VERY INTERESTING: LEBANON

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5 fascinating facts about Lebanon, a country of cigarettes and Roman ruins

It is not so long - perhaps 30 years - since Lebanon was a destination to which no-one with any common sense would have ventured without good cause. It was a civil-war-torn hell-hole, a regular tattered house guest stumbling onto the evening news bulletins - an emblem of destruction whose capital, Beirut, had become a byword for carnage and conflagration.

Fast forward three decades and this country on the edge of the Mediterranean is distinctly more appealing as a holiday possibility. There are caveats to going there, certainly (see below), and its location very close to some of the Middle East's thornier problems make it a place to which, even now, only more intrepid travellers are likely to dash.

But as it celebrates its Independence Day ( November 22), here are a few facts about the "Paris of the East".

1. It used to be French

Paris of the East? Where does that come from? Well, it's a paeon of praise that has occasionally been applied to Lebanon - and Beirut in particular - over the last 60 or so years. In particular, it applies to the gilded pre-war Sixties in the country, when its capital was viewed as an alternative to the Cote d'Azur by the jet-set crowd.

But the description also tacitly acknowledges the fact that Lebanon was once under French control. Between 1920 and 1943, to be precise. Today's Independence Day is pinned to the latter year, when Gallic rule over the country - which had been imposed in the wake of the First World War and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire - was deemed to have been thrown off. There would be French machinations in the country for another three years, but in terms of the existence of the modern Lebanon, 1943 is the key line in the sand.

2. Gallic ghosts linger

The French "mandate" over Lebanon may have lasted for "just" 23 years, but it left its imprint on the capital. Much of the east side of central Lebanon still dreams, to an extent, of Paris. The names have an Arabic tinge, but the districts of Gemayzeh and Accrafieh have plenty in common with the likes of the Marais and Saint-Germain-des-Pres. 

Peer more closely at the map, and the comparison becomes more obvious. Rue Gouraud in Gemayzeh is alive with small galleries and arty finesse. Rue Monot, which snakes up the hill in Accrafieh, has cafes and restaurants which would not seem out of place in Montmartre. They joy is that, unlike in Montmartre, you won't be assailed by hawkers selling cheap plastic models of the Sacre Coeur.

3. There is a fug of smoke over the streets

France, it is fair to say, likes a cigarette. The Middle East, it is even more reasonable to comment, also loves its tobacco products. So it probably shouldn't be a surprise to find out that, according to World Health Organisation figures, Lebanon is the portion of the planet with the third biggest appetite for smoking. Only Montenegro and Belarus light up more often. A cloud of freedom or a reason to avoid the country? Please delete as appropriate.

4. The FCO is OK with Lebanon. Mostly

This wasn't always the case. Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office has expanded and contracted its advice on travel to Lebanon in recent years, but the last change of stance (in October) opened up regions which had effectively been off-limits to UK travellers for much of this decade. As it stands, the western and central segments of the country have been declared as safe to visit - although there are asterisks in place above certain parts of Beirut, and areas along the eastern frontier. For the latest FCO position, you should click round about here.

5. The neighbours can be noisy

The prime source of FCO concern over travel to Lebanon is that the country's relationship with its nearest, if not exactly dearest, can be somewhat fractious. In short, Syria, whose ongoing issues need little discussion, lies directly to the north and east, while Israel - with whom Lebanon fought a brief war as recently as 2006 - lies to the south.

This helps to explain the FCO's do-not-go warnings regarding the border zones, but is unlikely to impinge on any realistic pre-planned itinerary. Aside from Baalbek, the majority of the Lebanese landmarks any visitor is likely to wish to see are well within the safe areas.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking