On its second trip of 2019, the Social Committee, accompanied by around fifty people, headed to Northern Lebanon, specifically to the Mina city in Tripoli and to the Bader Hassoun Eco-Village on the outskirts of Koura. The journey began, as usual, in Achrafieh (Beirut) near the Zahret El-Ihsan School on the morning of Saturday, June 22, and stopped for about an hour at Bitar Bakeries, along the coast of Qornet El-Roum, for breakfast. The primary and main goal of the trip was to explore the port city (Mina) of Tripoli, formerly known as Escala of Tripoli. The visit began with a tour of the streets and alleys of the old city, which dates back to the Phoenician era and has been ruled by many states and nations until it was destroyed when the Muslims occupied it, expelled the Crusaders, and moved the city of Tripoli to its current location in an inland area, far from the coast. The visitors spent a long time at St. George’s Cathedral, where they were received by the church priest, Rev. Father Basilios (Debs), who explained to them the history of the cathedral, its sections, and highlighted its main contents. This church is located in the Turub (tombs) area, near the Christian quarter. The current church was built in 1732 and was consecrated in 1735 during the reign of the late Metropolitan Makarios. It consists of three aisles, contains three altars, and has multiple ancient icons. The main central altar is for Saint George, the southern altar is for the Theotokos, and the northern altar is for Saint Demetrius. As for the icons, most of them date back to the first quarter of the nineteenth century, and they exhibit European and Aleppine influences. A large number of them were painted by Michael Polychronis, known as Michael the Cretan. It is noted that this church, in the modern basilica style (Roman-Gothic), is distinguished by a marble iconostasis that combines the traditional Romaïan art with the Islamic Eastern art that prevailed in the last three centuries. Beneath the cathedral, there is an ancient cave that has turned into a famous pilgrimage site for Christian believers.
After St. George’s Cathedral, the delegation toured various churches in Mina, including St. Francis Latin Church, overseen by the Franciscan monks’ monastery, and, next to it, the Latin School of the Holy Land (Terra Sancta) which was reopened in 1924, St. Maron’s Maronite Church, Our Lady of Annunciation Church for the Romaïan Catholics, and the famous Orthodox St. Elias Church with its school that has graduated many young people from Mina and the city of Tripoli. The delegation also visited the El-Azm Cultural Center – Beit El Fann, which was established in 2011 in an old Crusader building dating back to the 12th century. This building was restored in the eighteenth century and was used as a hospital by an American Protestant mission. The hospital was closed in the mid-twentieth century and remained closed until 1990 when it began to be used as an art center. The Beit El Fann currently includes an exhibition, a theater, and a handicrafts hall where soap, ceramics, straw, and wax are made.
At the end of the port city visit, the delegation stopped by the Burj el Sebaá (Lion’s Tower) or Burj Barsbey, one of the many coastal towers built by the Mameluks in the fifteenth century as naval military observation points. The Burj el Sebaá still stands in a cohesive geometric state, allowing for visits to its interior serving as a large hall covered by stone arches. The tower has an upper floor that used to be a mosque, but today it is used as a venue for public heritage events. In the second phase of the journey, the delegation headed to Koura, aiming for the Badr Hassoun Eco-Village established by the traditional Badr Hassoun artisanal institution, moving from Khan al-Saboun in Tripoli to Dahr al-Ein at the outskirts of Koura. This modern industrial complex, which started to be built in 2012, produces luxury soap, perfumes and creams and exports them outside Lebanon. The founder of the village, Mr. Badr Hassoun, and his assistants explained to the delegation the history of the Badr Hassoun factory, the features of its products, and the techniques of soap production. Mr. Badr Hassoun belongs to an ancient family producing soap since 1480, and he manages this institution with his children and relatives. The village includes a traditional style building, a soap, perfume, and ointment factory, a soap museum, a restaurant, and a research and experimentation laboratory. At the end of the visit, many of the participants in the trip chose to buy some village’s products.
Around 3 pm, the delegation concluded its visit to the eco-village of Bader Hassoun and traveled, in a modern, air-conditioned bus, to the Zgharta area, heading towards the Rashein restaurant on the Qadisha River. This restaurant is known for its wonderful location on the bank of the river, flowing abundantly in June due to the melting snow, and for its rich and diverse menu. The visitors spent three hours in this famous restaurant, then returned to Beirut, arriving around 8 pm, after refraining from visiting the Saydet Nourieh Monastery, as scheduled in the program, due to fatigue after a long tour in Tripoli and Koura.