Baskinta

Baskinta بسكنتا
—  City  —
Baskinta Location within Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°57′N 35°47′E
Country	Lebanon
Governorate	Mount Lebanon Governorate
District	Matn District
Elevation	1,300 m (4,265 ft)
Highest elevation	1,800 m (5,906 ft)
Lowest elevation	1,200 m (3,937 ft)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code
Dialing code	+961

Baskinta (Arabic: بسكنتا‎) is a Lebanese village situated at an altitude ranging from 1200 meters above sea level at its lowest point, to 1800 meters at Qanat Bakish, and some geographists state that Mount Sannine is "owned" by Baskinta, making Baskinta's highest point at 2628 meters above sea level. Baskinta is renowned for its natural beauty and moderate climate. It is the birth place of Mikhail Naime. Baskinta is becoming a cycling spot for mountain biking amateurs with plenty of technical off road trails and a developed cycling community. It was also the capital city of the Syriac Christian state of Marada.

In Brief

Ahead of Faraya, and at the foot of Mount Sannine lies Baskinta (according to the Syriac Etymology, the abode, the residence, and the place). This traditional summer resort boasts a magnificent view of surrounding mountains. Baskinta is also known for the variety of its fruit and numerous vineyards.

This is the native village of Mikhail Naimeh (1889-1988), one of Lebanon's greatest thinkers and men of letters who personified Baskinta's natural scenarios in most of his writings. It was here in a hut surrounded by extraordinary rock formations that Naimeh drafted much of his monumental work.

Baskinta carries the ruins of monuments, cemeteries, and numismatics, pottery remains that date as back as the Phoenician and the Greek ages. The Greeks knew Baskinta and built in it fantastic palaces of which enormous stones, pillars stands, and underground passages still exist. Golden numismatics, coins, jewels that belonged to the Queen Helena have been found too and they go back in time to the reign of Suljok and Antokhios the 1st, the 2nd and the 3rd. Bacchus temple in the place known as Bakish-canal, connotates Bacchus, the god of merriment and wine in Greek mythology In addition to its ruins, there are lustrous hotels, and luxurious chalets sought by ski fans.

From Baskinta it is possible to climb to the 2,628-meter summit of Mount Sannine, starting off at Nabaa Sannine, a village 7 km up the mountain.

Getting there...

From Beirut head north toward Antelias, about a 12km drive before you turn east to drive uphill towards Bikfaya, passing through Bteghrine towards Baskinta.

See also

• Cross of All Nations

External links

• Baskinta Online Baskinta Online
• Baskinta
• Lebanese Folklore (Spanish Web-page)