(Lady Hester's Ruined Estate 48 km)

Joun, in the hills 12 km north of Sidon, is the site of Lady Hester Stanhope's ruined house. Lady Hester, the daughter of the Earl of Stanhope, left England in 1810 to seek adventure in the East. Settling permanently in Lebanon in 1818, she remained there until her death in 1839. Although her stone house and stables are in ruin and the gardens are overrun by weeds and wilds flowers, this once-great baronial establishment retains a romantic aspect, especially in spring. Lady Hester's olive grove still survives, the trunks gnarled with time. Although she was buried on her grave have been vandalized and are no longer visible.

The Walls of Lady Hester's House