Region’s largest pine forest in which place?

On the northern tip of South Lebanon, a small town straddles a handful of scattered rugged hills that are the main attraction of tourists searching for landscape.

The town is like many other beautiful hilltop villages and towns in the 10,000-sq-km Lebanon but its distinct feature is that it has the Middle East’s largest pine forest.

Jezzine, nearly 80 k south of the capital Beirut, is one of the most beautiful towns in the region and is around 1,000 metres above sea level.

Its mild summer, forests and mountains attract thousands of tourists from Lebanon, other Arab countries and the rest of the world.

The town overlooks a cliff of 40 meters high and at its sides, there are café houses and restaurants overlooking a wonderful landscape of Wadi Jezzine (valley).

In the center of the town there is the Municipal Palace, which was built according to the Ottoman style in 1898 during the reign of Sultan Abd el Hamid and the "Qaim Maqam" of the district, Saleem Bey Aammoun, at the expense of the municipality.

“What distinguishes Jezzine is that it has the largest fruitful pine tree forest in the Middle East, if not the world,” said a Jezzine municipal official.

“These forests have become the main attraction for tourists…another key attraction is the high cliff at the edge of the city…it is one of the highest tree-covered cliff in Lebanon,” the official told Emirates 24|7.

During summer, Jezzine is packed with tourists who are seen avidly taking pictures of the cliff, the pine trees and other sites in the town, with a population of around 25,000.

The more than 20 restaurants and cafes overlooking the cliff are also seen packed with customers, mainly at weekends.

“In summer, we receive more than 100 customers a day…many of them are foreigners from the West and Asia, mainly Indians,” a restaurant owner said.

The massive forests have turned Jezzine into one of the most attractive resorts in Lebanon and the main resort in the South.

The town is also famous for its production of handmade, traditional cutlery and daggers with decorative inlays as well as the shrine of “Our Lady of the Waterfall.”

The town, whose inhabitants are mainly Christian Maronites, is located on the slopes of Tumat Niha Mountain and is also surrounded with vineyards and orchards.

From the top of the huge rocky promontory known as Al Shir, the visitor enjoys a panoramic view of the surrounding localities scattered in the midst of a fertile plain and protected by mountains.

At the entrance of Jezzine, there is "Saydet Jezzine" or "Saydet el-Maabour" (Our Lady of Jezzine) shrine. Inside it lies the statue of the Virgin.

In Jezzine, there are churches that were built more than 200 years ago and they are famous for their huge stony vaults.

“It is unbelievable…this is my first visit to Jezzine and I really enjoyed it…the landscape here is stunning and it made me relax and feel better,” said Reem Kanaan, a South Lebanon school girl who visited Jezzine on a school trip.

“I took many pictures and I strolled inside the pine forests…I then went with my colleagues to a restaurant and enjoyed a good meal…this is a wonderful town.”

Officials estimate that more than 100,000 people visit Jezzine during summer, adding that tourism is one of the main sources of income for the city.

“We are trying to attract more tourists…there has been a lot of improvement in the city following development projects…we are undertaking more projects to make the city more attractive,” an official said.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.