Ancient cedars
Up to 35 m.
LBM1948 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jerzy Strzelecki — CC BY-SA 3.0 · BlingBling10 at English Wikipedia — CC BY-SA 3.0 · LBM1948 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · LBM1948 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · LBM1948 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Canaïma — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jerzy Strzelecki — CC BY-SA 3.0
A small grove of ancient cedars at more than 2,000 m above the town of Bsharri and the Qadisha Valley, one of the last remnants of the great cedar forests that once covered Mount Lebanon. The cedar is the symbol of Lebanon and sits at the centre of its flag. The Phoenicians, Egyptians and other ancient peoples built ships and temples from Lebanese cedar, and the forests appear in the Epic of Gilgamesh. The grove was walled in 1876 to protect it and, together with the Qadisha Valley, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. Some of the trees are truly huge; four have reached about 35 m. You walk marked paths between the broad trunks, and the air is cool even in summer. Entry is free, with a donation box for the forest's upkeep, per visitor guides. In winter snow covers the area and ski slopes open nearby, so the best time to walk among the trees is late spring to autumn.
Up to 35 m.
Between the trunks.
From above.
The Cedars, above Bsharri
Snow covers the area in winter, making the paths hard to walk, though the grove can be seen from outside and nearby ski slopes open. Late spring to autumn is best for walking.