Asia: All about Lebanon Trivia Quiz

Answer: It was where Herod the Great died

Herod the Great was a Jewish client King of Judea (under the jurisdiction of the Roman Empire). When Berytus, as Beirut was then known, became a Roman "colonia" during Herod the Great's reign in around 14BC, it was named "Colonia Iulia Augusta Felix Berytus" after Roman Emperor Augustus' sole daughter, Julia.

Beirut became Lebanon's capital in 1943, following the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the events of World War I. Lebanon achieved independence from France in 1943, and Beirut has since been the country's capital.

Answer: Israel

Lebanon's southern border with Israel is also Lebanon's shortest border, at around 50 miles (80 km) long. Lebanon also has a border dispute with Israel over the territory of Golan Heights (a 690 square miles (1,800 square km) territory) which is occupied by Israel.

Lebanon's longest land border is with Syria (around 230 miles, or 375 km), which lies north and east. Lebanon also has a border with the Mediterranean Sea, which stretches for 140 miles (225 km).

Answer: Sidon

Sidon is the capital city of the South Governate of Lebanon, located in southwestern Lebanon, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Beirut is around 25 miles (40 km) north of Sidon, and the city of Tyre also lies 25 miles (40 km) away from Sidon, but Tyre lies south.

Debbane Palace is a mansion in Sidon, with an aesthetic of Arabic and Ottoman style. It was built in the early 18th century, with an inscription on one of the palace's walls declaring that it was built in the Hegiran year 1134 (1721 AD). Despite previously falling into disrepair, in 2000, the Debbané Foundation carried out some restoration work, preserving the history and art of the palace.

The Castle of St. Louis, also known as the "Qalaat al Muizz" or "Land Castle," is a the ruins of a French crusader castle, built around the mid-thirteenth century, around 1254 BC. The site became a citadel under the command of Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, the fourth Fatimid caliph and the 14th Ismaili imam, who renamed the castle "Qalaat al Muizz." The castle served as a refugee for Palestinians during the 1948 exodus.

The Temple of Eshmun is an ancient temple dedicated to Eshmun, the Phoenician god of healing, and also the god of the city of Sidon. The temple is located about 1.2 miles (2 km) northeast of Sidon. Eshmun has been connected with the Babylonian god of shepherds, Tammuz.

Answer: Harissa

Now part of the municipality of Harissa-Daraoun (consisting of the two villages, Harissa and Daraoun) Harissa has the shrine to Our Lady of Lebanon, a 15 ton, bronze (but painted white) approximately 30 feet (8.5 m) high statue of Our Lady, the mother of Jesus. The statue was completed around 1904 and has stood as a major pilgrimage site for Christians since its establishment, her arms stretched out towards Lebanon.

In 1997, Pope John Paul II made a papal visit to the statue, and subsequently conducted a mass in the nearby church, praying that Our Lady of Lebanon would watch over the people of the country.

Answer: Libya

The city of Tripoli, Lebanon, is located around 50 miles (80 km) north of the country's capital, Beirut.

Tripoli is the second-largest city of Lebanon, and functions as the country's northernmost sea port. Located by the Mediterranean Sea, Tripoli is famous for its clock tower, located in Al-Tell square, which was a present from Abdul Hamid II, who was sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1876-1909.

Answer: Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque

Known as the "Blue Mosque" due to its multiple large blue domes, the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque was completed in 2008, with construction beginning in 2002. The plans to build the mosque were established with the help of former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Rafic Hariri, who donated a generous sum to it being constructed. By 2008 however, when the mosque was opened, Rafic Hariri had been assassinated.

Located in Beirut, the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque is adorned with an approximately 165 feet (50 m) high blue central dome, and four minarets around 215 feet (65 m) each in height. The height of the minarets is reported to help with the acoustics of the mosque. The blue dome is based on the aesthetics of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.

Answer: Beirut

On 4 August 2020, 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate being held at the Port of Beirut exploded. This caused the devastation equivalent to the detonation of 1.1 kilotons of TNT. The precise cause of the explosion is not clear, but the ammonium nitrate had been taken from a nearby abandoned ship, the MV Rhosus, in 2014, which then sunk in Beirut's port in 2018. The 2020 explosion could be felt all throughout Lebanon, and was even felt from as far away as Turkey, Jordan and even parts of Europe.

An orange cloud of gas surrounded Beirut (nitrogen dioxide, which was an effect of the ammonium nitrate exploding). Beirut's port had a blast crater over 400 feet in diameter, around 140 feet deep. The oldest hospital in Lebanon, the Al-Roum Hospital (also known as Saint James' Hospital) was badly damaged by the blast, leading to doctors and nurses treating patients in the street and hospital car park.

Answer: Ehden

On 13 June 1978, the Maronites (an ethnoreligious Christian sect) as an attempt to gain control over Ehden, killed around 40 people while attacking the Frangieh family's mansion. Among the dead were Antoine (Tony) Frangieh (son of Suleiman Frangieh, ex president of Lebanon) his wife Vera and Jihan, their three year old daughter. The Frangieh family's prominence in Lebanon has decreased significantly after this massacre, and no official investigation was ever undertaken to find out exactly who killed the family, with nobody having ever been charged.

