Written by Mohammad Seif


Translated by Lynn Waked



When development and beauty combine, we find ourselves standing before a divine artistic painting.

And, even if after a while, the Lebanese state comes along to pave the way for the sons of this nation to see this enchanting spot whose unspoiled mountains and forests are still far from the eyes of the Lebanese.


We are talking about Donniyeh Mountains that link the East of Lebanon with its West and stretch over 409 km2 of towns, small villages, hills and mountains, valleys, plains and plateaus, springs and rare trees bearing fruits that dazzle the eyes of visitors and vacationers who may also rejoice in the pure air of this high-altitude region, the highest in Lebanon and the Middle East mainly in Qurnat al-Sawda -- 3075 m.


The beauty of this scenery was not open to everyone in the past, but now it shall be for everyone to see due to implementation of the highway that links Tripoli with Seir el Donniyeh.


This project -- carried out under the management of the Development and Reconstruction Council, executed by Danash Company and supervised by Nazih Tabbara's Office of Architecture -- began few years ago.


Danash Company Director, Riyad Hammoud, told the NNA that the second phase of the highway links Al Donniyeh with Baalbek-Hermel province.


"The highway stretches about 16 km," he said, declaring that it costs about 28 million dollars from the Islamic Bank through the Lebanese government represented by the Development and Reconstruction Council.


"The time period is 3 years of work excluding the holidays or weather factors," he said.

Senior officials, dignitaries and citizens had their own opinion in terms of this project.


They deemed that this project was of a high importance since it shall wipe off the deprivation Hermel and Donniyeh towns have been suffering.


High-ranking figures said that this highway was a vital lifeline for the entire region since it connects the North with the Bekaa and the Baalbek-Hermel provinces.


"This project will facilitate the process of human communication and humanitarian cargo and crops' transportation to the Bekaa and the Arab world, as it boosts tourism and promotes the summering," figures said.

Municipality heads and officials also said that this highway will be the main artery for the Development of our disadvantaged villages and it will enhance the chances of success of development in all of their forms.


It is noteworthy that the President of the Council for Development and Reconstruction, Nabil Jisr, and Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Directors Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), Abdulatif Al Hamad, have signed a loan agreement worth 6 million Kuwaiti dinars -- i.e. 21 million dollars -- to contribute to the implementation of the project of Donniyeh - Hermel highway.


This agreement is an extension of an earlier agreement, of almost the same value, allocated to contribute to the development of villages in Donniyeh and Baalbek-Hermel towns deprived of communication.