Lebanon

Middle East-Lebanon-Byblos The coastal town of Byblos north of Beirut. A World Heritage site, but not as exciting as Baalbeck. 

A large stamp with a large postmark. !! 

Middle East-Lebanon-Beit Eddine  This was the summer palace of the President of Lebanon. Long before that, it was the Emir's residence. Really enjoyed this visit. 

Lebanon must love large stamps.. The former Prime Minister of the Republic Hariri . 

Middle East-Lebanon-Tyre  This World Heritage Site right in the south of Lebanon is beside the border with Israel. So lots of security in this area when I visited. At this stage I had seen too many similar sights and they all started to look the same.. lol. 

My final stop in Lebanon . 

Syria and Lebanon World Heritage Sites.

Middle East-Syria-Aleppo The big attraction here was The Citadel. You can see in the top of this postcard. A fantastic walled city. Walking up to the citadel was a thrill in itself. I believe the city has been quite badly damaged now. 

This is a unperforated miniature sheet . Maybe the first I have used in my postcard collection. 

Middle East-Lebanon-Baalbeck   I flew from Allepo to Damascus . Then a driver across the border to Beirut. Without any doubt the best site in Lebanon to visit. It was breathtaking and a complete surprise to see this quality of site. I had a local guide to show me around. Not to be missed. 

Postmarked in the Post office in Baalbeck. I only noticed now that I never did get my postcard from Beirut . 

Lebanon and Syria

Middle East-Lebanon-Anjar  Arrived in Beirut and stopped here on the way to the border with Syria. These foundations are from the 8th Century . It is a surprisingly large site and spend some time here visiting. I had wanted to go to Lebanon before but did not due to security issues. Most of the sites I visited on this trip were World Heritage , like this one. 

A large stamp and also a large Postmark. 

Middle East-Syria-Damascus  Without doubt one of my favourite cities in the Middle East. It was very friendly and so much to see in this historical place. Here you see the Gate going into the old city. I was lucky to visit in 2008 , before the security issue changed. Damascus was a pure joy from the bazaar in the old city to the outskirts. Lucky to have seen it at this time. the Ancient city is a World Heritage Site.  

I found it difficult to find postcards in Damascus. Luckily I found a shop near the Post office. The main Post office Philatelic section had limited selection. Though they had a large choice of stamps featuring Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria.