PATHS OF Glory

SANTOSH OJHA SAVOURS THE OLD-MEETS-NEW CHARM OF LEBANON THROUGH ITS CITY LIFE AND TEMPLE TRAILS

- SANTOSH OJHA

Bonjour!” Ali Abdalla, our driver, greeted us at the airport. We did a double-take, hardly expecting a French hello in Beirut.

As we often do on our travels, we asked Ali for dining suggestions. Without skipping a beat he recommended Em Sherif Café for the evening. “Great food, sir!” The food indeed was great, but what we did not expect was the raucous crowds at 10pm. As we downed a humble salad, the women around us in leather tights took deep puffs of their flavoured shisha, drink in hand. Lebanon’s energy was already too contagious.

Through our 15-minute walk from the café to our Airbnb apartment near midnight, we could see both young and old thronging eateries and bars. The initial do-we-Uber-or-do-we-walk hesitation dissolved into exuberance as we walked along the festive atmosphere. Lebanon is a land of surprises. This tiny country, one of the smallest in Asia, has so much to offer its visitors. But for a country with a history going back some 7,000-8,000 years, what is remembered, unfortunately, is the civil strife from 1975 to 1990. It left the country bruised and battered; you can still see the heavily shelled and damaged Holiday Inn at the swanky Zaitunay Bay in Beirut.

Lebanon’s six million citizens belong to as many as 18 recognised religious groups. Just over 50 per cent of the population is Muslim, and some 40 per cent Christians of various denominations. This gives rise to complex political and social situations. However, they are not enthusiastic about identifying themselves with any sect to a non-Lebanese. Like Ali told us, “I am Lebanese.” On probing—he had become a friend by now—he said that Lebanon had enough serious sectarian turmoil in the recent past and wished to forget about it.