Yulia Demirzhyan, 31, orientalist, Beirut, Lebanon

"Lebanon accepts not everyone - and not everyone accepts Lebanon"

"My Planet" asks questions to Russian-speaking residents of different countries of the world. Today, orientalist Yulia tells what it is like to be the wife of a Lebanese, which places are worth visiting and why you should love this country.

Studying the Middle East and living in the region are two different things.Moving for work requires professional knowledge and understanding of the language. And before marrying an Arab, you must visit his homeland, communicate with people and be sure to get to know his family.

Lebanon does not accept everyone- and not everyone accepts Lebanon. Many Russian wives were never able to find themselves here and harmoniously fit into Lebanese society.

In terms of career, this is not the most suitable country.The unstable economic situation amid political friction with Israel and the war in Syria leaves the Lebanese themselves without work, not to mention the newcomers.

Those who have a chance to find a job who worked in international humanitarian organizations, since in the Middle East the issue of human rights and refugees is extremely acute.

It is officially prohibited to work on a wife's visa before obtaining Lebanese citizenship. But I do not lose hope of finding a job, this takes time and a Lebanese passport in hand.

Urban Lebanese is a mixture of Arabic with French expressions and numbers (Lebanon was once a French colony). French is in use, but English is more popular among young people. This is influenced by social media, movies and music.

Of all the Arab states, Lebanon is the most democratic and Europeanized country.Alcohol is not hard to find in Christian and mixed areas. There is no ban on wearing any kind of clothing. A girl in a short dress with a neckline and a woman in a burqa can walk together.

The Lebanese government is also theoretically democratic:the president is a Maronite Christian (one of the six ancient Christian churches with a large community in Lebanon. - Ed.), the vice president is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of parliament is a Shia Muslim.

In Lebanon, free access to all popular sites and social networks. An exception may be Israeli sites.

Today bloggers on social networks talk about countriesbetter than official travel portals and agencies. An insider's look is much more interesting and honest than dry information from people whose goal is to “sell” the country to tourists. I myself run Instagram and I want it to turn into a full-fledged project about what Lebanon is - real, ancient, tasty and without stereotypes.

In Lebanon, there is history at every turn,abandoned by numerous civilizations. It is awe-inspiring. Here are big friendly families, delicious food, relaxation at sea and in the mountains.

I believe that the climate shapes the human being. Lebanese - hot and sultry, like an August day! They are impulsive, emotional, love to gesture and talk a lot. They argue, promise, but do not always fulfill the promise.

There are no uninvited guests in the East.If you came to the house, then you are always welcome. In Lebanon there is a tradition of Sunday gatherings, when the whole big family gathers on the balcony and grills a barbecue or gets out to a restaurant, which may be located on the other side of the country.

Lebanese are always ready to help -even to strangers. There are no strangers or children for them. They play with the latter on the street, give them delicacies, are touched. It is not scary here to get lost in an unfamiliar city, the locals will immediately give you directions.

The country is tiny it can be crossed by car from north to south in just three hours. But not compact. Sights are scattered in different corners, some of them are difficult to reach due to the eternal traffic jams. I feel comfortable and not cramped in this country even after the Russian scale.

For two years my husband and I have traveled the country far and wide.Popular must-see sights include the town of Byblos, the Baalbek temple complex, cedar reserves in the mountains, the stalactite caves of Jeita Grotto and the statue of the Virgin Mary of Lebanon on Mount Harissa, the main Christian shrine in the region.

Less touristy, but my favorites:the mountainous region of Shuf with the picturesque oriental palace of Beieddin and the modern castle of Musa, the village of Rashana sculptors, similar to the Moscow Muzeon park, and the once fishing, but now very clean and cozy town of Batrun.

The newest and most modern in Lebanon- definitely Beirut. This city, like Moscow, never sleeps and constantly pulsates with energy. Loud music from pubs and restaurants, incendiary dances of Lebanese and tourists against the backdrop of dilapidated buildings by the civil war - it's worth seeing.

Lebanon hosts the most spectacularin the Middle East - if not the world - festivals and concerts featuring world stars. I have not seen anything like this, perhaps, anywhere else.

Besides parties, Lebanon is one of the centers of Middle Eastern fashion.Many famous designers have Lebanese roots: Elie Saab, Zuheir Murad, Rim Acra, George Hobeika and others.

Lebanese cuisine Is another trend that the country is famous for. Young people love to post photos of food on Instagram.

You need to try meat and chicken shawarma,tavuk sandwiches, falafel balls, cheese or za'atar flatbreads, saj and manaish, mezzeh snacks (including hummus and the local specialty tabbule salad) - both in authentic restaurants and street stalls.

From the unpleasant in Lebanon - attitude towards service personnel. It is customary here to have a housekeeper - to put it bluntly, a servant. Usually these are girls from Ethiopia, Sri Lanka or the Philippines. They are often treated like property. There are also situations where the girls themselves behave unethically, but that's another story.

Two more things are surprising here:garbage even in remote mountainous areas and in the sea, as well as high prices - at the level of European countries.

The problems of any Eastern society are similar:poverty and illiteracy, early marriages, including between relatives, violation of women's rights, etc.

My husband is a Lebanese Armenian a descendant of those Armenians who, at the beginning of the 20th century, fled from genocide in Syria and Lebanon. Armenians make up about 4% of the country's population.

Lebanon is home to meso I set myself up from the first day of arrival. Therefore, I immediately began to adapt: \u200b\u200bto look for good supermarkets, places of rest, acquaintances and, of course, doctors, hospitals.

In our flatthree bedrooms, living room, kitchen, two bathrooms and two balconies. By Lebanese standards, the norm, because families are large here. The view from the window is urban: skyscrapers, the road and the Beirut port in the distance.

We recently had a son.We named it after my father-in-law, whom I love and respect very much. Raphael, or Raphael (in Arabic Roufeil), is one of the archangels, so the name is popular in the local fairly religious society.

I'm preparing myself for the fact that my son will be international, therefore, he will choose absolutely any country as his home. I will definitely support him and say only one thing: learn languages, develop and do not drive yourself into a territorial framework.

