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the Degree Confluence Project
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Lebanon

1.9 km (1.2 miles) S of Masna` al-Zuhr, al-Biqā`, Lebanon
Approx. altitude: 1321 m (4333 ft)
([?] maps: Google MapQuest OpenStreetMap ConfluenceNavigator)
Antipode: 34°S 144°W

Accuracy: 5 m (16 ft)
Quality: good

Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

#2: North View #3: South View #4: East View #5: West view #6: GPS View #7: Terrain View

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  34°N 36°E (visit #1)  

#1: General view of the Confluence 34N 36E

(visited by Mikhael Samaha and Nadim Hajjar)

01-Aug-2003 -- I learned about such a website from a friend during a land trip from Saudi Arabia to Lebanon. During a conversation about GPS, I got a hint that there is only one intersection of "whole numbers of longitude & latitude" in Lebanon and it has not been visited and registered in a website.

On the first opportunity I consulted my local Lebanon map and verified the whereabouts of that intersection. After some difficulties searching the internet, I found this website and decided to visit this Confluence and submit my visit. Gathering the required information, I contacted a friend, Nadim Hajjar, and planned a special visit.

The Confluence is in the Biqā` valley, near al-Nabiy Rašāda. It could be reached from my location in Ḍuhūr al-Šuwayr through two different routes. One route is to cross over the "Western Ridge of the Mountains of Lebanon" to the east side and descend to the Biqā` valley, then drive north towards the Confluence. The second route is to drive north on the "Western Ridge of the Mountains of Lebanon", then cross over the Ridge and descend east. Both routes looked to be of equal distance and time, so we decided to go there through one route and return through the other.

I set the GPS on WGS84 and marked the Confluence 34N 36E as a waypoint.

On Saturday 2nd Aug 2003 we left Ḍuhūr al-Šuwayr early in the morning, crossed the Ridge, had breakfast in Biqā`, then headed towards al-Nabiy Rašāda. The weather was fine with very good visibility. The Confluence was approximately 2 km from the main road, in an erred landscape with small cultivated patches. We made use of some agricultural roads to get as close as 500 m to the Confluence. We marked a waypoint at our vehicle, took our gear and started walking. We roughly located the direction of the Confluence and headed towards it, the terrain was rough, full of heavily weathered fragmented white rocks with rows of thorny shrubs propagating from the grooves and spaces between the fragments. The droppings littering the area made it easy to tell that this area is a grazing land for goats.

The GPS accuracy was varying between 5 & 9m, with a couple of steps North – South – East & West the GPS zoomed on zeros. We took photographs of the GPS and in the four directions, then marked the location with a pile of local stones to assist identifying the location for a general photo.


 All pictures
#1: General view of the Confluence 34N 36E
#2: North View
#3: South View
#4: East View
#5: West view
#6: GPS View
#7: Terrain View
ALL: All pictures on one page