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						This bulletin is also available on our website with images Included in the Fertile Crescent, zone of communication between ancient people, where the first civilizations emerged, Lebanon witnesses through its numerous attractions of a remarkable capital. The multitude of richness united in the country starting from the famous forest of Cedars, subject to greed since the Phenician epoch, the fertile plain of Al-Bekaa irrigated with several rivers, the Mount of Lebanon with its perfums, honey and wines as well as the loveliness of the Lebanese people, fashion the charm of this beautiful country which, in our days aims to be a modern gate to the Middle East.				In the News
										Cultural Events
										Hot Spots
										Arts & Traditions
										What's New
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In the News

WTO bid focuses on vital services sector during a three-day workshop at the UN House in Beirut. The WTO representative said that a new unit dedicated to Arab and Middle Eastern countries has been established. Participants underlined that services trade has become a pillar of the global economy and a critical component in the expansion of the World Trade Organization, which Lebanon is hoping to join in 2004. Services trade in Arab countries represents only 2.2 percent of the world's total e.g 18 percent of overall exports. The primary sources of income and growth in the Arab world come from oil, export of other commodities then tourism and labor remittances. In this context, the WTO assumes an unprecedented level of commitment in providing technical assistance and capacity building for the developing countries of the Arab World. Syria signs transport & trade agreements with Ukraine The two agreements will be concluded to develop land and maritime transport and to boost commercial exchanges between the two countries for the benefit of the public and private sectors. Two meetings will be held in Kiev, two others in Damascus before the agreements can take their final shapes. The International Congress of Palmyra With the participation of 58 archeologists and researchers from all around the world, the International Congress of Palmyra concluded its activities last November. The important military and commercial roles of Palmyra on the Silk Road were underlined in the congress as well as the importance of continuing excavating works despite the funding difficulties. The congress asked also for the opening of other closed cemeteries to public. Syrianair H1 turnover totals $US 131 million The national air carrier has posted a turnover of $US 131.6 million in the first six months of the year. Pre-tax profits have reached $US 6.78 and the number of passengers carried, 674,100 for the same period. Top

Cultural Events

Lebanese Cultural Week has beagn on December 19 with art exhibitions and theatrical performances that highlights the rich Lebanese heritage. The event started with the opening of three exhibitions on paintings, photographs and art books. The event is organized by the Sharjah Department of Culture and Information in cooperation with the Lebanese Consulate in Dubai. Anger is the title of a recent feature film by the famous director Yousef Shahin. The film deals with the adverse consequences of September 11th' events and the relationship between East and West. The Short Film Festival The first session of the international short film Festival was held in Damascus between 10 -14 of December. About 47 films were projected representing Lebanon, Algeria, Argentine, Australia, Belgium Canada, Egypt, France, Portugal and Russia. 2nd Jordanian Song Festival On December 18 and in presence of the king and the queen, the Jordanian woman singer Zein Awad has been awarded the grand prize of the 2nd Jordanian song festival. It was a stiff competition but the young singer was very happy walking away with JD 25.000 in pocket. Wonders of the Sea is a permanent maritime exposition that takes place at Jdeidet El-Matn in Lebanon. The Phoenicians and the West by Maria Eugenia Aubet. This well illustrated book traces politics, colonies and trade in the days of the Phenicians. ( available in english at Barnes & Noble ) "Nature" in Paris Syrian artist Mohmoud Hesko is currently taking part in an exhibition entitled "Nature" in the French capital. He is also scheduled to take part in Tehran's biennial Art Gathering which will continue until next month. Hesko was born in the city of Hassaka. He had exhibitions in different countries of the world including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Cuba and Lebanon. The Prize of Prince Claus Syrian caricaturist Ali Firzat was awarded the 2002 Dutch prize of Prince Claus for culture and arts. The prize (estimated of 25.000 Euros) was given in a special ceremony held at Anbar School in old Damascus on December 11. "The witty drawings of Firzat deal with local matters, but they become universal when they deal with economy, politics and society", according to the organizers. Syrian caricature at the Russian Center Syrian artist Abdullah Basmaji's exhibition, which was held between 13-24 November at the Russian Cultural Centre in Damascus, was a good chance for art lovers and art critics to get acquainted with dominant aspects of Syrian caricature and cartoon art. It was only the language of painting without any dependence on comments to storm into the forts of Arab official establishments. Toshiki Usui in Syria The young japanese pianist Toshiki Usui animated recently three concerts accompanied by the GIN band. The concerts held in Damascus, Homs and Aleppo in last December were organized by high Japanese and Syrian institutions. It is to mention that Mr. Usui won lately in Italy, the prize of the Cantu International Music Competition. Top

