A kilometre uphill from the Beiteddine palace, Moussa Castle is the lifelong project of one man — a stone-by-stone medieval castle built between 1962 and the early 2000s by the Lebanese craftsman Moussa al-Maamari. The exterior copies a Crusader keep; the interior is full of waxwork tableaux of Lebanese village life and military scenes from Moussa's imagination.
It is kitschy. It is also strangely moving — a monument to one man's obsession. The cafe at the entrance does Lebanese coffee and a view across the valley. Plan an hour or so for the visit.