The Russian fleet dominated the Mediterranean. Behind was a victory in a loud Chesme battle. And now the year 1773. Russian-Turkish war. The Russian fleet consisted of 13 battleships, 18 frigates, 3 bombing ships, 3 kicks and 1 packet boat. The four squadrons constituting the Russian forces were based on the archipelago of the Greek islands. The main base is the port of Auza. 20 islands were controlled by Russian forces. The Greeks helped in supplying the fleet, and Britain provided diplomatic support. And if the Russians triumphed at sea, then on land things were very bad. It was not possible to gain a foothold on the mainland either in Syria, or on Moreya, or on the island of Stankio (Stanko), which had a fortress and a large Turkish garrison, where a specially allocated small squadron of Captain Khmetevsky went. The landing, consisting in the overwhelming majority of "Albanians and Slavonians". After ephemeral successes, the landing forces had to be taken back to the ships: there were too few Russian regular forces.
The Russians were able to demonstrate their strength to the Turks in battles on land only once and only under the confluence of favorable circumstances, eastern intrigues and the daring of the Russian sailors.
Youssef Shehab, who had quarreled with the Turks, asked the command of the Russian fleet to help liberate Beirut from the Turkish detachment sent from Damascus. Shehab was a Druze, Sheikh and Eastern pragmatist. Apparently he wanted to become the Lebanese ruler, but more on that later.
In addition to the Turkish detachment, in Beirut and Saida there were people of Jazzar (the one who would become the ruler of Akko and repel the attack of Napoleon and everyone who was in Akko saw a mosque named after him).
And it was here that the Ryazan yard captain of the 2nd rank Kozhukhov entered the battle. In 1761 he was promoted to warrant officer; during the coup d'état of 1762, he was in Kronstadt, on guard on the bastion (prevented Peter III from landing in Kronstadt), was awarded the rank of ship secretary and a two-year salary, and then sent to study maritime practice in England, from where he traveled to America. In April 1773, a detachment of Captain Kozhukhov, sent by Admiral Spiridov in May to cruise to the shores of present-day Lebanon and Israel, consisting of 2 frigates and 6 shebeks, joined another Russian detachment led by Voinovich. On June 15, a squadron of Captain Kozhukhov arrived in Akko. On June 23, both Russian detachments united at Sayda. Two days later, the united detachment arrived at Beirut, and between its command, on the one hand, and Sheikh Yusuf Shehab, on the other, an agreement on joint actions was signed. The Druze sheikhs recognized Russia's patronage and pledged to fight Turkey while Russia was at war with her.
On July 19, ships began shelling Beirut to divert attention from the landing. The Russian landing consisted of 787 people of regular detachments (mainly sea gunners) under the command of the guards Lieutenant Baumgarten and irregular units (from Albanians, Greeks, Slavs) under the command of Major Dusi and Lieutenant I. Voinovich. Despite the fact that the Russian artillery destroyed the fortress wall in several places. The superiority of the enemy forces did not allow the Russian units to carry out a further offensive. It was decided to wait for reinforcements from Akko, and the landing party to return to the ships. The Druze blocked mountain roads, preventing Turkish reinforcements from coming. On August 18, a Russian landing was again landed. On August 24, additional forces were introduced, which blocked the city from land. Meanwhile, the Druze defeated the Chaleb Pasha, who was heading to help Beirut, and also laid siege to the city. The siege did not last long.
On September 22, Jazzar agreed to leave Beirut and sail on a Russian ship to Saida. On September 29, the following conditions for the surrender of Beirut were signed: the city passed into the hands of Sheikh Yusef and the garrison of Jazzar came to the disposal of Dahir (I will tell you about it somehow). Russian troops entered the city and the next day handed it over to the Druze. Two half-galleries with 17 cannons, 24 fortress guns and a large amount of ammunition were taken. An indemnity of 300,000 piastres was received from the city. The Russian flag flew over Beirut until January 1774. Then the Russian ships left for the island of Paros. The Druze handed over a letter to Catherine asking for the annexation of Lebanese territory to the Russian possessions under the Druze rule, but Russia, not wanting to get involved in a protracted conflict in the Middle East, diplomatically kept silent.
The name of Mikhail Gavrilovich Kozhukhov was known in the Russian fleet, his operation was studied in the Marine Corps, and then everything was forgotten and erased in the memory of the ungrateful descendants. Everything is as usual....
based on materials: A. Krotkov. "History of the Russian Army and Navy".
Sergey Pleshcheev "Day notes of travel from the archipelagic, Russian-owned island of Paros to Syria at the end of 1773"
PS In Lebanon there is a certain local historian N. Dzhidzhan, on her "motives" this "note" was also written http://www.russedina.ru/frontend/print.php?id\u003d9347, Kozhukhov got the name Nikolai, how I love you journalists and local historians :)

12/11/2016 ,

“When we first moved here, there was a war. There were barricades on the streets of Beirut, and snipers sometimes fired at passers-by. In general, it was quiet, but sometimes, quite unexpectedly, skirmishes broke out here and there. The last year of the war was especially cruel, there were many terrorist attacks. There was not a single dumpster left on the streets - they were constantly mined and eventually liquidated as a class. If a parked car stood without a driver for more than 2-3 minutes, it automatically aroused suspicion and could be evacuated. "

Olga Dager She arrived in Lebanon in 1986, following her husband, who was studying with her in the same year at the Leningrad Medical Institute. Four of his brothers also studied in Leningrad, all became candidates of science, all returned home - and not alone. Olga's large Lebanese family also has two daughters-in-law from Russia. Today she heads the Russian women's club and the coordinating council of compatriots in Lebanon.

“After arriving, I confirmed my diploma and got a job as an anesthesiologist in a hospital, sometimes I did not see my husband for several days. Once, it was on my watch that the car of President Rene Mouawad, who ruled the country for only 17 days, exploded near the hospital. A huge number of people were injured, blood was slippery on the floor in the emergency room. "

No one really counted, but several thousand Russian-Lebanese families live in a tiny country with a population of 3 million. In the vast majority of cases, we are talking about Russian wives of Lebanese husbands. It is almost impossible for a foreigner who has married a Lebanese woman to legalize. On the other hand, it is easy for foreign women who married Lebanese to obtain citizenship, get a job, and receive benefits.

