Beirut is the capital of Lebanon, the state is very small in the area. But ancient and very interesting for tourists. The city survived a lot of destruction and rebuilt many times. A lot of era changed, and this capital remains very beautiful for many attractive. Residents of other Arab countries call Beirut Arab Paris. And it is not surprising. After all, the Muslim East and Freedom of Europe gets along in Beirut in the neighborhood. In Beirut, many mosques, where believers are going to pray. And at the same time, the annual Arab beauty contest "Miss Lebanon" is arranged in this city, in which the competition participants perform in very indispensable outfits. This competition gave many girls a ticket to a big scene. For example, the most famous Arab singer Haifa Vekhebe, Lebank by origin, was the winner of this contest.
There are also a lot of other famous Arab singers from Lebanon. For example, Ragb Alam and Nancy Ajram can be proud of their beautiful homeland.
But the long-suffering capital of Lebanon saw not only fun and happy times. After all, even recently there was a war on her territory. And this circumstance could not but slow down the influx of tourists. But Beirut as a Phoenix is reborn from the flame and attracts a huge number of tourists every year.
One of the most famous and also free attractions like the Lebanese capital is the embankment. This is a favorite place for walking and sports of local residents. There are young people and families with children. You can see a lot of people rolling on roller skating or bicycles. And also many are engaged in running. Especially crowded on the embankment in the evening, when the day heat falls. But besides exercising sports and walks, you can eat on the embankment. After all, there are a lot of cafes, restaurants and just institutions where you can drink coffee and smoke hookah.
But it is the Lebanese in the Arab world that are known for their cuisine, in which they surpassed many of their colleagues. All Arabs believe that the Lebanese is best prepared. And it is difficult to argue with this when we have lunch or have a dinner in the Lebanese restaurant.
Even in the usual cafes, there are no cooks, but the real masters. Of meat, vegetables and seafood, they make a whole work of art on a dish. Very colorful and appetizing everything is issued. Also, very tasty Lebanese sweets can also be tried in Beirut. And if the tourist plans to take sweets home, it is worth only to say about this to the seller and it will pack the order for free into a special box, which can be transported on the plane.
For hanging lovers in Beirut there are many large shopping centers. The most famous and popular BEIRUT MALL and ABC ASHRAFIEH.These centers attract tourists and locals. There are a lot of shops of different price categories. In these Mollah you can buy clothes at affordable prices and exclusive in the boutiques of world brands. In addition, they have a lot of restaurants in Arab and European cuisine. And also are often carried out. I was lucky to see the National Arab dance Dabka. There are also large children's entertainment centers. Interestingly and children and adults. And the biggest plus of these Molls is their design. As happened everywhere in Beirut, the Arab national interior in shopping centers is combined with European.
In shopping centers, fixed prices and sales are usually on holidays, for example, at the end of Ramadan.
But where it is really possible to bargain, so it is in the markets. For example. There is an old central market.
It is located on medieval street and there are a lot of shops. where you can buy everything from clothes and ending with antiques.
In Lebanon there are shops where exclusive products are actually selling. For example, handmade carpets, wood and silver products, which will serve for the very exquisite interior.
In addition to shopping, gastronomic and other entertainment, in Beirut you can visit many interesting places.
Star Square
This area, which Arabs is called Sakhat Al Nezhma is located in the center of the Old Town. At the time of Roman rule, there was a forum on the spot of this area. This area has been reconstructed, but if you carefully look at, then you can see the traces of ancient history on this area. This area is really like a star resembles a star, and the streets are diverged from her center in different directions. In the center there is a clock tower.
This area is one of the city's nightlife centers.On the streets, tourists and local residents love to walk, sit in a cafe. By the way, there are many shops, where you can buy souvenirs at all inexpensive. And you can enjoy even just sitting in a cafe, smoking a hookah and looking at strolling people.
Mosque Omari.
For lovers of history, you should visit the oldest building of Beirut, who managed to survive after numerous wars. This is the famous Omari Mosque. She is named so in honor of Omar Ben Hattaba, who was Caliph. But at this place was not always a mosque. In the time of the Roman Empire, we were the temple of Jupiter, and later the Byzantine temple. And the building of the current mosque was originally the church of John the Baptist and was built during the times of crusades. In the 12th century, Salah Ed Dean ordered to rebuild the church in the mosque. And after the short conquest, the Crusaders of Beirut were redesigned again and since then the building is in the hands of Muslims.
And for children in Beirut, there is a children's museum of science "Planet Discovery", a very interesting and informative place.
With public transport in Beirut is not very convenient. There are no buses and need Arabic knowledge to read the route. The easiest way to use the services of a taxi, but they must be traded with them. And even more convenient to move around the city. You can take a car for hire.
I really liked the little tourists in Beirut. And especially their few of Russia. Prices compared to neighboring countries above. But this city is worth a visit. Such an atmosphere no longer in one country will not find.