(Typical Mountain Town 27 km)
Ghazir,
east
of
coastal
Maamaltein,
is
the
birthplace
of
Emir
Bechir
Chehab
II
(1767-1850)
and
home
to
many
17th
and
18th
century
churches
and
monasteries.
The
college
of
Deir
Mar
Maroun,
built
by
the
Jesuits
in
1843-44,
stands
on
the
remains
of
a
medieval
monastery.
Note
the
Renaissance-style
facade
of
its
church,
a
typical
example
of
European
influence
on
Lebanon's
architecture.
The
monastery's
School
of
Theology,
which
moved
to
Beirut
in
1874,
became
the
nucleus
of
the
modern
University
of
Saint
Joseph.
The
town
has
a
number
of
old
houses
belonging
to
the
Chehab
family,
including
the
traditional
house
where
President
Fouad
Chehab
(1958-1964)
Ghazir is a wine producing area, and the home of Musar vineyards.
Beit Khashbo, near Ghazir, is the site of a restored late 18th century monastery built around an interior courtyard. The church door is decorated with admirable sobriety, while inside, a Roman Byzantine sarcophagus with a Latin inscription serves as a water basin.
(BYBLOS - JEITA GROTTO - TRIPOLI - SIDON - ZAHLÉ - BAALBECK)
(THE CEDARS - TYRE - BEITEDDINE - AANJAR)
EGYPT - SYRIA - JORDAN