Basic trips to discover and understand your country. Visit Lebanon’s major sites, learn about their history, cultural heritage and architecture. Meet the locals and take part in workshops to feel history in your hands.

• Ehden and the Cedars: walk in Ehden’s natural reserve and enjoy the extreme sports and the charming old village. Discover life in a village and take part in a unique culinary workshop.

• ‘Amiq Terbol and Tanaayel: discover the fertile Beqaa valley; learn about agriculture, dairy products and birds. Visit a traditional mud house in Terbol.

• Fossil hunting: discover the history of our planet while hunting for fossils in Faqra, Haqel.

• Jezzine and Maaser el Shouf: discover the charm of a 19th century lebanese mountain village and its outstanding nature. Enjoy a walk in a cedar forest and bike in the streets of an old village.

• Bsatin el ‘Ossi and Douma: Learn about agriculture and discover a traditional Lebanese village.

• Hermel and the ‘Assi: go on a safari for a day, raft in al ‘Assi and enjoy the wild beauty of lebanon. Discover a unique ecosystem and cuisine.

The event, called “Children’s day at the Museum” was funded by the UNESCO and the Italian Cooperation in Lebanon.In November and December 2011, a total of 1500 students from schools all around Lebanon visited the National Museum with Biladi and took part in special workshops specially developed by Biladi for youngsters.

The educational circuits:

• Circuit I: discover Lebanon’s history through 20 objects displayed at the museum.
• Circuit II: the Phoenician civilization: letters and objects.
• Circuit III: trade in the Mediterranean through history.
• Circuit IV:

1. - The museum’s alphabets
2. - The art of mosaics
3. - The art of sculpture
4. -Jewelry through history

• Shouf: Go hiking under old Cedar trees, learn about Lebanon’s national emblem and discover the 18^th and 19th century villages and palaces of Mount Lebanon. Discover traditional food of the Shouf, help in making it, and learn about the traditional architecture and fashion.

• Beqaa: In green and yellow fields, discover the fertile Bekaa valley. Discover man’s impact on the soil and learn about agriculture, dairy products and birds. Bird watching in Amiq, hiking around the Taanayel Lake, discovering the process of making dairy products

• Hasbaya-Rashaya: live the beauty of southern Lebanon; discover a unique ecosystem, charming villages, welcoming faces and an exquisite cuisine. Learn the story behind the Lebanese independence struggle.

• Faqra: Go searching for fossils, hike under Faqra’s natural bridge, and then discover mountain agriculture, and collect pears or apples in Faraya.

Biladi brings together a number of qualified and experienced educators, archaeologists, architects, sociologists, film makers and researchers. We pride ourselves as being pioneers in Lebanon in combining scientific learning and fun.

Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly, Biladi’s manager, holds M.A in archaeology and journalism. She started her career as a school teacher at Collège Saint Joseph Antoura and then left to dedicate her work to heritage at risk in Lebanon and Iraq by writing for several newspapers and magazines such as L’Orient-Le Jour and Archéologia (France) and Al-Akhbar. In 2005, she held a series of lectures in U.S. universities such as Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, Chicago, Stanford and Pennsylvania… She initiated the concept “Learning history is fun” and with the team elaborates this concept with every trip. She strongly believes in building bridges through the common heritage in the Lebanese society.

Philippe Bajjaly,  filmmaker, works on documentaries in Lebanon and the Arab world, mainly on issues concerning human development.

Georgette Frangieh holds an M.A in translation and is a tutor at the Jesuits University in Beirut. She works on learning language skills through games and participates in the conception of the school trips in order to combine more games for the trips of Biladi.

Our guides specially trained to the “learn and have fun” program developed by Biladi:

Roger Sakr, Biladi’s trip coordinator, is an M.A student at Saint Joseph’s university-Beirut, majoring in geography and environment and land development. Roger is fond of nature and is an active basketball coach.

Charles El Hayek, Biladi’s researcher, holds an M.A in history and Archaeology and works as a history teacher and researcher . Charles is fond of history and cultural heritage issues. He strongly believes that a better understanding of the past is the key to built and plan a better future.

Joelle Boutros, Biladi’s researcher, holds an M.A in Arab and Middle-Eastern history.

Nessreen Aweek, holds an M.A in archaeology and another one in English Literature. She worked for years as a school teacher and is an active member in her community.

Rabih Reaidi, a student majoring in mechanical engineering , Rabih is fond of Lebanon’s musical heritage and strongly believes that team work is the key to build a better society.

Yara Kurumilian, a student majoring in biology.

Vlad Kurumilian, a student majoring in architecture and a pianist.

Tanios Abi Khalil, majoring in architecture at ALBA, interested in the evolution of the latter throughout social, economical, ecological and cultural changes. Plans to major in urban planning with an ecological aspect, as well as the preservation of urban development while respecting heritage.

Mayssam El Hachem, a student majoring in archaeology.

Pauline Wheibe, a student majoring in archaeology.

Georgio Njeim, a student majoring in electrical engineering.

Our assistants specially trained to the “learn and have fun” program developed by Biladi:

Fares Damien, a high school student, Fares wants to major in archaeology and is passionate about history,  heritage, nature old books and writing.

Yvan  Adem, a high school students, passionate about history and nature.

Etienne Matar, a high school student.

Philippe Kurukji, a high school student, passionate about technology and history.

“Outdoor class”

• In November 2010, Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly held a training session for 15 history, geography and art teachers from 10 different schools at the archaeological site of Jbeil. The aim of the training was an “outdoor class on medieval architecture”.

“Heritage as an educational tool”

• January 2008, Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly held a training session for 20 history, geography and civil society teachers from 10 different schools. The aim of the sessions was to help teachers introduce “Lebanon’s heritage” in their different curriculums. The session was organized by the Lycee Franco-Libanais de Beyrouth and took place at Stade de Chayla – Beirut. We also provide training programs for NGO working with youngsters on self-esteem, civil education and history.

“Heritage as a tool for self-esteem building”

is our special program dedicated to various communities; it gives them the necessary tools to discover their own heritage, to understand it and to preserve it. The program has proven to be a success:

• Fom July 2009 to August 2009, in partnership with Safadi Foundation, Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly held  35 hours of training sessions for a group of 15 youngsters from Dahr el Moghr (an underserved neighborhood in Tripoli) (http://www.safadi-foundation.org). The project entitled “Discovering Dahr el Moghr’s Hidden Heritage” aimed at helping the youngsters discover the richness of their neighborhood in tangible and intangible heritage.
• In 2005 – 2006 b Biladi organised all art workshops for the Sustainable Democracy Center (SDC) Beirut, in their project “building bridges” http://www.sdclebanon.org/ the workshops aimed at helping youngsters present their ideas about solidarity and building bridges in clay workshops and to write short sentences and write them in mosaic.

Consultancies
We work on projects concerning Heritage Management and Awareness Building, as well as on eco-tourism and cultural tourism projects.
- For the Lebanon Mountain Trail (http://www.lebanontrail.org) we provided all necessary documents and information on archaeological sites and historical monuments in order to promote them (texts for the brochures and books) and ensuring their safety.