In comparison with local women, Russians stand out not only for their fair skin, but also for their modesty, thriftiness, unpretentiousness and the universal presence of higher education, which is very important in Lebanon.

Recalling the first six months spent in the Lebanese village with her husband's parents and brothers, Olga says that nowhere and has never been so cold. It was winter, and only a few rooms in the big house were heated by stoves. We slept at a temperature of +8 degrees.

The lack of external warmth was compensated by the internal one: according to Olga, Lebanese husbands are generally gallant, pay a lot of attention to the family, practically do not drink alcohol and are often brought up in secular traditions.

Olga's husband is a Shiite Muslim, many in his family do not eat pork or drink alcohol, someone did the Hajj. But women in this family do not cover their heads with a headscarf and wear European clothes. Religion is perceived rather as a tribute to tradition. At the same time, in Lebanon, there are frequent cases when Russian women convert to Islam, observe all norms and prohibitions, study the Koran - as it is said, absolutely voluntarily.

There are 18 officially recognized religious denominations in Lebanon. Olga says that a marriage contracted according to a religious ceremony has more weight than a civil marriage - that is, confirmed by the state. All Islamic denominations freely allow divorce, and local Catholicism is considered one of the most conservative. So sometimes Catholics convert to Islam to get divorced. At the same time, many "unchurched" Lebanese prefer to register their marriages in neighboring Cyprus, with its completely secular and familiar family code.

Children in Russian-Lebanese families often speak 4 languages \u200b\u200b- Arabic, English, French and Russian, which they communicate at home and which can always be studied at the Russian Cultural Center in Beirut.

Today, according to Olga, no fewer Russian wives go to Lebanon than before, and maybe even more. Now they meet mainly on the Internet. In such families, they speak among themselves mainly in English, the children already know the language of their ancestors worse. But satellite channels and the Internet allow you to feel not too far from Russia: young people here also watch TNT and adore Danila Kozlovsky.

On March 8, husbands bring flowers home, although it is not customary to celebrate this holiday in Lebanon, Mother's Day, March 21, is much more popular here. During the May holidays, Russian-Lebanese families go to barbecues, on May 9 they remember the veterans: the Lebanese action "Immortal Regiment" was the first in the Middle East. Amateur performances are organized on the Old New Year.

Almost everyone communicates with each other and supports each other.

Six months ago, they raised money for one of the representatives of the Russian community so that she could return home with her children - but while they were collecting money, she made peace with her husband.

Stories with a less happy ending also happen, then, in addition to the women's Russian club, the situation can be resolved with the help of the police or human rights non-profit organizations: one call - and a woman, regardless of her nationality and religion, will be taken to a safe place that neither her husband will know about, no relatives - only one confidant. The Russian diplomatic mission also helps through its channels. But these are the most extreme cases, of which there are few.

Every year Olga Dager meets with her colleagues from the countries of the former Soviet Union living in the Middle East and Africa at conferences. She says that there are Russian women even in Botswana, and in Lebanon, in every village there is at least one. There are many of them in Tunisia and Egypt, until recently there were many in neighboring Syria. “There are no Russian wives except in Antarctica,” she smiles. - But this is the territory of husbands!

This is how it happens that always visiting this or that country, I pay attention, first of all, to the standard of living of people, their education, culture. So speaking about Lebanon ...
The social strata of the population are very clearly delineated. Can live like this

These are all apartment buildings. Different class. Pay attention to the balconies. They are not used at all for storing things))), but for outdoor recreation. Look at the sea, or at the mountains. Or on the wall of a neighboring house. It's so lucky. The balconies usually have tables, chairs, garden swings ... Last photo - Premium class, with a sea view, of course.
Below is a photo of single-family houses. Near these houses, you can see signs that say Takogoto Residence, for example. Sounds so cool, huh?))

ABOUT! The photo above and below this caption is my favorite home. It has 3 floors, a fitness room and a bunch of cool stuff.

They can live like this.

