Press Club Tour

Aley-Ain Trez-Rechmaya-Ramlieh

Dateline – 22 June, 2024

The Press Club, headed by journalist Bassam Abu Zeid, organized an environmental tourism tour in the Aley region in coordination with the head of the Association for Forestry and Development (AFDC), Susan Bou Fakhreddine, with the aim of encouraging domestic tourism and highlighting the natural, religious and architectural wealth of the Aley region. The tour was attended by MPs Akram Chehayeb, Raji Al-Saad, Nazih Matta, and local municipal, elective and political figures.

The tour began in the city of Aley in the old heritage market with the participation of the Mayor of Aley, Wajdi Murad, the head of the Traders Association, Samir Chehayeb, the head of the Green Hand Organization, Zaher Radwan Baz, and the representative of the Syndicate of Editors, his deputy Salah Takieddine.

It included a reception by Mrs. Maysam Chehayeb at the “Karam Jdoudna” restaurant, then at the Authentic Aley Market, the oldest shop in Aley for herbal and spice products.

Gateway

Mayor Wajdi Mrad spoke about Aley’s history as a gateway to the district and the mountain, saying, “From today, we invite you to spend a special day in Aley, and Lebanon is in a thousand good times. The city was visited by two high-ranking Arab figures, and we hope that this visit will be a beginning for this country and that we will preserve the head of Lebanon.”

"Bride of Summer"

The head of the Press Club said, “This is the first time I have walked in this market and this city deserves the title of the Bride of Summer Resorts. We hope that Aley will regain its glory as an important summer resort and a place of Attraction is not only for the Lebanese but also for Arabs and foreigners, hoping that the coming days will bring goodness and stability to this country.”

He added: “We consider ourselves at home among our people and are ready for any cooperation in order to restore this region to its luster.”

Oak Tree of Ain Trez

The Press Club delegation then moved to the historic Al-Saad Palace in Ain Traz, where it was received by the member of the “Democratic Gathering”, MP Raji Al-Saad, with a special mountain breakfast in the presence of a number of mayors , dignitaries, and members of the “Rooted” Association.

The Press Club Commissioner to the government, Saad Elias, gave a speech in which he stressed that “Lebanon’s history was made in the mountains. Greater Lebanon was made here, and independence was made here. These villages extending from Aley to Ain Traz, Rechmaya, and Ramlieh are unorganized and unneglected villages, as they are the heart of Lebanon and they made Lebanon’s history.”

Then Abu Zeid spoke and said, “We are happy to be in this national house and under this oak tree that is more than 1200 years old and which indicates the depth of its roots in the mountain. As media professionals, our mission is to shed light on the beautiful things in Lebanon and that this country has a different image than the image they are trying to show. This country must communicate and open up to all countries of the world. It is a country that loves life and culture and does not like wars, conflicts, or going into the unknown.”

MP Raji Al-Saad delivered a welcoming speech in which he said: “Today we are standing under the oak tree that is more than 1000 years old and in this house where the late President Habib Pasha Al-Saad lived. Here we commemorated the first anniversary of the declaration of the state of Greater Lebanon. We established the “Rooted” Association to emphasize our roots in this country and the association’s slogan is this oak tree whose roots are greater than its branches and to commemorate President Habib Pasha Al-Saad.”

He addressed the media, saying: “Your role is important in conveying the beautiful and true image of our region, which is famous for its summer resorts, climate and nature. Together we can take it back to the days of glory.”

He stressed “the importance of public freedoms and freedom of the media, which is the holy of holies in this country. We know that the state of freedoms is not good due to the weakness of the state on the one hand, the failure to implement Laws, the proliferation of weapons, and other factors. However, the least we can do is work and cooperate together as representatives and politicians, and you as media professionals and the Press Club, of course, for the benefit of public and media freedoms. To protect media professionals and journalists from everything that harms them. You are welcome in Ain Traz, and in better conditions for you and the country.”

رشمايا

After the tour of Ain Trez, the Press Club delegation arrived in the town of Rechmaya, where it was received in the Presidents’ Square by MP Nazih Matta, member of the “Strong Republic Bloc”, with the participation of MP Raji Al-Saad, Mayor Mansour Mubarak, Head of the District Councils in the Free Patriotic Movement Paul Najm, Mukhtar of Rachmaya Jamal Kanaan, Head of the Rechmaya Youth League Salim Abi Daher, and members of the Municipal Council and the Lebanese Forces Center.

Mubarak welcomed the delegation, saying, “We are in the Presidents’ Square, where two statues of President Habib Pasha Al-Saad and President Sheikh Bechara El-Khoury were erected. They played a major role in the history of the region, and Ain Traz and Rechmaya are one village.”

He recalled his previous work in the field of journalism, where he held several positions in Radio Libnan Libre, a number of magazines, and in the Press Syndicate.

