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Seven times has Lebanon been  destroyed and seven times has it been rebuilt, according to recent Lebanese history. Except for the few scars of the recent war in 2006 no visitor would believe that the city of Beirut has suffered any form of devastation in history. It is even listed as one of the ten tourist destinations in the world.  As Lagos, the commercial hub of Nigeria, overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, so does Beirut, capital of Lebanon, overlook the blue Mediterranean Sea. And just as tourists besiege the Bar beach, so do visitors hang around the Minet El Hosn Street facing the Mediterranean Sea. Behind the street, into the city are tourist hotels such as the Vendome, Phoenicia, Le Royal, Radisson Martinez, Coral etc. The casinos, government building and the commercial establishments litter the city. Beirut of Lebanon or Beroth of the Phoenician, the one time lords of Lebanon, is indeed an active commercial hub with Mount Lebanon looming large at the back. From this city you can access any part of Lebanon in one and half hours.
Of the country’s 4.5 million population, 13 million are believed to be living abroad. And Beirut boasts of 1.3 million inhabitants. But remittances from Lebanese in diaspora have largely transformed this strategic Arab nation.
As a gateway to the Middle East countries, Asia, Africa and Europe, it takes some four hours to access Cyprus from Lebanon ( Tripoli ) by speed boat across the Mediterranean.

History
Yet the major cities of Lebanon lie along the coastal strip of the Mediterranean, stretching from the North to the South. One third of the country is said to be occupied by mountains. Down south, you enter the biblical Phoenician cities of Tyre and Siddon. The two cities are now known as Sour and Saida respectively. The third historical Phoenician city of Tripoli is located in Northern Lebanon. Southern Lebanon, especially Zahle, capital of Saida, is the agricultural capital of Lebanon. It is also within this region that you encounter Mount Hermon, the Mountain of transfiguration of Jesus Christ, the city of Khana (or Canaan in Galilee) where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine. But this seems controversial as Israel claims the miracle took place in a city of similar name in its territory even as the Lebanese lay claim to archaeological evidence. However, at Jwaya is the cave (grotto) where Jesus is said to have lived.  

Agriculture
To many a tourist, there is much that makes Lebanon tick. Its prowess in agriculture remains a marvel. Moving through the mountainous agricultural plains of the Middle East nation reveals a state in constant battle with nature for space. Lebanon fights the mountains and valleys to extract space for abode and agriculture. Over 40 per cent of the population earns their living from the rocky soil which yields olive trees, apples, grapes, pine trees, figs, oranges, tomatoes etc.
From the olive trees is extracted olive oil which is widely sought after in the international market. The fruits are processed into wine or exported as concentrates to especially France where they are used in making various types of wine. Certainly, Lebanon is not lacking in green vegetables.
Bekaa Valley, in the South, with capital at Zahle, is the food basket of Lebanon ( and indeed, the Romans of old). The city has been in existence since the time of Jesus Christ. Zahle is the largest city in the Megab Plain, the largest agricultural plain located between two mountains – Mount Lebanon and the Range which stands between Lebanon and Syria on the one part and Lebanon and Israel on the other.
Around the Megab Plain are located five wineries, plantations etc. And from the plain spring the major rivers including Rivers Orandis and Hasbani.
Saida (Sidon), one of the oldest Canaan cities, is also noted for fishing and its banana plantations. About 30 per cent of bananas produced in Lebanon come from Saida.

Architecture
The Lebanese take pride in preserving their ancient as well as modern architecture. If it were in some other countries, most of the buildings destroyed in the course of war would have remained as relics for years. However, in Lebanon, destroyed or damaged buildings are restored to their original forms to the extent that an unwary observer would not notice that such an edifice or historical monument has ever suffered destruction. That is why the city of Beirut is ever beautiful and wears no smear of vestiges of war.
Of significant interest is the penchant of the Lebanese, especially the affluent, for an abode on the mountains. As indicated above, the rocky nation not only fights the mountains and valleys for agricultural space for livelihood but also for habitation. Most bungalows and high rise structure have two to five floors underground. And this trend is not a prerogative of the mountain dwellers anyway. Similar tendencies are noticeable in buildings in various parts of the country. Some say it serves security purposes, for whenever war or crisis breaks out everybody retreats into his underground bunker and starts firing in all directions from there.

