Those who are eager to know Lebanon’s history and heritage have just to drive their car for a half an hour distance towards Zaarour region, climb up to a hill suspended between the sky and the earth, where a feeling that they are in heaven overwhelms them once they reach there…. It simply is “Haida Loubnan” an Arabic for “This is Lebanon”. Arriving at the top of this hill, you feel as if you are sitting with the Phoenicians, rejoicing Cadmus’s discovery of the letter, looking forward to Pythagoras’s mathematics and learning with Libanos the art of speech and logic. You also can see from up there the Egyptian port of Tyre, the Assyrians and Persians’ ruins at Nahr al-Kalb, and the Crusaders’ faith in Byblos…It is “Haida Loubnan”. “Haida Loubnan” is a typical historical Lebanese town, located on one of Zaarour hills along a rocky plateau that overlooks the sea from one side and Sannine Mountain, Metn and Kesrwan from the other. The distinctive project is located on a rocky upland and is composed of many specialized places that symbolize Lebanon’s history and map which consists of 1622 villages from which a tile is taken and cut to take the natural form of the village where it was taken from and is placed as a Mosaic puzzle piece on the map. Each village is separated from the other by a Mosaic Silicon border. When a person visits the place, he directly knows which village he is from as the tile will be lit and he will get a certificate which reminds that the said village is a typical one … Why not?! As each region has its own story and a tale that takes us back to the old good days. “National News Agency” has met with the entrepreneur Fadi Bou Dagher who explained eagerly the project which has been the dream of many people yet they failed to accomplish it. He considered that “the village will allow you to discover the history of Lebanon and the civilizations of the people that resided it since its composition,” explaining at length the contents of the typical village which will include the village shop, gifts, heritage and Lebanese souvenirs.” He added that the village contains also Pope Benedict’s cedars, where a cedar sacred forest was planted and named “The Pope Cedar”, because the cedar trees that were planted were blessed by the Pope during the Mass that he made in September 2012 during his visit to Lebanon. The village also contains green meadow where people can enjoy picnics and barbecues in an atmosphere of spectacular scenes. Bou Dagher added that the village also has a wide yard known as the “village square” which accommodates for 1800 persons and where concerts can be held. It also includes a theater a building that includes a gym and meeting halls that occupy for more than 200 persons as well as a restaurant named “Sroud 3 Broud”. He added, “The most prominent in all of this, is an Austrian European playground which meets international specifications for children,” in addition to a site which determines the distance of the European, American and Australian countries from Lebanon. Bou Dagher added that the village is equipped with WIFI, pointing to the presence of an application to the project. He also pointed to the presence of a street, named “Expatriates’ street”, in the village in which 18 flags of Western countries were raised. As for the upcoming summer activities Bou Dagher said, “In the next week there will be an Austrian day which will take place in the presence of the Ambassador of Austria and the Austrian Diaspora,” adding that next Thursday Miss World 2015 and Miss Top Model will attend a night at the village, on 11 July, there will be a Cyprus day in the presence of the Ambassador of Cyprus and on 15 July an Australian day will be held in the presence of the Australian Diaspora. He went on , “we will distribute publications on Lebanon and its civilization because we want to market Lebanon” and to give all people the opportunity to know it. “Haida Loubnan” is a typical cultural heritage village, which represents Lebanon’s civilization and geography in details. Written by: Rima Youssef NNA
