Leaving on a Jet Plane Trivia Quiz

Answer: Purple

Tyre, which means "rock" in Semitic languages, was built on a rocky formation. It has been inhabited from as early as 8000 B.C. and was a Phoenician metropolis. The Phoenicians developed a way to extract pigment from the mucus of Murex sea snails and the resulting dye was called Tyrian purple. Other names for Tyrian purple include Phoenician purple, royal purple and imperial purple. Tyrian purple was extremely laborious and costly to produce, not least because of the sheer number of snails needed. As a result, Tyrian purple became a status symbol and for a period of time only the Roman emperor had the privilege of wearing it.

This question was tirelessly tinged purple by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing with a rock-steady hand.

Answer: Desert

Lebanon is a veritable oasis in the Middle East. It is home to lush forests, magnificent waterfalls, beautiful Mediterranean beaches, and almost thirty rivers. Its mountainous terrain with summits over 10,000ft (3,000m) and several popular ski resorts have earned it the nickname "Switzerland of the East". What Lebanon does not have, in contrast to every other Middle Eastern nation, is a desert. However, the northern Beqaa region nestled between two mountain ranges receives the lowest rainfall in the country (due to a rain shadow effect) and is considered a semi-desert habitat.

This question was sunbaked by Phoenix Rising team member JCSon.

Answer: King Solomon's Temple

Hiram, the king of Tyre, provided Solomon with the cedar of Lebanon used in the construction of the first temple (I Kings 5). In fact, the temple was almost completely paneled with cedar (I Kings 6). This cedar was also used in the construction of King David's palace (2 Samuel 5:11; 7:2), King Solomon's palace (1 Kings 7:2), and the second temple (Ezra 3:7).

The cedars of Lebanon have been prominent throughout the region's history and are first recorded in the Epic of Gilgamesh. They are so much a part of Lebanon's identity that the flag is adorned with the tree. It is also the logo of Middle East Airlines, the national airline of Lebanon.

This question was chopped down and carved up by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: Beirut

The shrine is dedicated to Mary, Mother of Jesus. The bronze statue of the Virgin Mary is 8.5 m (27.9 ft) high and weighs more than 10 tons. It was made in France and the surface was painted white. The shrine is one of the most important Marian shrines in the world and attracts about two million visitors each year.

This question was hefted into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

Answer: A bridge

The Mudeirej (also known as the Mdairej) Bridge had been constructed in 1998 as part of the then Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's plan to rebuild Lebanon's infrastructure. At the time that it was completed the bridge was the tallest and highest bridge in the Middle East (since surpassed) and stood as a proud example of Lebanese architecture. It comes as little surprise then that its bombing caused great distress among the locals who levelled strong criticism at the Israelis. It was claimed that the bridge had little strategic value to the Hezbollah with whom the nation of Israel was fighting.

In 2007 USAID provided $30 million toward the reconstruction of the bridge and renovations commenced in 2008.

The gap to this question was closed by Phoenix Rising member pollucci19.

Answer: He built a causeway to it

In 332 BC the city of Tyre was part of the Phoenician Empire. It was besieged by the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great after its people refused to capitulate and grant them entry to the city. The siege lasted for seven months until a frustrated Alexander ordered his forces to build a stone causeway to bridge the 800m (2,600ft) gap between the island fortress and the mainland. Once it was in place, Alexander's army was able to use standard siege-breaking weapons such as siege towers, siege engines, and battering rams (along with support from significant naval forces) to capture the city.

This short period in Tyre's long history had a permanent impact on the city - Alexander's causeway was never removed and the additional buildup of silt and sediment over the centuries turned its island into a peninsula.

Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81 strapped this question into a catapult and ruthlessly fired it into the quiz.

Answer: Meghli

Meghli is a rice pudding dessert from the cuisine of Lebanon and surrounding countries. Its name is Arabic for boiled, which refers to the fact that it must be stirred continuously for up to an hour. It is spiced with anise, caraway and cinnamon, and often garnished with coconut flakes and nuts. It was traditionally served to celebrate the birth of a male heir, but now celebrates any newborn.

Phoenix Rising team member lg549 cooked up this question.

Answer: Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves was born to an English mother, Patricia, and an American father, Samuel, in Beirut in 1964. After World War II, Beirut became known as the "Paris of the Middle East" and was a financial and cultural mecca in the region. His mother was drawn to the city as a showgirl and performer. She met his father who was also there on work and Keanu was conceived. They married and had another child, a daughter Kim. The father abandoned the family after three years and Keanu's mother took him and his sister first to Sydney, Australia and then New York City. His father is a native Hawaiian of Chinese, English, Irish, and Portuguese descent. His paternal grandmother is Chinese Hawaiian.

Keanu is most famous for his roles in "The Matrix" film series and for playing John Wick in the "John Wick" film series. He has also worked as a director and played bass in the band Dogstar.

Beirut's history can be traced back to the 14th century BC, but it was first inhabited over 5000 years ago. Archeological work has unearthed remains from each of the following ages: Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Crusader, and Ottoman, demonstrating the rich heritage the city can claim. Its more modern history has been scarred by war when the city was divided in the 1970s during the Lebanese Civil War.

This question was scripted by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: Climb Mount Everest

Blessed with unfailing determination, Chaya seems to excel at whatever discipline he puts his mind to. He has been Lebanon's national champion at squash, cross-country skiing, and cycling. In 2000 he climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and this inspired him to pursue this passion further. He would climb and raise the Lebanese flag on the Seven Summits, finishing with Mount Everest in May of 2006. Toward the end of the following year, he would become the first man from the Middle East to reach the South Pole on foot. He has also reached the North Pole, was part of a crew that broke the world record crossing the Indian Ocean in a rowboat and, in 2016 with Steve Holyoak, became the first people to cross a sand desert on bicycles.

Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 rose up to deliver this question.

Answer: Goat

Nearly 200 years ago, the Nubian Ibex, which had roamed for centuries in the mountains of Lebanon, became extinct due to hunting and habitat destruction. In the 2020s a project to reintroduce the species to the Shouf Biosphere Reserve, a series of forests that make up the largest nature park in Lebanon, commenced.

Although the animal is named for a desert in Sudan, they are spread over a wide region including northern and northeast Africa, and the Middle East. Apart from use as a food source (meat as well as milk), and the hide for warmth, parts of the animal were used for traditional medicine. The blood was used for gallstones and the heart for strength, among many other less printable things!

Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid butted into the quiz with this question.