A must for lovers of The Prophet, who will appreciate the deeper meaning of the artwork, the Gibran Museum is a highlight of any visit to the attractive mountain town of Bcharre. The nearby Cedars of God, along with the Qadisha Valley, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while other area highlights include the Cedars ski resort.
Renowned throughout Lebanon, Gibran looms large in tours of Bcharre, a year-round destination. Most Bcharre tours visit the Cedars of God and many also stop at Deir Qozhaya (St. Anthony’s Monastery), one of the Qadisha Valley’s oldest monasteries. Bcharre, the cedars, and the Qadisha Valley are all popular stops on multi-day Lebanon highlight tours.
It’s worth reading The Prophet before visiting the museum to get a sense of Gibran’s ideas and artworks.
Many of the artworks are nudes, so think carefully before bringing the kids.
The Gibran Museum is not wheelchair accessible.
Bcharre (also written Bsharri, Becharre, Bsharre, Bsharreh, or Bcharreh) is about a 70-mile (110-kilometer) drive north of Beirut, close to the UNESCO-listed Qadisha Valley and Cedars of God. Minibuses run to the town from Tripoli and Beirut’s Dawra hub, but it’s much quicker and easier to join a tour, hire a driver, or take a taxi—the cedars are about a 6-mile (9-kilometer) drive from the museum.
The Gibran Museum is open from morning until early evening Tuesday through Sunday between March and November, closing slightly earlier during the winter season. Bcharre is a popular weekend destination for Beirutis all year round and Gibran is a national icon, so visiting Tuesday through Thursday will make for a quieter experience.
Prized in Old Testament times and by the ancient Egyptians, the forests of cedars that once covered Lebanon’s mountains are now much reduced, although a cedar still adorns the Lebanese flag. Bcharre’s UNESCO-listed Cedars of God are the last remains of a once-great forest: several trees have trunks more than 40 feet (12 meters) in circumference.
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