By the way, this house is most likely inhabited by Syrian refugees. But we are not about them.
It is interesting that in the country they pay a lot of attention to who you are and how you live, where and by whom you work. By the way, working in a bank is very prestigious. The salary of an ordinary employee is about $ 2,000. Cars, respectively, here vary from the most dead junk to ... I just don't know which brand to stay on ... 200,000 dollars is not the limit of the price for a car.

Here I am next to Ferari. Eh, sorry it's not mine. In my opinion, it suits me))))))
Many homes have au pair. Originally from the Philippines, Nigeria and other countries. Many of them live in the houses where they work. I met families with 3 assistants.

Girls, hold on! Now is the fun part. I am painting the day of such a Lebanese mom living in a big house / apartment and with 2 helpers (mate).

Morning ... Everyone got up. Breakfast was prepared by the mate, the other mate of the children gathered. Daddy to work, and on the way the children dropped out of school. Mom is to the salon. There they washed her head, did a manicure and pedicure. On the way home, she might stop by to chat with her friends, or shop with her mate, of course. To carry the packages.

Lunch ... Mom took mate! Oh, this is necessary, without her anywhere)))) I went and took the children. On the way, we stopped somewhere for lunch, or at home, if mate cooked (maybe cook it herself)

Children do their homework until evening. At 19 o'clock the kids go to bed. And parents in the evening can go to a restaurant together. Take a break from a hard day.

It is this status that distinguishes these mothers from ours. And don't think that their life is easy and fun. There is enough of everyone. Sometimes such mates will be caught, God forbid. And they rob and kill. And sometimes, it's trite, to be lazy to work.
One friend of mine was left without a mate for a month. I let her go on vacation, to visit her relatives. So this month was simply unbearable for her. Still would! Every day her mate washed the house like this ... For example, the bathroom. We must remove everything from the shelves, wipe each jar. Hose the walls and floor. Dry everything and put the jars in place. Wipe off dust, wash mirrors and windows every day. And if this madam, this is how they turn to a woman, found dust in the far corner of the shelf in the closet, she would start hysterical that the house was dirty !!! Poor mate. Not surprisingly, NOBODY agreed to clean up this madam during her vacation.
And mate is chatting among themselves, it turns out.
I like the helpers who come. I called - they came, removed, left. And no problem. Many families agree with me here.
Yet the middle class prevails in Lebanon. And many mothers take their children from school themselves. But by car. There is nowhere without a car. I met public transport only in coastal cities and the capital.
I will tell you about how Lebanese drive cars another time.
To be continued...

Alexey Sarabiev

Estimates of the size of the modern Russian-speaking diaspora in Lebanon vary. According to some data, about 10 thousand people from Russia and the former USSR live in Beirut and other cities of Lebanon, according to others - about 37 thousand people.

Probably, this discrepancy can be explained by the difference in approaches. Should we, for example, consider a descendant of emigrants in the third or fourth generation or descendants from mixed marriages to be a member of the Russian diaspora? Should this number include, say, people from the Baltics or Ukraine?

Back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the region of Mount Lebanon and the largest port on the Syrian coast of Beirut attracted Russian pilgrims and travelers. It was thanks to the pilgrimage that the Russian diaspora began to form there. In Lebanon, Russian Orientalists A.E. Krymsky (in 1896-1898) and I.Yu. Krachkovsky (1908-1911).

Basically, the Russian diaspora in Beirut descended from Russian Orthodox pilgrims who hiked to Jerusalem and passed through coastal Lebanese cities. Obviously, some of them remained both in Beirut and in other areas on the territory of modern Lebanon.

In the 1920s, a small part of the Russian White Guards who fled from Crimea through Constantinople came to Beirut with the help of the French military administration. A total of about 3,000 White Guard officers lived in Beirut, who worked throughout Lebanon as surveyors and surveyors. The Topographic Society created by them was engaged in the preparation of geographical maps for the French army, and then for the French mandate administration. These people tried to preserve elements of Russian culture in their families, and in addition, they were in constant communication with each other. It is known that in the 30s the Russian community annually organized the so-called Russian Ball in Beirut.

