Beiteddine Tour

A small city in Chouf hosts the Beiteddine Palace which was built by the emir’s 3 sons: Qassim, Khalil, and Amine; and the Beiteddine Festival. Today Emir Khalil's palace is used as the Serail of Beiteddine or Beit ed-Dine, the seat of local administration. As for the palace of Emir Amine, which dominates the Beiteddine complex; it was beautifully restored and converted into a luxury hotel by the Ministry of Tourism.

Explore More About Beit ed-Dine:

A small town and the administrative capital of the Chouf District in the Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon. The town is located 45 kilometers southeast of Beirut and near the town of Deir el-Qamar from which it is separated by a steep valley. It had 1,613 registered voters in 2010 and its inhabitants are predominantly Christians from the Maronite, Melkite, and Greek Orthodox denominations. Beit ed-Dine's total land area consists of 244 hectares and its average elevation is 860 meters above sea level.

Beiteddine Palace

A 19th-century palace in Beiteddine, Lebanon. It hosts the annual Beiteddine Festival and the Beiteddine Palace Museum.

Emir Bashir II of the Shihab dynasty, who later became the ruler of the Mount Lebanon Emirate, built the palace between 1788 and 1818 at the site of the Druze hermitage. After 1840, the palace was used by the Ottomans as a government building. During the French Mandate, it served as a local administrative office.

In 1943, the palace was declared the president's official summer residence. During the Lebanese Civil War, it was heavily damaged. Parts of the palace are today open to the public while the rest is still the president's summer residence

The main entrance leads to a 107x45 meter courtyard. Along the right side of this court is a two-story wing, Al-Madafa, which was once used for receiving guests.

The entrance to the central section of the palace, Dar El Wousta, is from a double stairway at the far western end of the courtyard. From this point on, the impressive but austere appearance of the outside court and buildings gives way to the delightful architecture featuring beautiful arcades, mandaloun balconies, fountains, facades, and rooms with carved and painted cedar wood embellished with Arab calligraphy, antique furniture, inlaid marble, and fine mosaics. These rooms served as offices and receptions salons.

At the far end of this courtyard rise the private apartments, Dar el Harim, composed of a large and richly decorated façade, the Upper Harem, the selamlik, the Lower Harem, and the kitchens.

At the northern edge of the Dar El, Harim section is the hammam.