Hot Spots

PALMYRA Syria (Full day excursion departing from Damascus) 245 km. north-east of Damascus, it takes some effort but what delight to discover after hours of driving through the rocky desert, the oasis of Palmyra. Its Arabic name "Tadmor" appears for the first time in Mesopotamian texts dating back to the 2nd millennium B.C. The Greeks made it a town organized according to the Hellenistic style and rebaptized it Palmyra. Palmyra started to flourish only in the Roman period as it was fully integrated into the Province of Syria under the reign of Nero. In the first century B.C., the natural link arches to the north following the curve of the Fertile Crescent and pass by the uplands of Turkey, was blocked due to the instability that brought the Seleucid Kingdom to the end. A coalition of Arab interests was formed to secure a new short-cut across the desert, via Palmyra but it was an instant success. In fact it is in the 2nd century that Palmyra reached the top of its prosperity when it became a halt for the caravans moving on the Silk Road; it turned increasingly to the Roman political, social and cultural models as seen in today's city remains: temple of Baal-Shamin, colonnaded street, the main gate, etc. In the 3rd. century Odenathus, the king of Palmyra campaigned against the Persians who were threatening the Roman authority in the region, but in pursuing Rome's security interests, he inevitably became a power in his own, beyond the traditional perimeter of the oasis' state. He was later assassinated in mysterious circumstances. His widow, the famous and ambitious Zenobia assumed the power. She asserted Palmyrian reign westwards, venturing as far as Egypt. For the Romans, things had gotten out of hand and Aurelian recovered Roman authority in Anatolia and Antioch and invaded Palmyra to capture its queen and leave the city prey to ravage and desolation. Even though Palmyra kept on playing a strategic role, its golden days were over. Top

Arts & Traditions

The Arabic Calligraphy The Arabic scripts are known to be of the most beautiful and original in the world. Specialists differ in rendering the origin of this calligraphy. Most Arab calligraphers believe that its origin derives from the Nabatean writing, descendent by itself from the Aramean scripts. Others believe that it was developed out from the Al-Musnad scripts known also as Al-Hamiri calligraphy (in Yemen). The third party is a small group who believes it is from a pure divine origin. When the Holy Koran was written down during the Al-Rashidia Caliphate period around 700 A.D., the letters had no dots or punctuation whatsoever. The punctuation and dots were added later in a succession of periods; the numbers were also introduced, mainly to indicate the start and the end of each Koranic verse. During the Omayyad period, the famous calligrapher Qutba Al-Mohair developed the writing tools, innovated the traditional brushes and pens, thus further developed the forms of writing. The Arabic calligraphy was later developed into two main schools: The first is called Al-kufi in relation to Al-Koufa city in Iraq and is characterized by its harshness and cubic aspect, the second one is Al-Hijazi in relation to Al-Hijaz region in Saudi Arabia and is characterized by its roundness & flexibility. Today the Arabic calligraphy is classified into nine main types : A-Thulth, Al-Naskh, Al-Kufi, Al Farisi, Al Rokau, Al Diwani, Jali Al Diwani, Al Shakarta and Al-Hjara. Most prominent of all is the Al-Thulth. Theses types of fonts are written with three different pens; the first is to write down the main backbones of the letters, the second for decoration, and the third to draw down the letters & put the final touches. Top

