The Grand StairCase
In this album, you will see pictures of Sofar's Grand Hotel as it stands in 2012. Here is a bit of history about it.
Before the civil war, Lebanon’s mountain resorts were a magnet for much of the Middle East as well as most of the European countries. Because of its easy access, made possible by the railway that was built in the year 1880, the village of Sofar became a much-sought out town because of its purity of air and stunning, scenic location. The center of attraction was the Sofar Grand Hotel. It was built in 1890 by the Sursocks family directly opposite the train station. This legendary hotel attracted the highest of society as well as the elite of gamblers every summer since first opening its doors and up to the civil war in 1975. Muslims, Christians, and Jews gathered for afternoon teas, alpine hikes, and dinners served by white-gloved waiters. My in-laws would tell me stories of families sitting in the elegant gardens surrounding the hotel. They would be meticulously dressed and extremely well mannered. Among the guests would be an Egyptian pasha, a cabinet minister, a wealthy Iraqi industrialist, and a Jewish department store owner. Famous singers like Samira Tawfiq would hold elaborate concerts while Europeans escaping World War II would participate in tennis matches as the locals looked on in amazement. Today it stands abandoned and uninhabited, a reminder of a paradise lost. It was severely damaged by shelling and so forth and was looted by the various armies and militias roaming the area at the time of the civil war. It is said that many of the wealthy today like the Hariri family have attempted to purchase the hotel and restore it but are unable to because it is locked in an inheritance scandal.
