Chouit – Araya Station

I’m not a train buff. But last Sunday I stumbled upon this absolutely gorgeous ruin, in the mountains some 15 kilometers above Beirut, and I did some research.It looks like a typical French railroad station house, and that is because it is (a French railroad station house). You see them everywhere in France (the older type of railway architecture); a reminder of who built the railway system in Lebanon.

I knew there was a train running from Beirut to Damascus. But I never knew that Chouit – Araya had a railway station, but here it is. There is no train track left. But the station house is so typical, you cannot miss it. The water tower next to it is still intact; they had steam trains in those days, so they’d need to refill water.

I absolutely want this house! I can just see hubbie’s face. He loves projects like this (not). But I’ve got my eyes set on this authentic French railway station house, dating from colonial times.

Railway in Lebanon
There used to be several tracks in Lebanon, connecting Beirut to Damascus, and Jerusalem, and through these places even to Istanbul, Baghdad (Iraq) and Hijaz, in Saudi Arabia! (Check out this New York Times article from 1899) . That was of course before 1948, and the foundation of the State of Israel. Those were the days, my in-laws tell me. Things have changed quite a bit since then, including that railway.

Along some parts of the coast you can still see bits of track. Right before Sidon (Saida), for instance, you have some rails next to the sea, or up near Chekka (up north), bits of railroad run right through beach resorts. There is a railroad tunnel to the Beqaa, but I have no idea in what state that one is. Map source

‘The first railway in Lebanon was also the first in the Arab world. It was opened on August 3, 1895, when a steam locomotive took the first passengers from Beirut to Damascus. (…) The 147km trip from Beirut to Damascus used to take nine hours, passing through Baabda, Aley, Bhamdoun, Sofar and Dahr al-Baidar before descending into the Bekaa towards the Syrian border.’ From fellow Dutch colleague Peter Speetjens.

The train started in Beirut (Station), passed (among others) through Jamhour (Distance from Beirut) 11.9 km , Araya 16.1 km, Aley 20.4 km, Bhamdoun 26.4, Ain Sofar 30.5 km, and ended some 144 kilometers later in Damascus Baramke, Syria (the place where you are dropped off these days when you go by yellow cab to Damascus)

And as you can see, Araya was an actual station.

The line to Jerusalem was cut in 1948, the line with Damascus was destroyed in the first two years of the civil war (1975-1977). And that was the end of the Lebanese railways.

I know the Damascus – Istanbul line is still up and running and you can even get to Teheran, Iran. Someone told me it only costs $60 to get from Damascus to Teheran by train, but it does take you three days. I’d love to do that one day. Anyone up for that?

In the meantime, I absolutely want this house!
We actually already moved in. In our minds. Now how do we break this one to hubbie?