The Sannine Zenith Lebanon is a construction project that will cover a surface area of approximately 96 million square meters nearly 1 percent of

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

will be located in the area of Bidnayel and Sulugi, which begins east of

Faraya Faraya ( ar, فاريا) is a village and municipality in the Keserwan District of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is located 46 kilometers north of Beirut. Elevation start from 1290 meters to 2000 meters above sea level and its tota ...

and ends in the

Bekaa The Beqaa Valley ( ar, links=no, وادي البقاع, ', Lebanese ), also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ, and Becaa and known in classical antiquity as Coele-Syria, is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon. It is Lebanon's most important f ...

. According to Jean Abou Rached, the chairman of As-Salam company and the real estate developer behind the project, Sannine Zenith would cost $1.4 billion. The

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

will be the main theme behind Sannine Zenith, since 70 percent of the land will be completely free of construction and some one million trees will be planted. The project as planned includes three separate villages: the International Sports Village, the Eco Farm Village and the Lake View Village; each will be architecturally distinctive from the others.

Project

Located within a mountain range, Sannine Zenith Lebanon is a four-season resort destination in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

. The community harbors a variety of family and sports activities geared for all seasons. By using both natural and man-made snow the project produces the largest and skiing facilities, encompassing 59 skiing slopes levelled towards professionals as well as leisure skiers, but also a

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...

resort with stunning scenery. The

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

peaks vary between the summits; ranging in altitude between 2,000 meters and 2,600 meters and will contain a high altitude

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". The ...

Location

Mount Sannine Mount Sannine ( ar, جبل صنين / ALA-LC: ''Jabal Șannīn'') is a mountain in the Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon ( ar, جَبَل لُبْنَان, ''jabal lubnān'', ; syr, ܛܘܪ ܠܒ݂ܢܢ, ', , ''ṭūr lewnōn'' french: Mont Liban) is ...

is geographically placed in the centre of

. The site of Sannine Zenith Lebanon covers approximately 50 million square meters of the Western and Eastern peaks and

plateaus In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

of Mount Sannine. The site spreads over a variety of altitudes that range between 1,400 meters to 2,600 meters above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

Development

The Master Plan brings forth a study of both environment and water management, a detailed study of ski slopes with an area requirement study, and a pair of golf courses and area requirement study. A market study and a feasibility study have been concluded while additional market studies are continuously conducted to update data and follow market trends in

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

as they emerge. A sizeable portion of the land will be treated as a natural reserve zone for reforestation and will be equipped with various outdoor activities such as

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A His ...

trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back, while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey, and may involve camping outdoors. In North America tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain ...

, mountain climbing,

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more natu ...

, activities for

scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpack ...

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from tw ...

and many other activities. The Central Hub Geographically located in the centre of the site, this area is planned as the project’s prime public attraction, and a destination for non-

residents Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceutic ...

. Housing a series of small

hotels A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

, commercial facilities,

restaurants A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearance ...

nightclubs A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

, bars, and

movie theatres A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall (Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...

. The central hub will assure parking facilities within touching distance of the main ski lifts. The Villages Several

villages A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

will be developed each with a particular and distinctive character; in contrast, with the main node these villages will ensure more privacy, a higher degree of exclusivity and seclusion to the residents. All villages will contain a center affording common activities. Infrastructure Right from the very onset of the project the infrastructure studies conducted were aimed at ensuring that infrastructure items could be constructed, as well as developing a budget for feasibility studies. In addition, the project is equipped with one central

heliport A heliport is a small airport suitable for use by helicopters and some other vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also have limited facilities such as fuel or hangars. I ...

located within the Mountain Village vicinity and is designed to maintain comfort and practicality for project users. Equipment Sannine Zenith Lebanon will be equipped with a

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet ...

clearing station and

snowplow A snowplow (also snow plow, snowplough or snow plough) is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes. Although this term is often used to re ...

s. This is in line with other ski resorts in the area and where procedures laid down by the Ministry of Public Works for the clearance of snow from public

roads A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

and private resort roads in winter are carried out in full accordance. Skiing Slopes The Northern part of the site equipped with the most appropriate skiing slopes, will be completely dedicated to skiing activities and preserved as virgin land. Offering a variety of skiing activities the ski slopes will extend their pleasures with slopes ranging from those for beginners to those for advanced skiing, for cross-country skiing and for snowboarding and from elevations ranging from 2,000 meters of altitude to 2,500 meters of altitude. A technical study was conducted to test the viability of the ski slopes and to assess the technical feasibility of skiing on the site. These studies also revealed that the length and slope variety of Sannine Zenith Lebanon are comparable to international ski resorts worldwide.

Latest

There has been no news of the development since 2007 amid speculation it has been put on hold. The website www.sanninezenith.com has also been discontinued.

References

External links