LEBANON

LOCAL

HISTORY

ARTICLES

These esays are written by students in grades 3, 4 and 5 from Adma International School under the direction of Eliane Metri and Carole Zouien

Their e-mail address is <admais@cyberia.net.lb>

We are grade 5, from Adma International School. We are happy to share our history and culture with you. Our names are Paul, Marc, Yara, Abigail, Joelle, Badih, Sara, Ray, Jean-Marc, Jean, Aziz, Sari, Nathaly, Joumana, Dani, Jonathon.

Our school is in Adma in the mountains. We see the trees and the view is beautiful; It is an American system school. We like our teachers and our favorite subjects are sports, gymnastics and drama. The sports we like are soccer, horse back riding, gymnastics, drama, running, American football, baseball, basketball and long jumps.
Our teacher has just given us your introduction, we are happy to share the project with all of you. We will send you some more information soon,

Grade 5

Lebanon is a great place. In the East we have the Syrian border and in the west we have the sea in the south Israel border. On the coast we grow orange trees, olive trees, banana trees, olive trees and other fruit trees. On the foothills we grow apples and potatoes. In the Bekaa valley we grow tobbaco, vegetables, cotton, grains, and mulberries. In the mountains we grow cedars and the soil is barren.
In summer it is warm and dry, in winter mild and rainy. In the mountains, it is snowy sometimes . Our rulers were Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Byzantines.

Our country became independent in 1943. The civil war started in 1975 till 1985.
Our religions in Lebanon are Muslims, Christians, Shiites, Sunnites and Druzes.
The Lebanese universities are Saint Joseph, American University, and Arab University.
Exports are pharmaceutical, textile, and products.

GOVERNMENT

The period of presidency in Lebanon is 6 years and the President is Christian maronite, the prime minister is Sunnite muslim and his period is 6 years, the speaker of parliament is shiite muslim and his period is 6 years, and the defence minister is Druze.

Economy

Based on trade, Banking Centers , ,Petroleum, a railroad system, food processing

Lebanese culture and historical overview

Lebanese culture is a blend of Arabic and recent Western culture, mainly France and USA.
Religion: Most people in Lebanon are Muslim, 40% are Shiite and 21% are Sunni, 32% are Christians; Maronites, Greek, Orthodox Church, Armenian Church and Protestant, Druze make up about 7%.

Language: The Arabic language is the official language of Lebanon. French and English are widely spoken in, and the Armenian language is spoken by the Armenian minority group.

Climate: The climate varies from a mediterranean type subtropical climate along the coast and in the Bekaa valley to a generally cool one in the upper mountains. Summers are hot and dry, winters are mild and humid.

History: - From 2500 b.c – 612 b.c Lebanon was an independent state called Phoenicia.
- From 612 b.c – 539 b.c the Phoenicians were conquered by the Babylonians.
- From 539 b.c – 332 b.c the Persians conquered Phoenicia, and it became the richest and the most important province of the Persian Empire.
- 332 b.c – 2nd century b.c Alexander the great conquered Phoenicia.
- In 64 b.c Pompey the Great conquered Phoenicia, taking its name and independence, making it a port of the province of Syria. This province was part of the Roman-Byzantine Empire.
- From the 4th century – 7th century a.d, the Chirtianisation of the Roman Empire caused religious tension in Syria.
- In 1187 Egypt led a Muslim reconquest of Lebanon by compturin Beirut.
- Lebanon was ruled by the Mameluks from 1280-1516.
- 1516-1920 Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire.
- 1920-1943 French ruled Lebanon.
- Independence Day: Nov. 22 1946.

Lebanon civil war between Muslim and Christians from 1976-1990.

How did the Phoenicians live?

The Phoenicians were very good craftsmen and they crafted gold, silver, glass, jewelry, bronze and wood. The Murex was found in Lebanon in Sur and Saida. They were called the Phoenicians because they were the first people to discover the color purple.

By Paul Mouawad.