• Bangladesh!

    Bangladesh: Traditional houses. Go Now!

    Bangladesh
    This low-lying country has historic ties to India and Pakistan, but today maintains a wholly unique culture. Explore Bangladesh!

  • Indonesia!

    Indonesia: Lombok. Go Now!

    Indonesia
    This archipelago nation is culturally diverse from big cities to isolated islands. Begin Your Journey!

  • Jordan!

    Jordan: Petra. Go Now!

    Jordan
    Tucked away in this Middle Eastern country, the famed city of Petra (pictured) links the past to the present culture. Explore Jordan!

  • Mongolia!

    Mongolia: Desert. Go Now!

    Mongolia
    This vast country has a culture that spans past and present... a nomadic life shifting to a modern & sedentary society. Begin Your Journey!

  • Kyrgyzstan!

    Kyrgyzstan: Tian Shan Mountains. Go Now!

    Kyrgyzstan
    The mountains, including the Tian Shan Mountains (pictured), give Kyrgyzstan a unique culture, partially formed from this isolation from the mountains. Go Now!

Architecture of Lebanon

WARNING: Terrorist threats and violence exist in Lebanon, please read this travel warning before going!

Lebanese Architecture - House in Byblos
House in Byblos

Lebanon's architecture is oddly limited in scope. Despite the region's incredibly long history under the Phoenicians and Romans, these early people left few great remains behind. Following them came the Christians and later the Muslims, but again they left few early monuments.

It was the Muslims that had the greatest impact on the architecture, not in the sense that much has lasted to the present from their arrival in the 600s, but rather in what they build and in what style they build it. Like the rest of the Islamic world, mosques were built in great numbers and for the most part these mosques were in a style similar to those found in neighboring Syria or elsewhere in the Middle East.

Running parallel to Islamic architecture, Christian architecture was also built, primarily in the form of churches and housing. Unfortunately, due to instability and wars over the years many early buildings have been destroyed or have been rebuilt in more modern styles. Of the remaining historic architecture, nearly all of it can be found in the capital of Beirut.

Like the historic architecture, most modern architecture can be found in the capital as well. Modern architecture arrived in the mid-1900s when an incredible amount of building took place as Lebanon became the banking capital of the Middle East. However, this architectural blossoming ended with wars and violence as their return to building has been slow; much of the construction immediately after the wars has been in renovations.

In the 1980s the country again began to build, this time in a post-modern style as most of this architecture was constructed in the capital of Beirut, including the President's Palace.

This page was last updated: March, 2013