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Trip Information

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Kindly check Baldati Hiking Club "Terms & Conditions" which you have to sign before taking the bus or pullman and go hiking with Baldati.

Smoking is not allowed with Baldati

Village:

  Saida - weather / weekend -

Caza:

Mouhafazat:

South Lebanon,

Guide:

Baldati Team

Departure:

• 8:30 am: Dbayeh - Parking Spineys 
• 8:45  am: furnelchebbak - Alfa bridge

Road to take:

Level :

Touristic Tour

Contribution :

1. 23$ : Before Tuesday and Card Holders 
2. 25$ : After Tuesday
3. 27$ : Thursday in the bus

return time

06:30 PM depending on the traffic

Description:

You will have the opportunity to visit the South Area this event is definitely like no other! In addition to visiting and discovering Sidon & South Area, we will have the occasion to get to know more and more about the South   :

The different stops, while walking in the old souks, will be the following:

- The Sea Castle

- The  Khans of Al-Roz , Al-Kaysariya and  Al-Franj.

 -The Great Al Omari Mosque.

-Hammam Al Ward.

-Al Zawiya.

-The land Castle.

-The Audi Soap Factory.

-Hammam Al Jadid.

-The Roman Orthodox Church.

-The Debbaneh Palace.

Then we will have an optional lunch in a Sidonan (Lebanese) restaurant.

Note that Sidon is famous for a variety of local sweets which you can watch being made in the old souk or in shops on the main street.

 The particular specialty of Sidon is known as "senioura," a delicious crumbly cookie.

We are proud to have such an ideal tour, come to share with Wild Lebanon .com unforgettable moments all together….

MORE DESCRIPTIONS

SAIDA (SIDON, SAIDON) is said to mean "fishing", and even today fishermen moor their boats in the small picturesque port. Sidon was the third great Phoenician city-state, rivaling Byblos and Tyre as a naval power

THE SEA CASTLE:

The sea castle comes into view at the same time as the old city of Sidon when following the littoral coming from the north. Built by the crusaders in 1227-1228, it was partially destroyed by the mameluks in 1291. Its famous ruins have inspired many orientalist travelers in the 19th century. A relatively coherent portion of its initial structure can be admired. Access to the castle is provided by a stone bridge built over eight arches and reconstructed in 1936.

DEBBANEH PALACE:

This XVIIIth century house was built in 1721 and listed as an historic monument in 1968. Being a prime example of the multifaceted aspects of Arab-Ottoman architecture, it is a perfect testimony to the damascene decoration developed from the mamelouk tradition and the ottoman art. In 1800 the Debbané family acquired the house and turned it into their main residence. The purpose of the Debbané Foundation created in 1999 is to restore the building and establish it as a museum. The house is already open to the public.

Visit our website : www.museumsaida.org

THE STREETS:

The Medina of Sidon is a maze of streets, alleyways, covered passages and little squares that amount to a labyrinthine route of 14 kilometers. However, under the apparent chaos, a kind of order prevails: the alleyways are divided by commercial or handicraft activities, and the location of trades on the ground floor and dwellings on the upper floors transforms the districts into “places of all exchanges”.

The vernacular architecture of the Medina reveals its past as a city confined in its ramparts and whose growth could not be realized but upwards: as their extensions were successively added, the higher lodgings have come to cross the alleyways from one side to the other, constituting covered passages characteristic of the Medina.

Thus, the tour of the old city and its urban fabric offers a faithful image of Sidon’s social and cultural identity.

KHAN EL FRANJ:

Built by Emir Fakhreddine II in 1610 to promote economic exchange with France, the Khan El Franj, or “caravanserai of the French” was called thus as it welcomed travelers and merchants of that era, French in their majority, who came to conduct their business. The majestic and massive Khan El Franj remains the most impressive monument of the maritime façade of the city of Sidon. Rehabilitated by the Hariri Foundation, it will house a museum and a permanent exhibition room.

THE GREAT MOSQUE AL OMARI:

Constructed by the mamelouks in 1291 and called “Al Omari” in tribute to Omar Ibn El Khattab, this very large mosque is undoubtedly, one of the finest examples of Islamic religious architecture of the 13th century.

Its earlier structure was probably the refectory of the medieval ensemble built for the knights of Saint John the Hospitable. Seriously damaged by the Israeli bombing of 1982, Al Omari mosque underwent a long and thorough restoration that was duly attributed the Agha Khan architecture prize in 1989.

HAMMAM AL WARD:

Build in 1730 (as indicated by the plaque above the entrance door), this hammam is still in operation today. Located near the Great Mosque Al Omari, this public bath is of a classical ottoman architectural style that respects the tripartite plan of Roman thermals. It is composed of an entrance hall leading to a large and beautiful hall purveyed with a central pool, a place where people take their clothes off before entering the heated rooms reserved for the bath.

GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH:

Erected in 1690, this church with its elegant stone archways is representative of the old city’s religious monuments. Its three-doors iconostasis separates the side aisles from the sanctuary where the tabernacle is mounted by a very fine representation of the Christ. 

Other descriptions:

This is an "Open Event", hikers are allowed to bring friends and invite others to join after informing them of all the details of the trip.

 Please note that our journey conditions requires that you bring with you:

- Clothing: Comfortable Shirt/Pants, Warm jacket, Hat/cap, HIKING BOOTS-A water proof suit will be needed in case of rainy day

- Water : at least 2 liters/person

- Food and Water: High-calorie quick-burn energy food , dried fruit, candy, fruitcake, small sandwiches, nuts, cookies

- Other Gear: Backpack /Personal first aid kit/Camera, sunglasses, sunscreen.

For additional information &

For Reservation