Lebanon in a Picture

The Old Man in the Tree. He tells us his name is Abu Dahab, the Father of... (Hasbaya)

The Old Man in the Tree. He tells us his name is Abu Dahab, the Father of... (Hasbaya) The Old Man in the Tree. He tells us his name is Abu Dahab, the Father of Gold, and he gives us tart, lemony green almonds as we pass and then invites us to sit and have some matté. With his twinkling eyes, full moustache and impish smile, there is something pixie-like about this energetic man, so when he says that he’d started out in the army and for a number of years, had served as Hasbaya’s chief of police, I’m a little taken aback. It’s true that for a man who barely comes up to my chin, he exudes great presence and he does carry himself with military bearing but his warm, playful demeanour and lively mind doesn’t seem especially suited to the rigour of either profession. These days, he’s a Druze sheikh, which seems a much more suitable profession and maybe that’s why he’s up in his tree, making up for all that time lost in service. After a glass or two of the bitter South American tea, we tell him that we must be on our way. He kisses a Lebanese flag, which he magics out of somewhere, and tells us that we are all children of the same god. Then he climbs back up into his tree, where with a salute, he serenades us with into a rousing rendition of Kullina lil Watan as we continue our walk.
by wsinghbartlett / Instagram