Faraya Mzaar Kfardebian
Faraya Mzaar (Arabic: فاريا-مزار) or Faraya-Mzaar is a ski area in Lebanon. The largest ski resort in the Middle East, [1], [2]
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[edit] History
Faraya-Mzaar was founded in the late 1950s by Cheikh Salim El Khazen - Lebanese citizen from Faraya - who built the Faraya-Mzaar hotel and the Jabal Dib chair lift initially known as "Le Telesiege". Simultaneously, a group of pioneers helped developing the ski resort and building the very first ski lifts. The group started building the first residential "Chalets" designed by the French architect Raoul Verney kicking off a period of undiscontinued real estate development in the whole area. The resort name: "Faraya-Mzaar" was selected by the founder Cheikh Salim El Khazen to bridge the lowest point of the town with its highest peak. In the early 1980s, the Saudi-Lebanese al-Mabani Group led by Fouad Rizk and Nehme Tohme acquired the majority of its shares and took over the development of the resort. The existence of Faraya-Mzaar ski resorts would have never came into life without the constant efforts of the local citizens of Faraya who are still contributing and supporting to maintain the resort and its surroundings with the help of other minorities from neighboring villages.
[edit] Skiing Area
The ski resort has 42 slopes and 80 kilometres of groomed tracks[citation needed]. The summit of the resort, at 8,130 feet, is called Mzaar and marked by a metal cross forged and erected by Rachid Moussa Khalil from Faraya who is the head of the technical team in Faraya-Mzaar resort. The views from the summit are said to rival those at any of the world’s top ski resorts. [3]
Skiing ranges between heights of 1850m at Faraya-Mzaar, to 2465m on the peak above Mzaar. On the top of Mzaar slope, upon exiting the chairlift, there is a view over the Bekaa valley, Mount Hermon of the Anti-Lebanon and other peaks like Zaarour, Laqlouq and the Cedars. Coastal towns and the capital Beirut can be seen on clear days.
The peaks of the Faraya Mzaar mountain range vary between heights of 1913 and 2465 meters[citation needed]. The tallest peak is Mzaar, followed by Warde and Jabal Dib Peak, offer challenges for the experienced skier or snowboarder. Three other peaks are well suited for beginners, and even more are adapted to skier of intermediate level. In addition, there are a number of cross-country trails.
The skiing season in Lebanon is similar in length to that of the Alps stretching over a period of 4 months[citation needed]. To increase tourism, Faraya-Mzaar has used night skiing, ski shows, competitions and fashion shows, including G-string models, to promote the resort. [4]
[edit] Natural and Historical Sites
Below the ski resort, there are still some roman ruins, situated at an elevation of 1550m, Faqra has monuments which included: temples, columns, altars and rock cut tombs. The temple of Faqra is partly cut out of the living rock.
On the way to the ruins of Faqra, one can see a natural water-crafted bridge called "Jisr al-Hajar" or the "Stone Bridge" with an arch measuring thirty eight meters.
[edit] Ski Clubs
Faraya-Mzaar is home of the strongest Lebanese Ski Clubs, affiliated to the Lebanese Ski Federation [FLS] and Faraya is the home of the the Lebanese Ski Champions who's reign is still ruling the ski races in the history of Lebanon. Many former and present Lebanese ski champions trained and are still training in Faraya, notably: Nabil Khalil, Tony Salameh, Jean Khalil, Amale Khalil, Rose Khalil, George Salameh, Rachid Khalil and Jamil Mehanna. They represent Lebanon in several international events including Olympic Winter Games, World Championships, Asian Championships and many FIS races worldwide. (note:ski clubs are non profit organization):
- Club de la Jeunesse - Faraya, President: Youssef Khalil
- Club des Sports Faraya-Mzaar, President: Christian Rizk
- Faraya Sporting Club, President: Jean Riachi
- Al Oussoud - Faraya, President: Mahboub Salameh
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Ski Mzaar official site". January 7, 2012. http://www.faraya-mzaar.com/.
- ^ "Skiing in Lebanon". BootsnAll World Adventures. January 7, 2012. http://adventures.bootsnall.com/articles/06-09/skiing-in-lebanon.html.
- ^ "Snow falling on Cedars". scotsman.com. December 14, 2002. http://www.scotsman.com/news/snow_falling_on_cedars_1_632913.
- ^ "G-STRING MODELS PROMOTE LEBANON SKI RESORTS". Agence France- Presse. March 23, 2007. http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6307.
[edit] Sources
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2008) |
- http://www.ikamalebanon.com/resorts/winter/mount/cities/faraya.htmm
- http://www.faraya-mzaar.com/
- http://www.skileb.com/
- http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/196601/ski.lebanon..htm
- http://www.ikamalebanon.com/national_heritage/mount_nh/mt_cities_nh/faqra.htm
Coordinates: 34°00′39.90″N 35°49′29.38″E / 34.011083°N 35.8248278°E
