time in the Bible and we can the different verses here.
But what nobody pay attention to is that in the time of the Bible, Lebanon was only a mountains chain "Mounts of Lebanon" and the country was Phenicy.
I don't know if the cedar has been chosen for the biblic references but I rather think that's a symbol of royalty (prestige), of Lebanon's eternity, the ressitance to the difficulties, etc...

I think so, 2 Chronicles 2:8:

"Also send me (Salomon, to King Hiram) cedar, cypress, and almug logs from Lebanon...".

Maybe Lebanon's mountains were part of Tyre at that time.

"The Lebanon Cedar is mentioned 75 times in the Bible, for example:
* "the priest shall take cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet stuff, and cast them into the midst of the burning of the heifer" (Numbers 19:6)
* "the righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar in Lebanon" (Psalm 92:12)
* "I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive" (Isaiah 41: 19)
* "Behold, I will liken you to a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and forest shade" (Ezekiel 31:3)
* "I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars" (Amos 2:9).

The Lebanon Cedar has always been the national emblem of Lebanon, and it is seen on the Lebanese Flag. It is also the main symbol of the Cedar Revolution, along with many political parties in Lebanon." Wikipedia

Le liban faisait partie de la Phénicie (Je l'ai déjà précisé ci-dessus).

Pour les références je trouves 71 dans la "Concordance Biblique", Je les mets ci-après en les classant par ordre :
(Deutéronome 1:7) (Deutéronome 3:25) (Deutéronome 11:24) (Josué 1:4)(Josué 9:1) (Josué 11:17) (Josué 12:7) (Josué 13:5) (Josué 13:6) (Juges 3:3) (Juges 9:15) (1 Rois 4:33) (1 Rois 5:6) (1 Rois 5:9) (1 Rois 5:14) (1 Rois 7:2) (1 Rois 9:19) (1 Rois 10:17) (1 Rois 10:21) (2 Rois 14:9) (2 Rois 19:23) (2 Chroniques 2:8) (2 Chroniques 2:16) (2 Chroniques 8:6)(2 Chroniques 9:16) (2 Chroniques 9:20) (2 Chroniques 25:18) (Esdras 3:7) (Psaume 29:5) (Psaume 29:6) (Psaume 72:16) (Psaume 92:12)(Psaume 104:16)(Cantique des Cantiques 3:9) (Cantique des Cantiques 4:8)(Cantique des Cantiques 4:11)(Cantique des Cantiques 4:15)(Cantique des Cantiques 5:15)(Cantique des Cantiques 7:4)(Ésaïe 2:13)(Ésaïe 10:34)(Ésaïe 14:8)(Ésaïe 33:9)(Ésaïe 35:2)(Ésaïe 37:24)(Ésaïe 40:16)(Ésaïe 60:13)(Jérémie 18:14)(Jérémie 22:6)(Jérémie 22:20)(Jérémie 22:23)(Ézéchiel 17:3)(Ézéchiel 27:5)(Ézéchiel 31:3)(Ézéchiel 31:15)(Ézéchiel 31:16)(Osée 14:5)(Osée 14:6)(Osée 14:7)(Nahum 1:4)(Habakuk 2:17)(Zacharie 10:10) (Zacharie 11:1)

Pour ceux qui se demande ce que c'est la Révolution du Cèdre vous pouvez le trouver ici.
Merci Wikipédia ! mdr

Par la même occasion, leymiris m'a rappelé (involontairement) qu'un groupe d'étudiants libanais avaient fait une présentation du liban pour la présenter à l'UTBM (l'université ou je suis). Bref, voici le lien pour regarder la présentation : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYQ8KteJL1M. La présentation montre quelques villes du liban, des images de paysages, des images de la guerre avec israël, et evidemment les cèdres... mdr
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Lebanon was part of Phoenicia (Sorry for the translation in the message up there)

