The fertile Bekaa Valley stretches between the Mount Lebanon chain to the west and the Anti-Lebanon mountains to the east. Throughout history, the valley has been a major crossroad between northern Syria and Palestine, and between the Mediterranean coast and the interior. This favorable geographic situation has encouraged human settlement in the valley since ancient times. Today, the cities and villages of the Bekaa still preserve the remains of the people who lived there centuries ago. Roman temples, Islamic structures, and archaeological sites dating from many different historical periods transform the valley into a virtual “open-air museum.”