The Edge of the World. Two cars, a road that looks like it was last used... (`Ain `Ata, Béqaa, Lebanon)
The Edge of the World. Two cars, a road that looks like it was last used sometime in the 1940's and endless vistas, this corner of south-eastern Lebanon high up on the flanks of Jabal al-Sheikh and wedged between Syria and the Golan Heights made me think, for a while, of the high altitude deserts of Nepal, albeit less dusty and significantly more green. It was the rawness, I think, and the way the wind whispered promises of adventure as we enjoyed our impromptu lunch. Like the rest of this part of the country, the nearby village of Ain Ataa was isolated for decades, first by unrest and then by occupation. As a result, it slumbered through the massive changes that remade Lebanon. When it finally re-emerged after the 18-year Israeli occupation ended in 2000, what was revealed was a world unto itself, a place so serene and so untouched that it was possible to imagine that the ancient Canaanites still made pilgrimage across its slopes. Superficially, little seems to have changed since then. Silent and somnolent, it continues to dream, even though it is once again surrounded by storms. This time though, they are international, rather than domestic, for just over those snowy peaks, Syria’s civil war rages into its sixth bloody year. But not all is as it seems. Look closer and you will see that the land above those cars has been cleared. Perhaps there was an old military outpost there, now razed. Perhaps its stones were carried away for construction. Or perhaps, as seems more likely, it is being prepared for construction. It’s a bittersweet prospect. Hopeful because people only build when they feel secure. But melancholy because this place has been wild and all but untouched since Time began but now it may only be a couple of years away from domestication.
by wsinghbartlett / Instagram