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Lebanon
Lebanon is a democratic republic with a parliamentary system
of government and a cabinet headed by a prime minister. Its
constitution is based on the separation of executive,
legislative and judicial powers, with a president elected
for a six-year term. The 128 members of parliament are
elected by universal adult suffrage for a four year term.
The Lebanese Republic is divided into six regional
administrative districts, or Mohafazaat: Beirut, North
Lebanon, South Lebanon, The Beqaa and Nabatiyeh. |
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Egypt
Land of the pharaohs Egypt was one of the first centers of
civilization in the world and its recorded history stretches
back at least 6,000 years before the time of the pharaohs.
Such a past has left the country with an unsurpassed
collection of ancient monuments and relics of antiquity.
Whilst the pyramids - amongst the world's largest
constructions - are perhaps the most famous of Egypt's
sights, Roman ruins, Byzantine churches and exquisitely
decorated mosques testify to the various cultures that have
influenced the country and its people over the millennia. |
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Syria
From the Euphrates to the Mediterranean, from Zenobia to the
Crusaders, there is not an inch of land in Syria that
history and men have left untouched. A veritable open-air
museum, with deserts and oases, blue beaches and valleys
dotted with olive trees, the earth itself in this cradle of
humanity is steeped in an Oriental perfume. A land of
biblical tribes, its most beautiful legends are born there
where the sand has turned to stone. |
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Jordan
Jordan is a unique and blessed land of the Old and New
Testaments and the early years of Islam. The litany of
ancient place names reads like a biblical gazetteer-Edom,
Moab, Ammon, Gilead, Gad and Peraea. The Medeba of the Bible
is today the small town of Madaba, only 30 Kilometers south
of Amman, Remains of the Roman road and civic architecture
can still be seen in the midst of the modern town, but it is
the Byzantine and Ummayyad mosaics for which Madaba is best
known. At the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George visitors
may view the earliest surviving original map of the Holy
Land, which was made around A.D 560. In addition, there are
other mosaic floors preserved throughout the town, as well
as a fine local museum. |
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