Cedars of God
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| State Party |  Lebanon |
| Type | Environmental |
| Criteria | (iii)(iv) |
| Identification | #850 |
| Regionb | Lebanon |
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Inscription History |
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| Formal Inscription: | 1998 {{{Session}}} Session |
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a Name as officially inscribed on the WH List |
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The Cedars of God (also known as the "Cedars of the Lord" or "Arz el Rab") are among the last survivors of the immense forests of the Cedars of Lebanon that thrived across Mount Lebanon in ancient times. Their timber was exploited by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians as well as the Phoenicians. The wood was especially prized by Egyptians for shipbuilding and Solomon used it for his temple. The Ottomans also used the cedars to build the empire's railroad system.[1]
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[edit] History
Once Lebanon was shaded by thick cedar forests, so it is no coincidence that the tree is the symbol of the entire country. Today, after centuries of persistent deforestation, the extent of this forest heritage has been markedly reduced. The trees however, do survive in mountains areas and there they seem to reign supreme. This is the case of the slopes of Mount Makmel that tower over the Kadisha Valley where, at an altitude of more than 2000 meters, rest the Cedars of God. There are 12 trees that are over one thousand years old, and about 400 that are more than one hundred. Four of them have reached a height of 35 meters and their trunks are between 12 and 14 meters around.[2] Concern for the Biblical Cedars of God goes back to 1876 when the 102-hectare grove was surrounded by a high stone wall, which was financed by Great Britain's Queen Victoria. The wall protects against goats who enjoy feasting on young saplings.[3]
[edit] World Heritage Site
In 1998, the Cedars of God were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Site.
[edit] Current status
The forest is rigorously protected. It is possible to tour it escorted by an authorized guide. Recently, after a preliminary phase in which the land was cleared of detritus, the sick plants treated, and the ground fertilized, a massive reforestation program, initiated by the "Committee of the Friends of the Cedar Forest" in 1985, was undertaken. The fruits of these efforts, will only be appreciable in a few decades since cedars grow so slowly. In these areas the winter offers incredible scenery, the trees are covered with a blanket of snow.
[edit] References in religious texts
The Lebanon Cedar is mentioned 75 times in the Bible, for example:
- "The priest shall take cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet stuff, and cast them into the midst of the burning of the heifer" (Numbers 19:6).
- "The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar in Lebanon" (Psalm 92:12).
- "I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive" (Isaiah 41: 19).
- "Behold, I will liken you to a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and forest shade" (Ezekiel 31:3).
- "I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars" (Amos 2:9).
- "The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted." (Isaiah 2:13 NIV).
The Cedars of Lebanon were also mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
