Located 38 km south of Beirut and 900 meters above sea level, Deir el Qamar or “Convent of the Moon” was the capital of Mount Lebanon during the reign of the Druze Emir Fakhr el Dine at the beginning of the 17th century until ‘in the period of Moutassarifiyah.
Originally, the site of a Roman temple whose site would be under the current church of Saidet el Talle, the locality, classified as a protected area since 1945, is one of the few in Lebanon to have retained a typical appearance. local, with alleys and typical stone houses.
With 5,000 inhabitants, it also houses 2 universities and 7 schools, as well as a local subsidiary of the French Institute whose premises are located in the old silk and jewelry market. It is also one of the few fairly cosmopolitan localities, mainly inhabited by Christians, Deir el Qamar is located in a region with a strong Druze presence. This will not be without problems since many of its inhabitants will be massacred in 1860 or during the civil war from 1975 to 1990, a period during which it will be besieged during the episode of the Mountain War in 1982.
Deir el Qamar therefore preserves its heritage like no other with its main square, its narrow streets and the surprises that can be found there. An old washhouse downstream from its source for example. Many sites of interest are therefore found there. A locality to see, alleys to get lost in but above all not to be missed.
One of the first municipalities in Lebanon
Another particularity, this locality will be one of the first in the Arab World to be endowed with a municipality, from 1864, when it shared the role of capital of the Moutassarifiyah of Mount Lebanon with Baabda.
Its seraglio currently houses a French Cultural Center, the French Institute of Deir el Qamar. It would be the old palace built in the time of Fakreddine and where the Emirs of Mount Lebanon sat before the construction of the Beiteddine Palace located in front of Deir el Qamar, on the other side of the valley. . It would then be transformed into a silk and jewelry souk.
The cultural center or ancient Khanj of jewels of Deir el Qamar. 
The cultural center or ancient Khanj of jewels of Deir el Qamar. The cultural center or ancient Khanj of jewels of Deir el Qamar. The cultural center or ancient Khanj of jewels of Deir el Qamar. The cultural center or ancient Khanj of jewels of Deir el Qamar. The cultural center or ancient Khanj of jewels of Deir el Qamar.
It also has a Sunni mosque located near the main square as well as a synagogue built in 1609, now abandoned and which ceased its activity in 1860 following the departure of the last Lebanese Israelites from the city. A place where coexistence in Lebanon takes on real meaning.
The main square of Deir el Qamar 
The main square of Deir el Qamar The main square of Deir el Qamar The main square of Deir el Qamar The Main Square of Deir el Kamar, with the Seraglio on the left. #TourismLb Follow us on https://libnanews.com, on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/libanews and instagram @ redaction_Libnanews, and tag us on your pictures, the best ones will be reposted. #LiveLoveLebanon #WhatsupLebanon #Libnanews @AmazingLebanon #Lebanon The main square of Deir el Qamar The main square of Deir el Qamar
To see, the old alleys of Deir el Qamar
Less well-known, the city of Deir el Qamar has kept the character of its narrow streets paved with stones and surrounded by old houses, thanks to the fact of being one of the rare municipalities to have adopted an urban plan very early on.
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