The cultural tourism is a prominent form of tourism, since it is the mirror of the peoples that reflect the culture of the country tourists are visiting, the social, architectural and cultural lifestyle of those people and the arts in all the geographical areas they move in.

Lebanon is one of the culturally richest countries given its ancient history and the passage of different civilizations in its lands, from the human existence in the stone age to the Phoenician cities, from the Roman temples to the convents engraved in the mountains, from the crusader castles to the Mamluk mosques and the Ottoman public Hammams. All this diversity has made Lebanon a mosaic that combines the Orient and the Occident and an encyclopedia of the world civilizations.

Lebanon has an age-old history of cultural tourism. It was visited by lots of European orientalists, scholars and poets who were extremely interested in the oriental Lebanese habits and culture and wanted to have a close view of the historical monuments, the archeological sites, the folklore customes and the religious ceremonies or to go on a pilgrimage to holy places and shrines.

The cultural tourism includes:

Monuments: There are several Greek and Roman ruins, Arab, Byzantine and Crusader castles and fortresses, historical mosques and churches, ruins of temples, palaces and streets, pillars, statues, sculptures, sarcophaguses, illustrations, mosaics, and archaeological finds like tools, jewelry, pottery, weapons and currencies.

Museums: Given the archaeological cultural wealth of Lebanon, which has been accummulated over thousands of years, the Lebanese museums were establish to conserve this rich heritage and to be make it available to the public. There are currently many public museums in Lebanon, in addition to private museums that display the works of Lebanese craftsmen, artists, authors and intellectuals in whom Lebanon take pride.

Most Important Museums in Lebanon: Lebanese National Museum – AUB Museum - Wonders of the Sea Museum - Lebanese Museum for Maritime Life and Wild Life - Historical Museum of Saida - Sidon Soap Museum – Silk Museum - Sursock Museum - Byblos Archaeological Museum - Baalbeck Museum – Beiteddine Palace Museum - Lebanese Heritage Museum - Wax Museum - Marie Baz Museum - Celebrity Museum - Gibran Museum – Ameen Rihani Museum - Mlita Museum which is an outdoor museum about the Lebanese Resistance - etc.

Architectural Heritage: Traditional architecture is part of Lebanon’s identity and its national wealth. It shows how diverse the traditional architectural works are. Heritage is an integral part of the social entity for the man-land-stone is the basis of the traditional architecture which is an expression of the memory of a people and a land.

Arts:

As the saying goes: “If you want to get to know peoples, their arts speak of them” Lebanese are known for their different arts and they earned a local and Arab reputation in singing, music, painting, sculpting, folklore dance, poetry, zajal. They had also a prominent role in modernizing the Arabic poetry, and were among the regular spectators of the Arabic Theatre in Egypt. The cinematography in Lebanon is one the oldest film industries in the Arab world, and dates back to the 1920s, not to mention other arts mastered by the Lebanese.

Festivals: The Lebanese hold several annual festivals to make known their ancient cultural traditions. Some are held for one day, while others may last for days or weeks in the different Lebanese regions. Festivals feature live concerts in which famous Lebanese, Arab and international artists participate, most important of which:

Tyre International Music Festivals - Beiteddine Festival - Baalbeck International Festival – Byblos Festivals - Al Bustan International Festival of Music and Performing Arts - Annual Lebanon Festival of Arabic Poetry in Bint Jbeil - Beirut International Film Festival - International Heritage and Tourism Festival for Lebanese Emigrants, etc.

Handicrafts and Traditional Industries, mainly:

Soap: The local soap made of olive oil is one of the traditional produts in Lebanon. Soap is mainly produced in Koura, Hasbaya, Sidon and Chouf.

Pottery: The date of pottery is still unidentified. But since men discovered the clay, they knew how important this material than can make “wonders” is. Lebanon is very rich in clay which is mainly found in Beit Chabab village and the southern town of Rashaya al Foukhar.

Glassblowing: This trade goes back to the Phoenician period, and the southern village of Sarafand is best known for this tradition.

Straw Industry: This tradition started long time ago because of the daily use of straw. This trade is still practiced in Amsheet and in the northern region of Akkar.

Tableware: Such as trays and knives made of silver or copper and inlayed with gold or silver. They are manufactured in the southern village of Jezzine and are presented as luxurious gifts to international figures. This tradition started in the 18th century and is still practiced until this date.

Not to mention the cultural events such as exhibitions and conferences which are organized periodically.
Our company works on making the cultural tourism a success thanks to our team who ensures the following requirements, mainly:

• A specialized team of guides and volunteers,
• Shceduled visits to archaeological, cultural and artistic places and museums,
• Distribution of fliers, pamphlets and maps that help tourists better discover the site they are visiting,
• Luxurious hotel reservation at affordable prices,
• Comfortable transportation,
• And other facilities that make tourists feel home.