Homing in on Beirut’s Pigeon Rocks

Beirut's Pigeon Rocks

I finally got up close and peppy with one of Beirut’s most recognized landmarks – the Pigeon Rocks.

It’s funny how you can live in a city for years and miss certain notable sights.

I have seen the Pigeon Rocks flying into Beirut from the airplane window, from the Sporting Club beach where I used to and still go swimming, from going past by car. But I never stood right opposite them on the Beirut Corniche to value their size and natural splendor.

To say the truth, my recent three-month stint in Beirut allowed me to go places that were almost out of bounds for me and nearly everyone else when I lived and worked in the city during the civil war. It was unthinkable for instance to stroll on the Corniche in the late Seventies, Eighties and early Nineties.  

The Corniche reminds me of the Croisette in Cannes

Situated off the coast in the Raouche neighborhood of the Lebanese capital, the area overlooking the Pigeon Rocks reminds me of the Croisette in Cannes. It gives on the shimmering Mediterranean and is surrounded on both sides by a view of the mountains, their peaks covered by snow in winter. It is a favorite outing for ramblers, joggers and street cart vendors selling different produce in season. And Raouche is dotted with cafés and restaurants looking out on the Rocks.

Raouche is on the Western-most tip of Lebanon. I presume it is a transliteration of “roche,” the French word for rock. It extends the Corniche that encircles the Beirut cape -- from the St. George bay to the north, all the way to Ouzai.

I hadn’t planned to go to the Corniche on Sunday, but happened to be going past, and couldn’t resist a leisurely walk to get a closer look at the Pigeon Rocks. And what better way to enjoy the scenery than with a good cup of coffee and a bite?

A swimmer all the way up the Rock

My cousin Lillian and I sat at the Bay Rock terrace to enjoy the view and the pleasant weather. (You can join us in pictures here.) The only sad sight is of the filthy water, covered by rubbish and foaming hugging the Rocks. Still, that didn’t stop small motorboats from circling and a few swimmers climbing all the way up to show off and win the appreciation of friends and passersby.

All those sitting at the café were as taken in by the view of the blue sea, the Rocks and the peaks of Mount Lebanon rising to the left. Every now and then an airplane would fly past, and you could just imagine passengers looking out of their windows and thinking, “We’re nearly home.”

There is always a sense of life and energy in Beirut, in whatever area you happen to be, and nowhere more so than on the Corniche’s seaside promenade.

A mezze of hindbeh (dandalion)...

... and fattoush

Sitting at Raouche, enjoying the mezze and Sunday lunch of rice and mutton, I continued to watch the vibrancy of Beirut, a city with a 5,000-year-old past. 

It so happened I was reading Amin Maalouf’s “The Crusades through Arab Eyes.” Berytus’ power and glory were destroyed by a triple catastrophe of earthquake, tidal wave and fire in 551 A.D. In 1110, Beirut fell to the Crusaders until 1291, when the Mamlukes conquered it.

The famous Lebanese author, who was elected to join the prestigious French Academy in June, writes about the fall of Beirut on page 80:

The Franj [as the Crusaders are referred to in the book] selected Beirut as their second target. Lying next to the Lebanese mountains, the city was ringed by pine forests, in particular in the suburbs of Mazrat al-‘Arab and Ra’s al-Nabah. There the invaders would find the wood they needed to construct the instruments of siege. Beirut had none of the splendor of Tripoli, and its modest villas could not easily be compared to the Roman palaces whose marble ruins were still scattered across the grounds of ancient Berytus. But because of its port, it was a relatively prosperous city, situated on the rocky slope where, according to tradition, St George had slain the dragon. Coveted by the Damascenes, held negligently by the Egyptians, Beirut finally had to confront the Franj on its own, beginning in February 1110. Its five thousand inhabitants fought with an ardor born of despair as they destroyed the siege towers one after another. “Never before or since did the Franj face such a harsh battle,” [chronicler of the time] Ibn al-Qalanisi exclaimed. The invaders were unforgiving. On 13 May, when the city was taken, they threw themselves into a blind massacre. To set an example.

So many questions about the Pigeon Rocks...

While reading my book and sipping coffee, I wondered what the Pigeon Rocks must have looked like at the time… When were they formed? Did they exist at the time of the Crusades and how big were they?


More pictures of the Pigeon Rock outing here.

A Lebanese wonder: Oyoun el-Samak

 Looking for Oyoun el-Samak in the mountain peaks and deep valleys

…So, well satisfied after breakfast at Abdul-Rahman Hallab & Sons in Tripoli (Lebanon: The day we drove north – 14 May 2011), Jennifer Haddad, Bahaa Fakhriddeen, George Zamroud, Antonio Tahhan, Salvador Rudy, Charbel Saad and I set off for the second leg of our drive to, and discovery of, North Lebanon.

