Sidon/Saida

We went on a day trip adventure to Saida, known in English, the Bible and, presumably, Phoenecian, as Sidon. Forty kilometers south of Beirut and 6000 years old, it promised us a Crusader sea castle, a souk and a soap museum.

First, to the castle, which was disappointing—how jaded we get about these 13th century relics! It had been destroyed and rebuilt by various powers (Mamluks, Fakhreddine—what would I do without Lonely Planet?!), and most recently used by the PLO as a base during the civil war.

In the very shadow of the castle we found a beautifully restored Ottoman era building housing a restaurant. In the summer it must be lovely to sit at tables outside, at the edge of the Mediterranean, under a covered walkway. We were content with an inside table, with a view of the sea. There Cam experienced his second mezze meal in Lebanon: humous, babganouj, fresh cheese with thyme and olives, salad, grilled chicken, french fries with garlic sauce, lots of pita bread to scoop everything up with, and—you have to!—arak. Cam ordered a nargileh (water pipe). One is never hurried through this kind of meal.

Eventually we left and entered the souk (covered market)--wonderful! Vaulted, stone ceilings sheltering so much life: shops of all kinds, where things are made as well as sold, from bread to furniture, people chatting, eating meals spread out on a cloth on top of the inventory. I bought a wooden spoon with a carved handle for 65 cents! Tom wished he had brought his shoes which need repair. I wished later I had bought more spoons...

We wound through the souk and found our way to the Musée de Savon = soap museum. Tourism is slow in these parts these days, and we had the place to ourselves. A trilingual tour guide walked us through the ancient building, which had housed a soap factory in the 19th century. It was really quite interesting. The soap is made from olive oil in a labor intensive process that involves spreading the soap mixture on a marble floor to set for 24 hours, marking cut lines with chalk, and stamping each block of soap with the factory name and grade of soap. Soap is no longer made at the place, but is elsewhere in Lebanon and in Syria and is widely available in stores, sold 6 or 12 bars in plastic bags.

A 67 cent 45 minute bus ride brought us back to Beirut. On the way to the bus I notice a 30 something lady in a modest headscarf and long skirt, wearing a t-shirt proclaiming in large, shiny letters: ROCK QUEEN. Tom points out a Shia mosque, which you can spot by it’s green dome.