The patch of Cedar trees “Cedrus Libanus” photographed in this picture represent some of the dozens of trees over a thousand years old. The mighty cedar of Lebanon was venerated by multiple civilizations for its wood, from the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, Babylonians and Persians to King Solomon who used its wood to build his mighty temple and the Ottomans who used the wood to build their rail lines.

Once upon a time, dense Forests of Cedars covered the high plains of the Levantine from Lebanon to Syria and Turkey. 

The species Cedrus Libani can reach a height of 130 ft, with a massive columnar trunk of over 8 ft in diameter.

The grove is located on a western facing mountain slope over the town of Bcharreh at the end of Wadi Kadisha. The Kadisha Valley is a gorge that lies within the Bcharreh and Zgharta Districts of the North Governorate of Lebanon. Kadisha means "Holy" in Aramaic, and the valley is sometimes called the Holy Valley. It has sheltered Christian monasteries for many centuries. The drive up to the Cedars area affords a really good view of these monasteries built into the face of the rock.

Cedars grow slowly and do not bear cones until they are 40 years old. When they are young (100 years or younger), they look much like other coniferous trees with pointed tops like Christmas trees. But afterwards, they morph into their more distinctive shape. The branches spread parallel to the ground, and the trunk thickens, giving it the distinguishing shape as portrayed on the Lebanese Flag.

But climate change and warming temperatures have been taking a toll on all the Cedars in all of the groves across Lebanon. On my last visit in 2019 to this beautiful grove of 2,100 trees, many of the branch needles on the underside of the tree were yellowing and dying. This beautiful picture would not have been possible.

Recent low snowfall seasons and warmer winters have enabled the Cedar Sawfly that feeds on the trees’ needles to thrive. The insect was unknown to scientists until 1998, when a mysterious blight hit the cedar grove at Tannourine the year before, killing close to 10% of the forest. To protect the trees, scientists are using new methods to fight the insect with fungi that exist naturally in the forest and can kill the larvae. The insects are just the latest threat to the cedar, which, like Lebanon itself, has faced one challenge after another. The ancient “Cedars of Lebanon” have outlived empires and survived modern wars.

At this famous patch of cedars, a conservationist medical doctor and team of volunteers have replanted over 100,000 new trees around the old reserve, which has been protected for over a Century. Other conservation efforts are also happening elsewhere in the Country but I am sure with the dire financial situation in Lebanon right now, those efforts have been reduced.

This landscape format photograph was taken in 2009 while on a visit with my daughters. It can be reproduced up to a size of 20”x24” and works well in both color or Black and White. This art print prints very nicely on Canson Photographique II paper and would look great on metal or acrylic.

It is suitable for residential and smaller scale office and commercial environments.