Beirut

The history of Beirut describes that Egyptians made the original settlement around second millennium. During 635 A.D.E, it was captured and reestablished by Muslims of Damascus. In 1110, Beirut was over taken by Christian force and they established it as colony of Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Christians were pushed out by the Mamluks of Syria who captured the city in 1291. In 17th century, Beirut became the supplier of "Lebanese Silk" to Europe during the Ottoman rules. At present, Beirut is well known as biggest and capital city of Lebanon with the population around over 2.1 million people. It is also very famous as main and largest seaport of the country.

The culture of Beirut is mainly influenced by the contributions of several people and civilizations like Romans, Greeks and Arabs. The culture of the city involves many museums, stadiums sports. The Beirut International Film Festival and Al Bustan Festival are also a part of its heritage culture. The sports events of Beirut include Hip Ball, and Beirut Marathon.

Sightseeing in Beirut

Beirut has numerous attractive sightseeing and historic attractions for tourists including buildings of Parisian style, parliament building, high rise buildings, and museums etc. Some of the famous places are Verdun, Churches of Harissa, Solidere, Hamra Street, Bills Street, and Our Lady of Harissa etc. There are also countless churches to see including The Saint Louis Church of Capucins, The Evangelical Church and The Greek Catholic Cathedral of Saint Elias. Travelers can visit the colorful museums of Beirut including National Museum of Beirut, Sursock Museum, and the Grand Serail.

The main sports clubs to see in Beirut are Golf Club of Lebanon, Beirut Municipal Stadium, and Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium. The ones who are in love with horse racing can enjoy a nice ride at Beirut Hippodrome. Travelers can enjoy boating in the underground river of Jeita Grottoes. For shopping driven visitors city has many but the best one of them is the Hamra Street which consists of lots of stores.

Airlines flying to Beirut

Middle East Airline, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Air France, Kuwait Airways,  offer cheap tickets to Beirut

Passport and Visa requirements for US Citizens

A valid passport and visa are required to enter Lebanon. Americans arriving without valid passports and the appropriate visa may not be permitted to enter and will be subject to a fine and immediate deportation at the traveler''s expense