Ehden is located in the mountains of north of Lebanon, the town lying around 4,900 feet (1,500 m) above sea level, around 75 miles (120 km) away from Beirut.

Answer: Beqaa Valley

Beqaa Valley (also known as Biqâ, Bekaa and Becaa) is located in the east of Lebanon around 20 miles (30 km) east of Beirut, and makes up around 40% of the cultivated land within Lebanon. Beqaa Valley also possesses ancient shrines and the remnants of Roman temples.

Beqaa Valley is situated between Mount Lebanon and Jebel Libnan Ash Sharqiyya (that is, the Anti-Lebanon mountain range).

Answer: Karak Nuh

Several places across the world claim to boast the tomb of Noah, and Karak Nuh is one of them. Medieval Arabic geographer, Al-Mukaddasi, cites Karak Nuh as the burial place of Noah; it has been in existence since the 10th century. The tomb is around 100 feet (30 m) long, and is covered in green cloth. It has been suggested that it is a converted ancient aqueduct, which has subsequently been turned into a shrine for Noah.

Karak Nuh is situated near the Lebanese city of Zahle, around 35 miles (55 km) east of Beirut.

Answer: Baalbek-Hermel

Located in the east/northeast of Lebanon, the Baalbek-Hermel Governate has been established since 2003, with the merging of the two Lebanese districts, Baalbek and Hermel, with Baalbel being the governate's capital city. The Baalbek-Hermel Governate encompasses around 1,160 square miles (3,010 square km). The Beqaa Valley covers the northern section of the governate. The city of Baalbek boasts an impressively preserved Roman archaeological site.

Beirut is the smallest governate of Syria, at around 7 square miles (18 square km).

Answer: Druze

The Druze are are an ethnoreligious, Arabic-speaking group, originating from the West of Asia. They follow a faith that originates from Isma'ilism, which is a sect of Shia Islam, however the Druze do not proclaim themselves as Muslims. The Druze honor several Abrahamic prophets of the various Abrahamic faiths, the seven main of which are: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and Muhammad ibn Isma'il ad-Darazi.

The Druze's holy book is the Epistles of Wisdom, in which Buddhism, Hinduism and Zoroastrianism are also included in its teachings.

Answer: Minerals

With over 2,000 minerals on display, the Mim Museum of Beirut is one of the most noteworthy collections of minerals to ever be displayed in a private museum. Open to the public since 2013, the Mim Museum has interactive screens with Arabic, English and French language options, encouraging people to learn more about the chemical composition of minerals, and how to distinguish crystals by the structures of various species, etc.

There is a soap museum in Lebanon, but this is in the city of Sidon. The Sidon soap museum displays Levantine soaps, and has been established since 2000.

Answer: Tyre

Princess Europa was a consort of Zeus in Greek mythology and was said to be born in Phoenicia, the area of which mainly amounts to modern-day Lebanon. Europe is named after her. She was said to have been the daughter of the King of Phoenicia, and was approached by Zeus in the form of a white bull; he subsequently carried her away to the island of Crete. Tyre is also said to be the birthplace of Europa's brothers, Cadmus and Phoenix, the brothers tasked with finding Europa after abduction. Tyre is also said to be the birthplace of Dido, legendary leader and first queen of the Phoenician state of Carthage (in modern-day Tunisia). Legend also has it that purple dye was invented in Tyre.

Located in Lebanon's South Governate, on the southern coast of the country, Tyre is known for its well-preserved ancient sites, including UNESCO World Heritage site. The Tyre Hippodrome, one of the most well preserves Roman hippodromes (ancient stadiums for Greek or Roman chariot racing or horse racing) in the world. Tyre is around 50 miles (80 km) south of Beirut.

Also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Tyre Necropolis was discovered in 1962. It is filled with ancient Roman columns and many sarcophagi. The El-Buss refugee camp is located in Tyre also, which was originally a refugee camp for survivors of the Armenian Genocide. The camp is now one of the 12 refugee camps for Palestinians in Lebanon, and contains the remnants of Roman aqueducts and architecture.

Answer: Byblos

The Temple of Ba'alat Gebal was an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess of the city of Byblos, Baʻalat or "Baʻalat Gebal" (that is, "lady of Bybloss") and was sometimes equivalised by the Greeks as Atargatis (the main goddess of northern Syria in ancient times). The temple of Ba'alat was built in approximately 2700 BC.

Built during the 12th century and known during the times of the crusades as "Castle of Gibelet," Byblos castle is located opposite the Temple of Ba'alat Gebal, and the Temple of the Obelisks, a Bronze Age temple, is also nearby.

Also known as "Jebeil," Byblos is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and has had consistent population in the city since as 5000 BC. Byblos has been part of many empires in its time, (such as the Egyptian, Assyrian, Phoenician, Persian, Roman, Ottoman, etc) and has a rich and varied history. Byblos is situated around 25 miles (40 km) north of Beirut, and is also known for the Royal necropolis of Byblos. During the Bronze Age, Byblos had a strong trading relationship with Egypt, and this resulted in Egyptian influence over Byblos' culture and funeral traditions and practices. The necropolis includes the sarcophagus of several Phoenician kings.