Hayda Lebanon
hits the slopes

Touristic village in Zaarour by Fadi Bou Dagher

Hayda Lebanon, a touristic village situated on the Zaarour highway and owned by businessman Fadi Bou Dagher, is open to visitors.

Investments in the 27,000 square meter project have so far reached $12 million.

Hayda Lebanon is composed of six Lebanese cuisine restaurants. The indoor restaurant has a 200-person capacity and the outdoor spaces have a capacity for 1,200. “At the entrance hangs the largest map of Lebanon in the world,” said Bou Dagher, who put the names of all 1,622 villages and towns on the map. “We brought a rock from each of the villages and shaped it according to each village’s dimensions,” he said.

The village includes an animal farm, a children’s playground, and a church. “We also dedicated space to a classroom in the traditional sense, where students in the past used to sit under the oak tree and learn,” he said. The ‘madraseh’ or school showcases all Lebanon’s past civilizations, from Phoenicians to Canaanites.

Maarad, another project component, displays the traditional tools used by ancestors. A village shop for gifts and souvenirs has also been set up.

Bou Dagher will also start construction of a boutique hotel, chalets, and traditional homes for rent.