黎巴嫩首都-贝鲁特

Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, is a city of visual contrasts where the

Before you begin your sightseeing trip in this city, it may be important to remember Beirut is retrieving⁵ its treasures from the rubbles left behind by 17 years of civil war. Much of the ancient historical monuments have been destroyed by bombardment and fire. The Lebanese（黎巴嫩人）hold the belief close to their hearts that the city will be as beautiful as she was after the rebuilding is complete.

The National Museum in Beirut houses an impressive collection of archaeological（考古学的） artifacts, statuettes（小雕像） and sarcophagi（石棺）from pre historic times in Lebanon to present. The American University Museum has a fine collection of Phoenician（腓尼基人）glass and Arab coins. The Sursock Museum, which is housed in a beautiful old house, holds regular exhibitions of modern paintings, sculptures and old manuscripts. Besides, it's worthwhile stopping to visit the Pigeons grottoes（岩穴）and the archaeological sites of ancient ruins in the central district of the city. For the nature loving and the aesthetic⁶ tourist, the Bcharre and the Kadisha Gorge⁷ are amongst the most picturesque⁸（独特的） spots of Lebanon. Bcharre is the birthplace of the famous poet, Kahlil Gibran.

There are some beautiful mountain resorts that you could visit to get away from the heat and rush of Beirut. Reaching these places from Beirut is easy and you could make a pleasant day trip to these resorts by car or service taxi.

Beirut is a convenient place from where you can visit most of the interesting sights of Lebanon. As the country is small, no distances are great and you can reach almost any place from Beirut by road within a few hours. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit Lebanon when the weather is warm but not unpleasant. Winters in the mountains are cold and it snows above 1300m. If you're interested in winter sports, especially skiing, you must go between November and March.