Veins of the mountain

Wherever water flows, life flourishes
Wherever tears fall, Divine mercy is shown
– Rumi

Outside the frenetic energy of Beirut, green valleys stretch wide and mountains rise proud. And, if you listen closely, you can hear lakes spread still and rivers flow strong.
Blue and green water.
Hurt water, forsaken water.
Water as a weapon, water as a victim.
But also healing water.
Beautiful; fragile water.

We hopped in the car, and drove far away from the noise and the concrete. The roads, just like stream beds, penetrate the reliefs and cross the infinite landscape.
There, yellow, green, brown and every other nuance of Mother Nature’s palette thrive.
Limitless.
And from the holy heavens, water reflects celestial blues between the scattered villages.

Rivers and lakes existed before any human was around, and are to last beyond all human life. And yet…
Hand marks and fingerprints dive deep into them, buried under the mud.
There is only so much the earth can give. And yet…
Greed makes the water go dry and our foolishness makes it flood.

So here is an ode to the life-giving miracle of water; hurt but still willing to rescue us from ourselves. Still willing to echo the beautiful chant of the stars. Still willing to answer back to the gentleness of dawn.

The photos were captured in different Lebanese regions covering North Lebanon (Ayoun el Samak and Denneyeh), North Bekaa (Baalbeck, Yammouneh), Mid and West Bekaa (Litani river, Ammiq, and Qaroun lake and dam), Kesserwane (Laqlouq and Afqa), Chouf, and Metn.

Text by Myriame Alioualla