Cedars of God Bsharri
Cedars of God Bsharri things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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The Cedars of God, located in the Kadisha Valley of Bsharre, Lebanon, are one of the last vestiges of the extensive forests of the Lebanon cedar that thrived across Mount Lebanon in antiquity.
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The Cedars of God, located in the Kadisha Valley of Bsharre, Lebanon, are one of the last vestiges of the extensive forests of the Lebanon cedar that thrived across Mount Lebanon in antiquity.
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After more than a decade of dreams, this trip became real, at last. I had the option to visit the largest and the oldest cedar tree forest and chose the latter. Having learnt it is located about 2000 meters above the sea level and considering it was late November, I decided to buy a warm long cardigan and a woolen shawl, and I did well. I was intrigued with the forest name; my guide told me it was given by the monks who found it (and then took care of it) who could not discover the origin of this oldest cedar tree forest in Lebanon. Cedars are special trees. When they are adult, they are very resistant, strong, living for thousands of years; however, the young trees are very vulnerable and less than 10% make it to the adulthood. I set on my journey at 11 am, travelled along the coast for almost 2 hours (with a stop for the delicious Lebanese coffee), and then our car climbed the mountains for another hour or so. The seaside temperature was about +23°C, but it dropped to +10°C in the mountains. This was in places with the sunshine. In the shades of the forest, the temperature went even lower and in less than 20 minutes, my hands started freezing up to the point my camera failed to respond to the touch. I tried to warm my hands wrapped in the shawl and was somehow successful. The oldest cedar tree is located outside the reserve, on the top of the village; this is the tree model for the Lebanese flag (before, I used to think it was just an artistic image, only while preparing for my trip I found out there was a real tree behind, which is about 3,000 years old). The entrance to the park is free of charge, voluntary donations are welcome to support the project of re-introducing the cedars to all the Mediterranean-facing slopes of the Lebanese mountains (the cedars need the see humidity, they cannot live on the desert-facing slopes). After going some steps down, you will find yourself on a path leading you through the reserve. There are very old as well as younger trees, which raises hopes for this forest. Be ready to go uphill; in this altitude it is more difficult as one would expect. It was quiet, calm, soothing one’s mind. You will pass the church to get to the “main square” dedicated to the French poet de Lamartine who wrote many of his poems in this very forest. When the cedar on the top of the hill was killed by a lightning, a local sculptor created the poet’s image and few more sculptures in the tree remains. The cedar Trinity (pictured with a 2-storey building to show its size) is the highest part of the journey. As a surprise, the park closed at 4 pm the day I visited it, while it is supposed to be at 5 pm. I recommend checking at the entrance to avoid running to the exit. I arrived back to the hotel short before 7 pm, happy, tired, and totally satisfied. Wish you a great trip!
Kamila NovakKamila Novak
20
U may go to this place if you live nature.. it is very beautiful. The forest is rigorously protected. After a preliminary phase in which the land was cleared of detritus , the sick plants treated, and the ground fertilized, the "Committee of the Friends of the Cedar Forest" initiated a reforestation program in 1985. These efforts will only be appreciable in a few decades due to the slow growth of cedars. In these areas the winter offers incredible scenery, and the trees are covered with a blanket of snow. The Cedar Forest of ancient Mesopotamian religionappears in several sections of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Lebanon Cedar is frequently mentioned in the Bible.[6][7] Example verses include: "Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down." (Zechariah 11:1, 2) "He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit." (Job 40:17) "The priest shall take cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet stuff, and cast them into the midst of the burning of the heifer" (Numbers 19:6) "The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon" (Psalm 29:5) "The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar in Lebanon" (Psalm 92:12) "I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive" (Isaiah 41: 19) "Behold, I will liken you to a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and forest shade" (Ezekiel 31:3) "I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars" (Amos 2:9) "The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted." (Psalm 104:16 NRSV) [King Solomon made] cedar as plentiful as the sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. (1 Kings 10:27, NIV, excerpt)
joellejoelle
10
The awesomest and holiest place on Earth. The Cedars of God are the oldest cedar trees in the world, some over 6000 years old. Fragrant and evergreen 🌲 ♥️ . In the old days, we were allowed to picnic there and had a modest barbeque and coffee on the fallen cedar tree bark. No wood provides such flavor. Kadisha Valley starts at the level of the Cedars at about 2000 meters elevation from sea kevel. The highest peak being Kornet Sawda, or black Corner(?) at about 3090 meters. I call that area of the valley top 'the cauldron' sunce it looks like a pot leading into the Kadisha river in the valley. The pharaohs, the Romans, to name a few, got their Cedar wood here and transported their timbers by beasts of burden to Byblos harbor. Cedar wood made the best roof trusses for ancient stone buildings and provided sleds to move the stones of the pyramids. The slow growing, hardy trees could not deal with the onslaught of civilization structures, and only a few were left and now protected. But, the good news is that thousands have been planted by environmental agencies and students for future generations...
NJMNJM
00
There is a lot of cedar forests in the world but this one is the only one called « The Cedars of God ». Listed on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, this is the oldest cedar forest in the world. It contains trees that are thousands of years old and that can reach a height of 35 meters with their trunks reaching 12 to 14 meters. This forest is one of the last vestiges of the extensive forests of the Lebanon cedar that anciently thrived across the mountains of Lebanon and that was exploited over the centuries by many civilizations. Besides featuring the oldest trees, the forest is home to the cedar tree decorating the Lebanese flag. You can find this tree on the south-western part of the forest (can be seen from the highway before arriving at the kiosks that sell wood). When you are in this place, you feel the nature majesty and beauty. You enjoy the walk in a stunning, quiet, clean and well-maintained space.
Johnny FakhryJohnny Fakhry
30
Marvelous break from city to nature a walk through trails of small cedar of god forest preserve where you can see 3000 years old cedar trees & in middle you can see a cedar tree struck by lightning but they didn't remove it instead they engrave it & made it a sculpture of Jesus Christ along other symbols, small hikes can be done there, hike sticks available outside, there is no entrance fee but you can donate any amount of money for the forest in which you will get post cards in exchange , also one can buy small cedar trees & plant it in the forest have your name on it, when done small restaurants h cafes are ready to have you refreshed after the small hike, not to be missed when visiting Lebanon & bcharie village
Samir MajzoubSamir Majzoub
20
A really stunning place to spend the afternoon walking around and taking in the towering, aged forest. On the way in we had some trouble finding the forest entrance and stopped to ask a couple of locals who had a snow gliders to hire. They told us the only way to get to the forest was with their vehicles which would cost $200. This isn’t true! You can drive straight to the forest entrance in your car. We were there during the summer and there was still lots of left over snow around the mountain too, but none on the roads. I only gave this place 3 stars because it is a very long drive away from Beirut and there is nothing else to do that is nearby.
Julia TrottiJulia Trotti
20
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