When Beirut comes to mind to people who have never been to this largest city in Lebanon, the initial thoughts might be of hollow shells of buildings riddled with bullet holes; and people who live in desperation on constant alert, struggling to live life as best as they possibly can, with the anticipation of more violence forthcoming…
Sunday Morning Photograph August 21 2022: Rocks of Raouché in Beirut.
…and while some truth to those thoughts may indeed be possible, the city is actually a peaceful one, married only by the cacophony of the horns of vehicles plying through the intersections of city streets — some with no traffic control devices — and it is also a beautiful city, to which the Rocks of Raouché contribute naturally.
Just off the westernmost coast of the neighborhood of Beirut called Raouché, the two majestic towering formations — which are also known as the Pigeons’ Rocks — sit calmly in the bluish-green water of the easternmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea…
…just as they have for centuries.
Final Boarding Call
A quiet stroll along the coast of Beirut will likely be a peaceful one if you ever find yourself in the city, whose nicknames include Paris of the East and the Phoenix city — and with good reason.
Moreover, no admission rate is required to view the Rocks of Raouché. Just take in the view for as long as you like.
As for the seemingly perpetual war in which Lebanon and Israel are engaged, two FlyerTalk members — one who is based in northern Israel and one who is based in Lebanon — were able to sit together and resolve the issues of the conflict in fewer than eight minutes. Both men remain friends to this day.
You can read about the experience of my short visit to Beirut in this article.
Please click here for a complete list of the Sunday Morning Photograph series of articles at The Gate, which include photographs taken of nature and sights of interest in many countries and territories around the world — including but not limited to:
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Bahamas
- Brazil
- Canada
- Colombia
- Czechia or Czech Republic
- Dominican Republic
- Estonia
- Finland
- Iceland
- Kenya
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Panama
- Poland
- Romania
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
- United States
- Uruguay
All photographs ©2006 by Brian Cohen.