Infrastructure
Like Nigerians, Lebanese cannot thump their chest about regular power supply. It comes and goes without prior notice. The residence of the Nigerian ambassador and the entire neighbourhood had no power supply the day the Nigerian delegation paid him a courtesy call. But the remarkable difference is that, unlike in Nigeria, most of the generators used by corporate organizations are soundproof. This seems to be a standard requirement. So, you never get to know sometimes when a company is running on generators or using public electricity.
Talking of roads, one cannot but duff one’s hat for the Lebanese authorities. You rarely spot potholes or dangerous spots on Lebanese roads. It is as if Beirut roads are cast on marble. Apart from Beirut which understandably witnesses a daily snag of traffic jams especially during the peak hours, the other cities are free of ugly traffic situations. This is despite the fact that nearly every family in Lebanon is believed to own a car, considering the high number of cars that ply the roads of Lebanon - about two and half million compared to the country’s 4.5 million population.  
The same smooth roads link Beirut to the uttermost parts of Lebanon, from Tripoli to Miziara and mount Lebanon in the north, and from Zahle to Hasbaya, Tyre and Jwaya in the South. Of particular appeal is the way the beautiful roads run rings to the mountain tops. And many a village find habitation around the mountains and valleys through to the top.What may be called villages are indeed glorified cities. High rise buildings of fine architectural designs are woven around the mountains even as part of the natural formation in some cases is made part of the living areas like the living rooms and balconies. 

Tourism
Tourism is an undisputable foreign exchange earner to the Arab nation which is as wide as Lagos State, 2700 km long and 100 km wide. Last year alone…… Lebanon’s major tourist sites include the Jeita grotto, rated among the seven natural wonders of the world. This cave attracts not less than 500 people each day, with tourist paying over $10 to visit the lower and upper grotto. The grotto is outwardly a mountain with a hollow inner side, from bottom to the top. At the base (lower grotto), is a spring that forms the source of a major river, the Dog River. This inner base of the mountain, 13*Celsius, is filled with water stretching a distance of 2 km. From the lower to the upper grotto is hollow without water but an array of various shapes of beautiful rocks adequately illuminated with electricity bulbs. The tourist is taken to the upper grotto by a cable car and enters the inner chambers of the upper grotto on alighting from the car. He climbs a well constructed stair case to a number of vantage positions from which he surveys the impressive formations of rocks on the bowels of the mountain called cave. The stairs lead to the top of the mountain from inside. This tourist site was opened to the public in 1968.
There are also the Hasbaiya historical sites including the biblical Mount Hermon (the mountain of transfiguration). There is also the Castle of the Princes at Hasbaiya built in 1099 by the Crusaders. It is the only castle still inhabited by the original owners. Princes still live there.
The Chateau Ksara, a winery, is located in a cave, two kilometers long with the shape of Lebanon. The winery produces some 2.5 million bottles per annum. Fifty five per cent of its annual output is exported to France while 45 per cent is consumed locally.
In the north of the country, in Miziara, there is a Monastery built by Maxelle Chagoury, owner of Lagoon Restaurant in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Importantly, in Khana ( the biblical Canaan in Galilee) there is the grotto where Jesus was said to have lived. There are also carvings on stones depicting the 12 apostles and Jesus Christ as well as the bride and groom at whose wedding Jesus turned water into wine. Archaeologists, according to tour guide, Ely, have confirmed the carvings as dating back to over 2000 years ago (the time of Christ).  

The Lebanese woman
Lebanese women according to an unofficial source rank among the most beautiful women in the world. Some even say they are most beautiful. Yet their men find Nigerian women irresistible. There in the mountains at Miziara, yours sincerely ran into a woman from Mbano, in Imo State who has been married to a Lebanese for 27 good years. Patricia Chidiac is the name, a business woman married to Habib Chidiac, the son of the late mayor of the area. The marriage is blessed with four children, two boys and two girls, some of whom are already in the universities.
Similiarly, Jamil Akari Abdallah was just 15 years old when he arrived in Nigeria in 1937. Six years later, he got married to Mary Joseph Bikbajeh who hailed from Warri, Delta State. Their marriage is blessed with seven children. 
Long live Nigeria! Long live Lebanon!