For the references, I found 21 in the "Concordance Biblique", I put them here by classifying them by order :
(Deuteronomy 1:7) (Deuteronomy 3:25) (Deuteronomy 11:24) (Joshua 1:4)(Joshua 9:1) (Joshua 11:17) (Joshua 12:7) (Joshua 13:5) (Joshua 13:6) (Judges 3:3) (Judges 9:15) (1 Kings 4:33) (1 Kings 5:6) (1 Kings 5:9) (1 Kings 5:14) (1 Kings 7:2) (1 Kings 9:19) (1 Kings 10:17) (1 Kings 10:21) (2 Kings 14:9) (2 Kings 19:23) (2 Chronicles 2:8) (2 Chronicles 2:16) (2 Chronicles 8:6)(2 Chronicles 9:16) (2 Chronicles 9:20) (2 Chronicles 25:18) (Ezra 3:7) (Psalms 29:5) (Psalms 29:6) (Psalms 72:16) (Psalms 92:12)(Psalms 104:16)(Song of Songs 3:9) (Song of Songs 4:8)(Song of Songs 4:11)(Song of Songs 4:15)(Song of Songs 5:15)(Song of Songs 7:4)(Isaiah 2:13)(Isaiah 10:34)(Isaiah 14:8)(Isaiah 33:9)(Isaiah 35:2)(Isaiah 37:24)(Isaiah 40:16)(Isaiah 60:13)(Jeremiah 18:14)(Jeremiah 22:6)(Jeremiah 22:20)(Jeremiah 22:23)(Ezekiel 17:3)(Ezekiel 27:5)(Ezekiel 31:3)(Ezekiel 31:15)(Ezekiel 31:16)(Hosea 14:5)(Hosea 14:6)(Hosea 14:7)(Nahum 1:4)(Habakkuk 2:17)(Zechariah 10:10) (Zechariah 11:1)

For those who are wondering what is the Cedar Revolution, you can find it here.
Thanks Wikipedia ! lol

By same occasion, leymiris remembered me (involuntarily) that a group of lebanese students have done a presentation of lebanon to show it at the UTBM (the university where I study). Anyway, this is the link to watch the presentation : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYQ8KteJL1M. The presentation shows some cities of lebanon, landscapes' pictures, pictures of the war with israël, and of course the cedars... lol

When Lebanon wasn't a muslim coutry, it was a gorgeous coutry (it is still). Then, before the muslims, people didn't use to hang their laundry to dry at the window, this is what an old Lebanese friend told me, is that right?

I had the chance to work in Saoudite Arabia thirty years ago, for Madame Hariri. Here husband was the Presidant, been assassinated. At that time he was only a secretary, employed for another Saoudien people.

I went back to Lebanon for holidays...
Yes you're right Pat ! But we mustn't accuse Muslims or Christians only. All Lebanese people are the same ! And as you talked about Rafik Hariri, he gain a lot of money in saoudia arabia and then done a lot of good things in Lebanon (creating works, constructing the Beirut Airport that now have this name...) and he was a Muslim...
Anyway recently after the problems around the "Bared" river, Lebanon had come back to be a secure place (hope for a long time). They're now preparing to change the government and the President... Hope it will help...
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Je suis rentré au Liban pour les grandes vacances...
Oui tu a raison Pat ! mais on ne doit pas seulement accuser les musulmans ou les chrétiens. Tous les Libanais sont pareils ! Et comme tu as parlé de Rafik Hariri, il a gagné beaucoup d'argent en Arabie Saoudite et il a fait beaucoup de bien à l'économie Libanaise (Création d'emplois, construction de l'aéroport de Beirut qui a pris son nom maintenant...) et c'était un musulman...
En tout cas, récemment, après les problèmes autour du fleuve "Bared", le Liban est redevenu un pays sécurisé (j'espère pour longtemps). Ils sont présentement en train de se préparer à changer le gouvernement et le président... j'espère que ça aidera...