What's New

Al-Andarin is back alive! One of the most important recent finds in Syria is the newly discovered archeological site of Al-Andarin situated 90 kilometers to the north-east of Hama. Al-Andarin was a prosperous Byzantine city. Excavation works in it revealed more than 10 churches in addition to a large cathedral, a number of rare mosaic panels, two big water tanks as well as public and private bath-houses. In the barracks we can distinguish a fort with a built-in church in addition to several towers. The public bathhouse has a marble ground with wonderful geometric decoration. Two walls crossed by a straight street from north to south surround "Andarana" as the city was called by the Byzantines. New discovery near Apamea About 15 kilometers to the north of Apamea, researchers were able to locate a new archeological site called "Hourtheh". The site dates-back to the 5th century A.D. and contains two churches in addition to a temple called "Mitras" which still preserves its mural water colored paintings. Zain Al-Abideen Palace Zain Al-Abideen is an ancient Palace that was built during the Roman era in the second century A.D. The site is situated in "Ankhol" village near the governorate of Daraa & 110 km south-west of Damascus. Qasr Zain Al-Abideen (as called by the family who occupied it later) measures 40 x 11 meters and is 8 meters high; it is a duplex building having 16 rooms in addition to two grand halls with remarkable decoration and beautiful carvings. Repair works at the site have just started and the palace is expected to be opened to public in 2003 after repair works completes. Trees instead of mines in South Lebanon A campaign for planting trees instead of the mines that were removed from the regions of South Lebanon will start soon. Some 2700 trees will be planted in the area, according to the the UN headquarters in Beirut. The campaign will begin from the village of Beit Hanon. International and Lebanese sources have underlined that Israeli occupation forces spread more than 400 thousand anti-vehicle mines in the liberated area of South Lebanon before leaving ! Roman cemetery in Lattakia A graveyard was recently unearthed in the city of Lattakia in the garden of Mar Taqla, dating back to the Roman period. According to the director of antiquities department in the city : the cemetery is one of the most important of its kind. It includes stamps, clay implements and other funeral items. Assyrian finds at Mashrafa The German archaeological team currently working at Tal Mashrafa recently unearthed two sculptures made of basalt, belonging to the Assyrian era. Studies are under way to investigate the appropriate date of making these sculptures. Earlier, excavations conducted on the same site resulted in the discovery of more than 65 clay tablets. Top

Adonis Suggest

CARREFOUR DE L’ORIENT SYRIA / LEBANON 10 days - 09 nights DAY 01 Arrival Damascus airport, transfer to the hotel, dinner & overnight DAY 02 Visit of Damascus : the National Museum, the Tukkiyeh Suleimaniye, souk Hamidie, the Omayyad Mosque, the Mausoleum of Saladin, the Azem Palace, the Straight Street, the Chapel of St. Ananias, the Window of St. Paul, Panoramic view of Damascus from the Qassioun mountain in the evening, Transfer to Maaloula, dinner & overnight DAY 03 Visit of the convent & the monastery in Maaloula - departure to Baalbeck : visit of the site, continuation to Zahle, dinner & overnight DAY 04 Visit of Anjar, Deir El Kamar, the Palace of Beit Ed Dine, overnight in Beirut. DAY 05 Visit of Tyr, Sidon, arrival in Byblos, dinner & overnight DAY 06 Visit of Byblos, Tripoli, Valee Sainte : the monastery of St. Antoine Koshaya, the Cedars, cross the border to Syria, arrival in Homs, dinner & overnight. DAY 07 Departure to Crac des Chevaliers : visit of the Castle - drive to Aphamea : visit of the site, drive to Serjilla : visit of the site, drive to Al-Bara : visit of the site, transfer to Aleppo, dinner & overnight. DAY 08 Visit of Aleppo : the Grand Mosque, the Museum, Madrasse Halawiya, the Citadel & the famous souks, PM : Excursion to St. Simeon : visit and transfer to Hama, dinner & overnight. DAY 09 Visit of the famous Norias in Hama, departure to Palmyra and first visit of the Archaeological site, dinner & overnight. DAY 10 Visit of Palmyra : the Archaeological site, the Temple of Bel, the Museum and the Tombs, departure to Damascus, dinner & overnight. Normal Prices for individuals P/P $US Pax. No. 2 3 4/5 6/7 8/9 Supp. Sgl Hotels (A) 1793 1503 1361 1223 1140 354 Hotels (B) 1586 1291 1150 1012 929 205 Supplement for using Cham Palace instead of Ebla / per night : 20.-USD per person in double & + 11.-USD for Supp. Sgl. INCLUDED ARE : Accommodation at hotels as mentioned or similar. Full borad basis start from dinner day 1 till breakfast last day. All transfers and visits by a private a/c car , van or mini-bus (according to number of participants). French speaking guide at disposal. Entrance fees. Lebanis visa. Portrages and tips at hotels and restaurants. EXCLUDED ARE : Syria Visa for individuals(7 pax and less will have to obtain individuals visa to Syria). Departure airport tax. Drinks. All extras and personal expenses. Personal insurance. Tips for guide and driver. PRICES GUARANTEED ( Starting minimumfrom 2 persons ) : Hotels (B) : Season Tour $US p/p High Seasson: Syria + Lebanon 599 + 227 = 826 Low Seasson: Syria + Lebanon 530 + 227 = 757 Supp. SGL : Syria + Lebanon 138 + 55 = 193 Top

Contact

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