Update August 8, 2006: "Bombs fall everywhere here... it is crazy and chaotic.... and we are tired to hear and see news about kids, families killed here and there. I am not hating Israeli people ... I still believe in goodness in people beside all this war waged..."
- William Matar, Discover Lebanon (previously Lebanon Panorama)Originally published April 2003
Lebanon -- a beautiful country rich with geographical, cultural and religious diversity -- isn’t a place that is well represented in the VR community, therefore I was pleased to receive an email from William Matar directing my attention to Discover Lebanon (was Lebanon Panorama), his website that brings this small country to life with 85 VR panoramas (in Java). After visiting his website and viewing the VRs, I’m moving Lebanon to the top of my “must-see-soon” list.
The bilingual site (English and French) is extremely easy to navigate and simple in it’s design. The main page includes a map of the country, which is broken into five regions, where one can click to select VRs within each region. All VRs are accompanied by very informative descriptions of the area, including its history and main attractions. In fact, the descriptions alone are worth a visit to the site, original to the site and done in-house.
This country of 4 million is only 4,180 square miles (10,452 km) but rich in beauty and steeped in history, its people and culture a mixture of both Mediterranean and Arabic influences. While Arabic is the national language, most people also speak English and French.
Check out the aerial VR of Beirut, the ancient Phoenician city of wells and capital of Lebanon, picturesquely nestled on a promontory between the sea and Mount Lebanon and home to one million inhabitants.
The VR of Zahleh, located in the Beqaa valley in eastern Lebanon, shows the red-roofed town set among the foothills of Mount Sannine. It calls itself ‘The City of Wine and Poetry’ due to its high concentration of poets, writers and local wineries. Although Zahleh was founded only 300 years ago, the history of the area dates back five millennia.
Of course, Lebanon is rich in archeological treasures, with some of the most magnificent found in and around the town of Baalbek, in the Bekaa valley 85 kilometers northeast of Beirut, popular in ancient times as a passage and barter center. The Greeks called Baalbek Heliopolis (helio for sun, polis for city) but inhabitants of the valley call the town Baalbek, or God of the Valley. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. a grand religious complex was built and dedicated to the gods of the Semitic triad, also known as Jupiter, Venus and Adonis. The two VRs of the world’s largest Roman temple complex, entitled the ‘Monuments of Baalbek’, show the stunning ruins of these temples.
The three VRs included here are just a sampling of what you can view on the site, and William tells me he is considering redesigning the site in QuickTime or Flash.
You can also visit Matar’s companion websites: LebanonArt.com, his father's art site; OneFineArt, an art portal; and LebanonPostcard.com
Comments:
Very nice article indeed! Well written and presented on your wonderful site. But just as an fyi, there is a lot of VR work on Lebanese sites, even though you may have not come across it (and so think the country is not too well represented). There are Lebanese software companies whose expertise is specifically VR type work, such as Swelpix (http://www.swelpix.com/) which do work for local and international clients. This type of VR can be found on a plethora of Lebanese websites representing various businesses to Portals etc. Just a simple look at Swelpix's clients gives you an idea. As an example, a unique portal with a good deal of VR is http://www.whatsuplebanon.com/ which gives 360 view of beaches, pubs, clubs etc to give people an idea of where to go. Best regards.
ajt011@hotmail.com on 2003-07-17 14:51:01
I actually met William and we talked about our projects, techniques and motivation to show the unique beauty of Lebanon. He has dedicated so much time and effort to develop his site. I am working on a similar project that is growing slowly www.virtualebanon.com. It is the only Lebanese VR site that contains high quality and full screen panoramas using JAVA and full screen QTVR. The goal of the site is to completely immerse the viewer in the scene and let him fully experience the color, serenity and Lebanese life. I am proud to say that virtualebanon.com contributed for the first time in the famous world wide panorama SANCTUARY event featured on http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/wwp1204/RegionIndex.html#Mideast The goal of the contribution was to promote peace in the middle east. The title was "The Middle East Peace Edition".
fsaikali@cyberia.net.lb on 2005-01-19 09:51:50