Ancient Monasteries

After refreshments from Maoushi’s shop and a welcoming poem by the town’s resident Hisham Elias, there was a visit to the ancient Church of Mar Qaryaqos and the Monastery of Mar Yohanna the Baptist, where the head of the monastery, Father Antoine Badr, explained the history of the church, which was built in 1582, and the history of the Monastery of Mar Yohanna, which was built in 1686 and became the first monasteries of the Lebanese Maronite Order, surrounded by the Monastery of Mar Antonios Sir, the Monastery of Mar Maron Maoush, the Shrine of Mar Takla, the Monastery of Mar Elias, and the Greek Catholic Patriarchate. He spoke “about the historical relationship that links the Order to Beit Al-Saad and about its pastoral mission in Rashmaya, Ain Traz, Mazraat Al-Nahr, and Ramlieh, and its agricultural mission and educational mission.”

Father Elias Sayyah explained the history of the old church that was consecrated by Patriarch Mar Estephan Douaihy during his stay in Majdal Maouch, where a memorial plaque was engraved in Syriac to record the visit at its entrance. He also explained “the importance of the mosaic icon of Saint John inside the church, which used colored stones.”

"Heart of Lebanon"

MP Nazih Matta stressed the importance of the role of the media in highlighting the beautiful face of Aley, and stressed that “Aley, بحمدون, صوفر, رشمايا and all the villages of the mountain are the heart of Lebanon, and we are working together to restore the glory of this region, and tourism is the pillar of sustainable development in Aley.”

He said, “The Lebanese people are accustomed to nothing but steadfastness, determination, taking on challenges, launching initiatives and drawing up plans. This is how the Lebanese people are, and this is how the people of the Aley region in particular are, regardless of their sects and affiliations. They are competent, determined, and proactive, belonging to this good land and clinging to it.”

Ramlieh

Finally, there was a stop in the town of Ramlieh, hosted by the President of the Forestry and Development Association (AFDC), Susan Bou Fakhreddine, and the Honorary President, MP Akram Chehayeb, in the presence of MPs Al-Saad and Matta, Mayor Nidal Salman, and volunteers.

The Mayor of Ramlieh welcomed the media delegation and considered that “Ramlieh has become more beautiful today with the presence of these media figures.”

Then MP Akram Chehayeb spoke saying, “Apart from politics, the environment unites us and the country unites us. We started in Ramlieh in 1992 and the family grew and became present in Metn, Keserwan and Hasbaya.

“The association has a presence after we started with a forest that is dear to us. We fight the fires that threaten it and work on reforestation. When we talk about a forest, we are talking about Lebanon, the cedars, the pines and the oaks. The Lebanese people, like the cedars and the oaks, will remain attached to their land despite all the difficulties and tragedies they are going through.

“This site was formed after a fire and we have begun to develop and grow and we now have volunteers to extinguish fires like tigers with some equipment.

“We have moved on to the issue of rural development and millions of pine trees are distributed every year after we started with the poor. The European Union has helped us in this center.”

He concluded, “As I said, the homeland unites us despite all the difficulties. We will not surrender, we will remain and each one will resist in his own way.

“It is true that we are from different political backgrounds, but we do not differ on two matters: loyalty and love of the homeland in the first place, and secondly, preserving its environment and diversity within the unity that we are proud of. No one can twist this country’s arm. It will continue and will triumph in the end.

“We have been through a lot and I believe that the rocks of Nahr al-Kalb bear witness to this, but these people are mighty, whether here or abroad, and I will not talk about politics.”

AFDC

The association’s president, Susan Bou Fakhr El-Din, spoke about the challenges the association faced, and relied on the role of the media, representatives, and influencers in society to help overcome the challenges.

She said, “We are proud that for 30 years until now, wherever we have worked in Lebanon, we have not asked about the identity of the region, its affiliation, or its sect. Rather, our only compass is to protect forests in the first place, as well as natural resources, water, and soil. Therefore, our projects extend from the far north in Andqet to the far south in Rmeish, to Hasbaya, Akkar, and Baalbek-Hermel. Wherever we feel there is a need to protect an environmental value, we are present alongside the municipalities.”

Bou Fakhr El-Din highlighted “the goals of the AFDC Association, which were a source of inspiration for the rest of the associations because it is the first association in Lebanon to create the idea of a first responder team for forest fires. Volunteers are the forest commandos and respond to calls quickly within the first ten minutes or quarter of an hour of the fire. This model has become adopted in all Lebanese regions, and we cooperate with the Ministries of Environment and Agriculture.”

She added: “The association is also proud to be a reference for afforestation with Lebanese plant species, as it manages The association owns nurseries for Lebanese species and we distribute seedlings for free to municipalities and all associations, schools, cooperatives and projects that approach us.

“In the past 10 years, the association has planted more than one and a half million trees and we have been able to plant more than 1,500 hectares of land, manage them and protect them from fires. We are also proud that during the height of the economic crisis, when work stopped, we had more than 1,000 daily workers, as funding came and became a source of livelihood for some people.”

Co-Existence

For his part, the President of the Press Club praised “the distinguished work of the Forestry and Development Association, which makes the people more and more attached to their land and villages, and which makes us show a different image of Lebanon than the images that some seek to show. In the end, our country is a country of peace and stability, and this is how it should be, and the mountain embodies the most important image of coexistence.”

The tour concluded with lunch at the Association’s headquarters and a tour of the tree path with souvenirs of honey from its products.