Saoufar
Encyclopedia
Saoufar is a city town in Mount Lebanon
, Caza Aley, and is located at an altitude of 1320 m and beside a main road linking Beirut
, Lebanon
's capital, to Damascus
, the capital of Syria
.
With a population of about 3000 people (increases to around 15,000 people during the summer due to tourism
), Saoufar gains its importance from its strategic and panoramic overlooking of Caza Matn, with the LaMartine Valley separating the two.
Soaufar is the base of the summer location of the French Embassy in Lebanon, and is a base to one of the most prestigious and antique hotels in Lebanon (Chateau Bernina), tucked in the green side of Northern Sofar overlooking Lamartine Valley and including a panoramic view of Kneise Mountain.
Saoufar receives heavy snow
during the wintertime, which may reach a level higher than one metre high after particularly bad storms. Temperatures usually drop to less than zero during the months of December and January. Nevertheless, it enjoys moderate and dry summers, which is why it is considered by the population as a perfect destination for Lebanese residents escaping the moisture of the coastline during hot summers. Saoufar is also a destination for Arab Summer tourism
due to its alleged tranquility and dry weather in summer.
Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon , as a geographic designation, is a Lebanese mountain range, averaging above 2,200 meters in height and receiving a substantial amount of precipitation, including snow, which averages around four meters deep. It extends across the whole country along about , parallel to the...
, Caza Aley, and is located at an altitude of 1320 m and beside a main road linking Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
's capital, to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, the capital of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
With a population of about 3000 people (increases to around 15,000 people during the summer due to tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
), Saoufar gains its importance from its strategic and panoramic overlooking of Caza Matn, with the LaMartine Valley separating the two.
Soaufar is the base of the summer location of the French Embassy in Lebanon, and is a base to one of the most prestigious and antique hotels in Lebanon (Chateau Bernina), tucked in the green side of Northern Sofar overlooking Lamartine Valley and including a panoramic view of Kneise Mountain.
Saoufar receives heavy snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
during the wintertime, which may reach a level higher than one metre high after particularly bad storms. Temperatures usually drop to less than zero during the months of December and January. Nevertheless, it enjoys moderate and dry summers, which is why it is considered by the population as a perfect destination for Lebanese residents escaping the moisture of the coastline during hot summers. Saoufar is also a destination for Arab Summer tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
due to its alleged tranquility and dry weather in summer.