FOREST OF THE CEDARS OF GOD (ARZ EL-RABB)

" Les Cèdres is the most famous natural monuments of the universe. " Alphonse de Lamartine, trip to the East. At 1 920 m above sea level, a little wood of cedar (national emblem) - the most beautiful tree measuring 35 m high and 14 m of circumference - miraculously survived the massive deforestation of the Lebanese mountain. Three hundred trees, of which twelve millennia, are concentrated on a small surface.

Coveted from antiquity for its imputrescibilité, cedar wood was used in the shipyards and the building of the temples. In addition, cedar oil was an essential element of the mummification process. From the third millennium, ships, loaded with this precious wood, sailed to Egypt. In the Second millennium, the Assyrians, and then many other conquerors, will also exploit the forest of cedars. In the face of the significant deforestation of the Lebanese mountain, it seems that the cup was regulated in Roman times by Emperor Hadrian. But in the fall of the empire, the cedars continued to disappear slowly leaving square to an arid and mineral landscape.

The last millennia of millénaires have for years been subjected to the damage of visitors to burn their names in the bark. At present, these venerable trees with majestic frieze are protected and the government has undertaken a reforestation program. The forest of cedars can be visited every day. Admission is free but donations are welcome.

In the middle of this forest, a small chapel was erected in 1843 under the aegis of the Maronite Patriarchate. Every year, the Feast of the Transfiguration (Id ar-Rabb or the Lord's Party) is celebrated on 6 August. The chapel then becomes a pilgrimage place.