Beiteddine Palace

Beiteddine was built over some thirty years from 1788 by Emir Bashir Shihab II, using craftsmen from Damascus and Italy, and it is the best surviving example of early nineteenth-century Lebanese palace architecture: three courtyards rising in sequence, carved and painted wooden ceilings, inlaid marble, and a hammam complex with domed chambers pierced by star-shaped skylights. The stables now hold a large collection of Byzantine mosaics recovered from the coast. A summer festival uses the outer court.

History

Emir Bashir II of the Shihab dynasty built the palace between 1788 and 1818 on the site of a Druze hermitage; after 1840 the Ottomans used it as a government building, and in 1943 it became the summer residence of the president, as part of it still is (Wikipedia, Beiteddine Palace).

What's there

• The three courtyards - a sequence of outer, middle and inner courts rising through the palace.
• The hammam - domed bath chambers lit through star-shaped openings.
• The carved ceilings - painted and inlaid woodwork in the private apartments.
• The mosaic collection - Byzantine floors displayed in the former stables.

When to go

April to November is the comfortable season. The summer festival in July and August fills the palace with evening concerts and closes parts by day. Winter hours are shorter.

Good to know

Parts of the palace are periodically closed for restoration or events. Labelling is limited and a guide adds a lot. The mountain road up from the coast is slow.

Nearby

Deir el Qamar is a few kilometres away, and the Chouf cedar reserve is above.

Key facts