Among the Russian émigré officers who fled from the Bolsheviks was the family of Alexander Serov, the son of the famous Russian painter Valentin Serov. The Serov family still lives in the same old building that they occupied in the 40s. This is a home in the West District of Beirut, one block from the American University. Grigory Serov, grandson of Valentin Serov, teaches architecture at the University and is known as a famous watercolor painter in Beirut. Last year V.V. Putin presented Grigory Alexandrovich and his wife Florence (of French origin) with medals for their contribution to the spread of Russian culture in Lebanon. Arguing about his national self-identification, G.A. Serov notes: "When I come to Moscow, I say that after 80 years of living in Beirut, I have remained one hundred percent Russian, but also one hundred percent Lebanese."

In 1927, a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) appeared in Beirut. Until 1960, he had his own premises, but then the building was requisitioned, and the church functioned in a private house. Soon, for many reasons, the parish was forced to close. But over time, the number of Russian Orthodox Christians in Lebanon increased, so that with a large number of Orthodox parishes of the Patriarchate of Antioch, it became necessary to establish a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church, where services would be conducted not in Arabic, but in Church Slavonic. Such an opportunity presented itself after the relative thaw in the religious policy of the Stalinist government of the USSR immediately after the Great Patriotic War.

The Moscow Patriarchate Compound in Lebanon was founded in May 1946 after the visit of Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow (Simansky) to the Middle East. This decision was made taking into account the ardent desire of the Russian residents of the Lebanese capital to have their own Orthodox church. On the canonical territory of the Antioch Patriarchate - the Beirut Metropolis - a right side-altar was allocated for the Russian Orthodox metochion in the name of St. Nicholas of the Beirut Annunciation Church. The parish has become a religious, spiritual and cultural center of attraction for the Russian Orthodox community. Not only church holidays were celebrated here, but also other memorable dates for the Russian Orthodox inhabitants of Beirut.

The fate of one of the oldest but still active figures of the Russian diaspora in Lebanon - Irina Alekseevna Zhaber, who has long been acting as head of the parish of the Moscow Patriarchate in Lebanon, is indicative. At the very beginning of the 30s, her family left Russia. Irina was then very young. Despite her long life abroad, Irina Alekseevna retained her knowledge of the Russian language and love for Russia. She is the author of many publications about the fate of Russians in Lebanon, actively participates in the events of Russian compatriots, taking place, including in the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Beirut. In the fall of 2009, Irina Alekseevna Zhaber celebrated her 80th birthday, on which she was congratulated, among others, by employees of the Russian Embassy in Beirut, the Rossotrudnichestvo office in Lebanon, and members of the Association of Russian Compatriots.

A well-known scientist of the Orthodox Balamand University in Lebanon, a world-renowned historian and art critic, Professor Suad Slim, before marriage, bore the surname Abu al-Rus. Her grandfather was from Russia. At the beginning of the 20th century, he settled in Lebanon and married a Lebanese woman. Of course, Mrs. Professor herself cannot be considered a member of the Russian diaspora, but her case clearly demonstrates the mechanism of single immigration and the long-standing close ties of Russians with Lebanon.

Another type of immigration of Russians in Lebanon, rooted in the Soviet era and actively developing at the present time, is the so-called immigration of "Russian wives". A large number of undergraduate and graduate students from Arab countries, in particular from Lebanon, studied in military and civil educational institutions of the Soviet Union (in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Rostov-on-Don, Kharkov and other cities), and now they are studying in Russia. Many of them married Russian girls and note with satisfaction the kindness, beauty and reliability of their wives. It must be said that the Lebanese themselves do not focus on whether their chosen one is from Russia or from Ukraine, and consider all Russian-speakers in Lebanon to be Russians. At the same time, the difference in confessions between husband and wife often does not matter. Sometimes this happens because wives accept the faith of a Lebanese husband. But there are a number of cases when a husband (for example, a native of the Shiite community) is a supporter of the communist idea and does not care about the confessional unity of the family. The "Russian wives" in Lebanon are united by the Women's Club, established in Beirut, which is currently headed by Natalia Samaan.

Children from mixed marriages often have dual citizenship, and most of them speak Russian. Basically, they occasionally come to their historical homeland to visit their relatives and, in principle, are quite familiar with Russian culture. Such children, as a rule, study in Lebanese schools and colleges, many go to universities. This usually takes into account not the religious affiliation of the university (for example, the Jesuit University of St. Joseph, the Maronite University of the Holy Spirit, the Protestant American University in Beirut, etc.), but only the quality and cost of education.

