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If you were born anytime after, say, 1974, you probably associate Lebanon and its capital city of Beirut with political strife, violence, and bombed-out buildings. But this beautiful, misunderstood country is far more than its troubled past.
Lebanon is a tiny nation on the eastern side of the Mediterranean. Beirut was once known as the Paris of the East, a holiday getaway for movie stars, moguls, and spies. Lebanon’s coast is still a dreamy beach destination with long stretches of sand — or dramatic rock formations — lined with palm trees on one side and perfect turquoise-blue water on the other.
The name Lebanon comes from the Semitic word lbn in reference to the snow-kissed Mount Lebanon range. The interior’s rugged mountains are great for winter skiing and hiking among the fragrant cedar trees during the warmer months.
You can also visit wineries, explore ancient ruins, dance the dabke, and eat delicious things like hummus, kibbeh, kofta, tabbouleh, and baklava — a.k.a. some of Mel’s favorite food in the world.
In this episode, we briefly walk through the long history of Lebanon, delve into amazing stories of sibling rivalry and bank robbery, and Mel shares stories about her Lebanese great-grandmother. Then we recommend great books that took us to Lebanon on the page, including a family saga, an unusual coming-of-age story, an adventure memoir about a life-changing bike ride, a story-filled cookbook, and a journalist’s account of connecting to his Lebanese heritage.
Read the full transcript of Lebanon: Surrender to the Call of the Mijwiz.
Middle Eastern Cooking by Rose Dosti
Pita the Great by Virginia Habeeb
Disoriental by Négar Djavadi, Tina Kover (translator)
Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht
Perhaps you’d like to listen to some music while you dig into these links.
And some photos to set the scene…
The cedar tree is a symbol of national identity, strength, and resilience in Lebanon.
Lebanon history timeline, from the BBC
What became of Beirut’s 1960s jet-set playgrounds. (BRB, just going to time travel to 1956 and lounge on a deck chair at the Saint George Yacht Club.)
Statement 1: Every reader owes a debt to a beautiful seaside city in Lebanon. The word bible is derived from the name Byblos; more here and here.
Statement 2: There is a house in Beirut that was built out of spite. Read more about the feuding brothers here and here. Atlas Obscura has more and photos.
Statement 3: A US man was once asked to rob a bank in Beirut — and he did so — only to later realize that he had robbed the wrong bank. Darknet Diaries podcast has the scoop on this misguided bank job. {: .pretty_list }]
Anthony Shadid was the author of House of Stone. Here’s his obituary and an interview on NPR with his colleague Rajiv Chandrasekaran, talking about the book.
Shadid made a series of charming videos while he was restoring his family home in Lebanon. You can watch them here.
Naji Bakhti is the author of From Beirut to the Moon. Follow the author on Instagram and Twitter.
Maureen Abood is the author of Rose Water and Orange Blossoms. Her website has tons of recipes; follow her on Instagram and Twitter. Here’s an essay she wrote about grape leaves, and an interview with Taste & Flavors.
She also has an excellent YouTube channel with how-to cooking videos.
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Top image courtesy of Khaled Bakkora/Shutterstock.
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Strong Sense of Place is a website and podcast dedicated to literary travel and books we love. Reading good books increases empathy. Empathy is good for all of us and the amazing world we inhabit.
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