Next on our itinerary (on May 8) was trying to find Oyoun el-Samak (water springs fish), a beauty spot some 30 km north of Tripoli. It was Bahaa’s idea. He had seen footage of the place in the Nancy Ajram video, Ehsas Jdeed (A New Feeling) and was keen to take us all there. The map said it would take about an hour. But that’s at bird’s flight and if you knew where you were going!

It is remarkable how many wonders this 10,452-sq.km. country, bordered by sea and mountains, holds. Among them: the Cedars, Byblos, Jeita Grotto, Qadisha Valley, A’anjar, the Pigeon Rocks and Oyoun el-Samak.

The mothballed Tripoli oil refinery

As soon as you leave Tripoli, there is a checkpoint just before the mothballed oil refinery. And we drove northward for half an hour, passing by Minniyeh, before taking a right turn to start the ascent into the Denniyeh district. It is like being hauled into another era of unspoiled natural beauty and greenery.

More than 100 kilometers north of Beirut, the roads are narrow, winding and bounded on both sides by olive groves, mountain peaks and deep valleys. The air is cleaner and cooler and fog envelops the sky.

Lost in the mountains: The air is cleaner and cooler and fog envelops the sky

Our two cars, the first driven by Jennifer, with me, Rudy and Charbel, with Bahaa driving in front with George and Antonio, drew much attention. We stopped often to ask for direction and kept heading into the mountains.

Oyoun el-Samak lies between the districts of Denniyeh and Akkar, near the village of Saffaret al-Katih. Denniyeh, east of Tripoli, extends as far as Akkar to the north; Bsharreh and Zghorta to the south; and eastwards to Baalbek and Hermel. It is a part of the country that has a rich water table, including Nahr al-Bared and its tributaries, of which is Oyoun el-Samak.

After driving on the small, winding roads for more than two hours, we finally stopped next to a house that overlooked the whole valley, to stretch our legs, take pictures and ask for further direction. We were lost.

We were then told we had to turn around and take another route. About half an hour later, we started (with difficulty) crossing some minibuses full of people and felt that we were getting closer to our destination, which at one point we thought we would never find.

Suddenly, just around another bend in the road...

... a towering mountain with gushes of water springing from within the trees

Springs wherever you look

After further snaky and tight roads along the hillside, you get to this valley transformed since the 1940s into a lake of outstanding beauty. Suddenly, just around another bend, you see a towering mountain with gushes of water springing from within the trees and bushes. The scene simply takes your breath away.

As soon as we were in full view of the magical lake and waterfalls of Oyoun el-Samak, we saw cars and buses and many motorcycles and Vespas parked with people milling around everywhere. Cars have to cross an iron bridge to park.

Cars have to cross an iron bridge to park

The view of the lakes, beyond the electric power station

Oyoun el-Samak has a 500x75-meter dam that feeds an electric power station and provides water to irrigate the region. It’s not far from Kornet al-Saouda (the black corner), the highest point in the Middle East at 3,088 meters.

Just underneath the springs -- with water flowing on all sides and through the greenery and wild flowers -- is a restaurant. They have large speakers with music covering the whole region with people eating, dancing and enjoying their Sunday break.

The restaurant at Oyoun el-Samak

Jennifer crosses the roped bridge...

... and tries not to get wet from the spray

The restaurant is built at the foot of a mountain with the spring passing underneath. There is a roped bridge that passes just in front and the spray of the water was pushing the patrons further and further back. George, and then Jennifer, tried to cross the bridge while we took photos.

The beauty of Oyoun el-Samak

George wets his feet in one of the Oyoun el-Samak springs

We also climbed the mountains towards one of the spring mouths to get a better view. I wish you could hear the sound of the water springs, flowing towards us with the birds singing in the background. There were little wild flowers all over and frogs jumping around.

Families enjoying the day out

Basking in picnics with traditional coal BBQs

We then walked around the lakes. All-around families and friends were basking in picnics with traditional coal BBQs to roast chicken and kebabs. All the people we passed invited us to join and share in their meal. We thanked them and said sahtain (bon appétit), but they would still insist on passing us a piece of fruit, a loquat or something.

Beautiful wild flowers all over

A poppy adds some color

Tables and chairs are provided, by the restaurant most probably, and are dotted here and there. Some tables had more than 30 people. Others had spread straw carpets and children were playing everywhere.

Lunch for these picnickers is nearly ready

We could have spent a lot more time at Oyoun el-Samak and take in more of its beauty, but it was nearly 5 p.m. and we were getting tired and eager to leave before dusk and the rush on the narrow roads.

Luckily, we took correct directions, and were back on the highway heading south to Beirut in about half an hour.

But the day wasn’t over yet! There is one more surprise that Jennifer, George, Bahaa, Antonio, Rudy and Charbel had in-store for me – lunch and dinner at another of Lebanon’s wonder spots. But that’s for the next post!

Meantime you can ride with us to Oyoun el-Samak and visit the natural springs and lakes beauty spot in pictures.

Related posts:

Lebanon: The day we drove north – 14 May 2011

Breakfast in Sidon – 30 November 2010

Bahibak ya Libnan – 22 November 2010