May 19, 2002 10:49
You know, people often ask me, 'Percy, what's your favourite country?' and I find myself perplexed. I find the histories of many countries fascinating. There is, of course, Lebanon.
Lebanon's history is long and frequently turbulent. It reaches back to the dawn of civilisation. As you may know, its earliest settlers were the Phoenicians. They came from the Arabian Peninsula around 3,500 BC and established cities at Baalbek, Beirut, Byblos, Sidon and Tyre, only to spread their 22-letter Phoenician alphabet throughout the region.
After a succession of varied rulers, it became part of the Roman Empire in 64 BC, at which time Pomey the Great conquered the territory that one would know as modern Lebanon and governed it as part of the province of Syria.
Aramaic replaced Phoenician as the main language. By the fourth century Christianity was firmly established. During the early period of the Christian era, when theological differences bred a great deal of break-away sects, interestingly enough, Lebanon became a refuge for those religious minorities who were fleeing persecution.
In the fourth century, the Christian sect which would later become the Maronite church settled into the northern areas of the Lebanese Mountains in order to avoid being converted to Islam. The Arabs, who had become inspired and overzealous by the teachings of the Holy Prophet Mohammed, had converted most of the region to Islam. The geographical inaccessibility that made Lebanon an ideal place for religious refuge also appealed to Muslims. The Shiites found a safe-haven there during the ninth century, as did the Druzes in the eleventh century.
The mosaic of divergent beliefs in Lebanon gave each religious group a certain amount of sovereignty in specific areas, but alas hampered alliance for the region as a whole.
The history of this country is fascinating, and I feel privileged to have been able to bear witness as they continue to develop.
So, I suppose I have no answer. I could go the easy route, and claim my favourite country as England; however, let us not kid ourselves.
Percy Weasley