Tetrapylon at the center of the city of Anjar – Anjar was founded during the Umayyad period.
Do you want to know more about Lebanon? Are you a lover of travel, geography teacher, homeschooling or involved parent, student, or life-long learner? In an effort to make world geography more meaningful and memorable, I’ve compiled all you will need to locate Lebanon on a map, cook a Lebanese meal, watch YouTube clips on Lebanon, color the flag, create a Lebanese craft, read a great book about Lebanon, and more!
Where is Lebanon?
Map showing Lebanon’s location
Locate Lebanon on this map of Asia. Use this map of Lebanon to label the capitol, Beirut. Mark other relevant features (rivers, mountains, famous locations, etc.) if desired. If you’d like to spend a bit more time researching the country, you can add the language, currency, type of government, religion, and/or famous landmarks. Write them on the back of the map. You can easily find all this information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon.
Interesting Facts About Lebanon
Byblos is believed to have been first occupied between 8800 and 7000 BC and continuously inhabited since 5000 BC, making it among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
- The invention of the alphabet took place in the land of the Phoenicians known today as Lebanon.
- Ancient History of Lebanon includes the Canaanites and Phoenicians. Before the Iron Age, the inhabitants of these city-states were called the Canaanites. During the Bronze Age, the Canaanites residing in Lebanon were given the name Phoenicians by the Greeks. The Greek word Phoinikes refers to the purple-colored dye which the Phoenicians extracted from the murex shell.
- The Phoenicians were exceptional in their seafaring achievements and traded throughout the Mediterranean Sea and beyond. Some historical evidence suggests that the Phoenicians sailed as far as the Americas around 350 BC.
- Lebanon was home to the first Roman School of Law of Berytus, or old Beirut.
- Lebanon, which represents 1/40 of the total area of the Arabia Peninsula, produces 70% of the publications in the Arab world.
- Most Lebanese speak 3 languages: Arabic (official), French, and English.
- In springtime, on the same day, you can ski in the mountains and/or swim in the sea.
Lebanon’s Flag
Flag of Lebanon
Print and color the flag of Lebanon and learn the history and meaning of it from http://en.wikipedia.org/.
Prepare a Lebanese Meal
The second time we made this meal we added feta cheese, grapes, and couscous. The fattoush, hummus, pita, & feta should have been served on a separate plate, but I don’t like washing extra dishes. 🙂
The first time we did this study
Prepare and serve:
- Shish Taouk (Lebanese chicken skewers)
- Fattoush (Lebanese Salad)
- Hummus (store-bought)
- Pita bread (store-bought)
- Lebanese Walnut cookies
- Hot sweet tea with cardamom
Prep timeCook timeReady inYields
20 min
15 min
35 min
6
Shish Taouk (Lebanese Chicken Skewers)
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons lemon pepper & salt mix
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts into pieces for skewers. Mix remaining ingredients together to make a marinade. Add chicken to marinade, mix well and refrigerate in a non-reactive container from 2-8 hours. Thread chicken on skewers and grill or cook under a broiler, about 5 minutes per side. (This recipe came from food.com.)
Fattoush (Lebanese Salad)
This has a long list of ingredients, but you basically just toss everything together.
Prep timeCook timeReady inYields
30 min
10 min
40 min
4-6
Ingredients
- SALAD:
- 3 pita rounds torn into pieces
- oil for frying
- 2 cups torn romaine lettuce
- 2 chopped tomatoes
- 2 peeled and diced small cucumbers
- 1 chopped green bell pepper
- 3 chopped green onions
- 15 fresh chopped mint leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon cilantro
- DRESSING:
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried onion flakes
- 1 pinch celery salt (optional)
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place pita pieces into the skillet without crowding. Fry in batches until browned; then remove to paper towels. Place romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, green onions, mint leaves, parsley, and cilantro into a large bowl. Pour lemon juice and white wine vinegar into a small bowl. Season with salt, lemon pepper, onion flakes, celery salt, and garlic powder. Stir in olive oil. Gently toss salad with fried pita pieces and dressing. Adjust seasonings to taste, and serve. (This recipe came from allrecipes.com)
type=text
Prep timeCook timeReady inYields
10 min
20 min
30 min
25-30 cookies
Lebanese Walnut Cookies
- COOKIES:
- 1/2 lb butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange blossom water or vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- FILLING: 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in orange water or vanilla and flour. Set aside. To prepare the filling, combine the nuts, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Form 1 inch balls with the dough, and press the center to form a dent for the filling. Fill each cookie with about a teaspoon of the filling, and place the cookies on the parchment. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden. (This recipe came from food.com.)
Visiting Lebanon on YouTube
Lebanon Travel Guide: 9 BEST Places to visit in Lebanon (& Top Things to Do)
Mysterious City of Baalbek
Sidon & Tyre, Lebanon: A Day Trip In Phoenician Footsteps
Beirut Lebanon is not what you think
Deep Underground, the Coolest Club in Lebanon
The Phoenician Alphabet
The invention of the alphabet took place in the land of the Phoenicians, which is present day Lebanon. Write your name using Phoenician letters. You can also write a message using the Phoenician letters and have someone else figure out what it says. You can find the letters of the Phoenician alphabet at http://phoenicia.org/tblalpha.html
Read a book about Lebanon
Pray for the people of Lebanon
To find out about the religious nature of Lebanon and specific ways you can pray for the country, go to operationworld.org.
Where is Lebanon’s capital?
Other countries starting with the letter L
Would you prefer to study a different country? Try one of these.
Laos
Latvia
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Ready to visit other countries?
Would you like to find links to all the countries we “visited” during this study of various countries? Each web page features a menu, craft, books, video clips, worksheets, and more! You can find all the links at http://iijuan12.hubpages.com/hub/around-the-world-in-26-letters !
© 2011 Shannon
What do you think of when you think of Lebanon? – Please leave a note letting me know you dropped by!
Shannon (author) from Florida on May 14, 2013:
@othellos: Thank you!
othellos on May 14, 2013:
Excellent and very informative lens. You covered all the important aspects of the Lebanese culture as well as geography. Thanks for sharinf:-)
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