Things to Do in Anjar

Umayyad Ruins

You can walk the exact grid of streets laid down in 705 AD. The stones still carry the ripple of ancient cart wheels. Eagles turn slow circles above half-standing palace walls. Inside the baths, flecks of indigo fresco cling to the plaster. Sun-baked cedar dust fills the air. In spring, bitter-orange blossom drifts over from nearby orchards.

Saint Paul's Armenian Church courtyard

On Sunday mornings the courtyard fills with incense so thick you taste frankincense for hours. Kids chase each other between khachkar stones carved with interlaced crosses. The priest's chant leaks through open wooden doors pitched half a note lower than the mosque down the road.

Local wineries along the Zahle road

A five-minute drive toward the foothills lands you in family cellars where the tasting room is a converted concrete garage. You'll swirl rosé that tastes like sour cherry and the limestone breeze off the Anti-Lebanon ridge. The owner's cousin will try to sell you a second-hand refrigerator.

Tuesday vegetable souq

The central crossroads clogs with pickups stacked fifteen crates high with mint, purslane and early tomatoes still holding morning dew. Vendors yell prices in Arabic, Armenian and sometimes French. Vinegar splashes from pickle barrels sharpen the air.

Mount Lebanon view-point at sunset

Climb the dirt track behind the ruins. Your shoes crunch fossil-packed limestone. At the top the entire Bekaa spreads out in stripes of green potato fields and ochre stone. The sun drops behind the ridge so fast you can watch shadows race across Anjar's tin roofs. Temperature falls ten degrees in ten minutes.

Anjar main street - cheap family guesthouses above bakeries, wake up to the clank of kataifi trays

Chtaura road motels - mid-range, easy highway access for early winery starts

Zahle hillside B&As - vineyard views, cooler nights, 10 min drive

Bar Elias highway hotels - budget but functional if you're just crashing

Bekaa eco-lodge strip - solar-powered cabins, stargazing decks, splurge territory

Ablah village homestays - Armenian home cooking included, book through word-of-mouth