Russian specialists also live in Lebanon - builders, doctors, teachers, representatives of other professions, working under a contract. Children from such families can attend both private schools and colleges, and Russian-language educational institutions established by Russian government organizations.

In Beirut, at the Russian Center for Science and Culture, there is a Russian school for young compatriots, as well as Russian-speaking citizens of a number of CIS countries - Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, permanently residing in Lebanon. The school has several dozen students of different ages, united in five classes. In addition, children's groups for the study of the Russian language operate at the Center's branches in the Lebanese cities of Tripoli, Nabatyya and Baalbek.

At the request of the Government Commission for Compatriots Affairs, a set of new textbooks "Cabinet of the Russian Language and Literature", as well as Russian dictionaries, audio materials, didactic and methodological aids were published. They were transferred to the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Beirut. The center has been operating for about 60 years. It is both an educational and a cultural institution: now the RCSC has classes in the Russian language school, ballet classes, as well as a leisure center for representatives of the Russian diaspora. During difficult periods of war and violence in Lebanon, the basement of the building was converted and served as a bomb shelter. According to the director of the RCSC Mansur Khasanov, in order to strengthen its influence in the Middle East of Russia, it is necessary to pay more attention to information media, propaganda of Russian culture and literature. Including translate the most interesting novelties of scientific and fiction literature into Arabic, as it was in Soviet times.

Unfortunately, in Lebanon, as in a number of other countries, illegal immigration of Russian-speaking "live goods" takes place. This fact significantly undermines the image of Russia, despite the fact that b aboutmost of the flow of young women comes from Ukraine. Nevertheless, colossal damage is inflicted on the image of our country in the eyes of the Lebanese, and the Arabs in general, efforts to promote Russian artistic and everyday culture in Lebanon are often brought to naught. So far, this negative phenomenon has not reached the "point of no return", but its scale and persistence force us to look with alarm at the future of Russian-Lebanese cultural relations.

To strengthen the image of Russia and the spread of the Russian language and culture in foreign countries, the Federal Agency Rossotrudnichestvo was created in 2008 at the initiative of the President of Russia, which has its own representative office in Beirut. Rossotrudnichestvo subordinates 72 cultural centers in many countries of the world. They work on the basis of the Russian diaspora, taking into account the peculiarities and needs of even such small centers of Russian culture as in Beirut. Cultural centers that are subordinate to Rossotrudnichestvo exist both in Damascus (about 500 people) and in Amman.

In December 2009, three cultural figures of the Russian diaspora in Lebanon were awarded diplomas of the Government Commission for the Affairs of Compatriots Abroad of the Russian Federation for their contribution to the development of Russian culture: Chairman of the Association of Russian Compatriots Vera Eduardovna Dzhurdi, head of the choir of the parish community of the Russian Orthodox Church in Beirut Vera Nikitichna Ganem and the head of the children's dance school at the RCSC in Beirut, Natalya Viktorovna Semaan.

With the help of the Russian community, a collection of articles on the origin and everyday life of the Russian diaspora in Lebanon is being prepared for publication. Members of old immigrant families I.A. Zhaber, A. Yu. Iordanov, I. D. Malysheva, G.A. Serov, K.B. Novikov, as well as immigrants of the next - Soviet - wave: M. Sariaddin, T. Bahr, E. Mazhir and others.

During the visit of Lebanese President M. Slayman to Russia, he met with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. Addressing the President of Lebanon, the patriarch, in particular, said: “The Russian people living in Lebanon have contributed to the formation of the statehood of your country, to the education system and culture of Lebanon. And today a large Russian diaspora lives in Lebanon, numbering from seven to ten thousand people. " Patriarch Kirill expressed gratitude to the Beirut municipality for the decision to allocate a plot of land for the Russian cemetery. The plans include the signing of joint agreements on the development of the pilgrimage from Russia to Lebanon.

Alexey Sarabyev, Researcher, Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences

Magazine "Russian century" No. 9 2012