Cedars of God
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Coordinates: 34°14′37″N 36°02′54″E / 34.24361°N 36.04833°E
| Ouadi Qadisha (the Holy Valley) and the Forest of the Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab) * | |
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| Country | Lebanon |
| Type | Environmental |
| Criteria | (iii)(iv) |
| Reference | 850 |
| Region ** | List of World Heritage Sites in the Lebanon |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1998 (22nd Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List ** Region as classified by UNESCO |
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The Cedars of God (Arabic: أرز الربّ Horsh Arz el-Rab "Cedars of the Lord") is one of the the last vestiges of the extensive forests of the Cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani ) that thrived across Mount Lebanon in ancient times. Their timber was exploited by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians as well as the Phoenicians. The wood was prized by Egyptians for shipbuilding; Solomon used them in the construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem and the Ottoman Empire also used the cedars in railway construction.[1]
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[edit] History
Once Lebanon was shaded by thick cedar forests, so it is no coincidence that the tree is the symbol of the country. After centuries of persistent deforestation, the extent of these forest has been markedly reduced. The trees survive in mountainous areas, where they are the dominant tree species. This is the case of the slopes of Mount Makmel that tower over the Kadisha Valley where the Cedars of God are found at an altitude of more than 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). Four of them have reached a height of 35 metres (115 ft). and their trunks are 12–14 metres (39–46 ft) around.[1]
Concern for the Biblical Cedars of God goes back to 1876 when the 102-hectare (250-acre) grove was surrounded by a high stone wall, which was paid for by Queen Victoria. The wall protects saplings from goats.[1]
[edit] World Heritage Site
In 1998, the Cedars of God were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
[edit] Current status
The forest is rigorously protected. It is possible to tour it escorted by an authorized guide. After a preliminary phase in which the land was cleared of detritus, the sick plants treated, and the ground fertilized, the "Committee of the Friends of the Cedar Forest" initiated a reforestation program in 1985. These efforts will only be appreciable in a few decades due to the slow growth of cedars. In these areas the winter offers incredible scenery, and the trees are covered with a blanket of snow.
[edit] Literature references
The Lebanon Cedars, in the Cedar Forest of Mesopotamian mythology, are in several sections of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
[edit] Religious texts
The Lebanon Cedar is frequently mentioned in the Bible.[2][3] Example verses include:
- "Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down." (Zechariah 11:1, 2)
- "He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit." (Job 40:17)
- "The priest shall take cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet stuff, and cast them into the midst of the burning of the heifer" (Numbers 19:6)
- "The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar in Lebanon" (Psalm 92:12)
- "I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive" (Isaiah 41: 19)
- "Behold, I will liken you to a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and forest shade" (Ezekiel 31:3)
- "I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars" (Amos 2:9)
- "The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted." (Isaiah 2:13 NIV)
- [King Solomon made] cedar as plentiful as the sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. (1 Kings 10:27, NIV, excerpt)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c The Cedars
- ^ Thomas Hutton Balfour (1885). "Cedar-tree of Lebanon (Cedrus libani)". The Plants of the Bible. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons. pp. 21–27. ISBN 9781440080739. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6kKoCJ3g5WQC&pg=PA21.
- ^ Megan Bishop Moore (2000). "Cedar". In David Noel Freedman. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 227. ISBN 9789053565032. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qRtUqxkB7wkC&pg=PA227.
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cedars of God |
[edit] External links
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