Lebanon's 2020 Beirut port explosion — 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored carelessly for 6 years — was one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in human history. This small Levantine country of 5.5 million people packs in Phoenician city-states that invented the alphabet, Roman temples at Baalbek, ancient cedar forests, 18 recognized religious sects, a 15-year civil war, and a diaspora that outnumbers the resident population three to one.
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You'll explore the Phoenician origin of the alphabet, Lebanon's confessionalist sectarian politics, Hezbollah and the 2006 war with Israel, the catastrophic 2020 Beirut port explosion, the symbolism of the cedar tree, beloved Lebanese cuisine from hummus to kibbeh, and literary giants like Khalil Gibran whose The Prophet remains one of the best-selling books of all time.
Arabic is the official language, but French is widely spoken (a legacy of the 1920–1943 French Mandate) and English is increasingly common. Many Lebanese mix all three in everyday speech — "Hi, kifak, ça va?" is a famous trilingual greeting.
On August 4, 2020, roughly 2,750 tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate detonated at the Port of Beirut, killing about 218 people, injuring more than 7,000, and displacing around 300,000. It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history and caused an estimated $15 billion in damage.
The cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) is the country's national emblem, displayed in green at the center of the Lebanese flag. Mentioned more than 70 times in the Bible and used to build Solomon's Temple, ancient cedar forests have largely been deforested over millennia, leaving only small protected groves like the Cedars of God in Bsharre.
Last updated: May 2026