Beirut has inaugurated a project for religious-cultural tourism with support from the Italian Development Cooperation.

The project was presented in the presence of Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Grand Serraglio, which houses the offices of the head of the government. From the tombs of the prophets shared by the three major monotheistic religions, such as Jacob and Ezekiel, and the site of the Cana wedding where Jesus's first miracle was believed to have been performed, to the Qadisha Valley, Sunni mosques and Shia sanctuaries. Lebanon, which has a surface area roughly as large as Italy's Abbruzzo region, boasts 4,000 major religious sites.

So far, 250 of the sites have been included in the initiative and several itineraries will be offered to visitors, who will also be able to choose tailor-made routes. A website that can be accessed from any smartphone enables the visitor to find out where the sites are, how long it will take to get to them and what hotels and restaurants are nearby. ''Religious pilgrimages were the first form of tourism in history,'' Hariri said in his speech, ''and now we want to continue in the path of this tradition and develop it further, strengthening out tourism sector. But this is a project that goes beyond the economic aspect. It is a humanitarian initiative because, in these times when there is much talk about problems in relations between Christians and Muslims, it celebrates the diversity of Lebanon and its 18 religious communities living together.''

''Lebanon goes beyond dialogue between religions,'' the prime minister added, ''and offers a meeting place for religions.'' Italian ambassador Massimo Marotti noted that Italian participation in the project comes after one in October that led to the setting up of another level of the National Museum dedicated to funerary art. Marotti added that the sites included in the religious tourism project ''are not only buildings to see. They are mostly places where believers of different religions come together and pray.''Read more at:http://www.marieaustralia.com/formal-dress-shops-perth | www.marieaustralia.com/red-carpet-celebrity-dresses