Travel-World Photography
Lebanon is roughly 200 km north-south and 30-50 km east-west. The official population is about 5.6 million, of witch 1-5 million are refugees. The economy, as well as the political system, are in ruins.
A devastating civil war raged from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150 000 fatalities. All infrastructure were destroyed - roads, water and sewage, electivity, telecommunications, and community services. The prime minister Rafiq Hariri established the Council for Reconstruction and Development with his own money. The organization issued infrastructure contracts, including telecommunications. My company won the consultancy contract for monitoring and approving a complete new telecom solution for the country, delivered by three international companies. I was stationed in Beirut from October 1994 to February 1996 as manger of the consultancy group. The overall telecom system comprised of 1 million fixed subscriber lines, two mobile systems and a satellite station. The extent of the system is illustrated on the third image in the Beirut folder.
The Mount Lebanon mountain range is just inland from the coast, and is blocking the humid Mediterranean air from blowing eastward. The mountains are up to 3088 m in elevation. These conditions provide a steady source of fresh water. There are several skiing areas with the season between December to April. The Beqaa Valley on the lee side of the mountains has an elevation of about 1000 m. The Valley has traditionally been the primary agricultural area of the country.
Lebanon has a fantastic historical heritage, located at the crossroads between Europe, Asia, Africa, and Arabia. The country has been conquered by a number of warlords, each bringing their own cultures. The Roman area was very significant. A picture of the notes that were in circulation at the time I worked there, are found in the Beirut folder.
The pictures in these Lebanon folders are from that period. During that time, a few of us travelled to Damascus in Syria and to Petra in Jordan. The pictures from those places are found in separate folders.
