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I seem to have lost my label for this one, but if I recall it was a Carpopenaeus (callirostris?) from Haqel, Lebanon - Cenomanian. Can anyone confirm this for me? I'm pretty sure it was from Lebanon, in any case. If any other info can be filled in also, let me know, please. Maybe my label will turn up somewhere, sometime... I know I would not have thrown such a thing out.

Dear TFF, I have been thinking of visitng Lebanon for quite a time and eventually this year I actually managed to. Contrary to the popular perception of being a war-zone country, Lebanon is safe and accessible. The first part of my journey was devoted mainly to sightseeing – as the country with millennia of history, there is practically no corner without the historic remains, whether of Phoenician, Roman or Byzantine origin. So, one can visit Medieval castles (Sydon) UNESCO sites (Tyre) (Bylos) (Baalbek) amazing nature – famous Lebanese cedar trees beautiful mountains with extraordinary geological formations – like the rocky bridge Jisr Al Hajar or the Jeita Grotto, with the world’s largest stalactite and stalagmite and the fascinating boat ride on the river inside the Grotto’s lower part. Of course there are also places related to a slightly more recent history – I think everyone remembers the ammonium nitrate explosion in the Port of Beirut – and there are a few locations that were kept as a memento of the tragedy: Fortunately Beirut is recovering from the blast and transforms with style – yet preserving the traditional character as well. A very nice and memorable part of the journey is undoubtedly fantastic and delicious Lebanese cuisine – it doesn’t matter if you go for the buffet or a set menu or you happen to have a sweet tooth (like myself) you will not be disappointed, guaranteed Everything is fresh and tasty – be careful with trying the starters that come in incredible numbers, if you want to leave the space for the main course (and dessert, of course). As a fossil-addict, while admiring all the attractions, I did keep a vigilant eye on the ground and I spotted a few interesting rocks These are the specimens I saw in the cedar trees reserve Also in Annaya, on the way from the monastery on the top of the hill to the church of St. Charbel, the road is “paved” with fossils: The whole church is built from the rocks surrounding the place Also during the visit to Faqra, where the ruins of Greek and Roman structures can be found – and they are picturesquely merged with the rock formations there were several rocks looking like this plus entire columns made from the same type of stone. But the true highlight of my trip were the last two days, which I could devote exclusively to fossil hunting. In order to be closer to the quarries of interest, I stayed in Byblos. And in order to look for fossils, I contacted one of TFF members - @roland nohra, whose family owns the quarries with truly exceptional fossils. Roland was so nice that he decided to be my guide on the first day, so I had a private tour first in the family’s fossil museum. Apart from being home to a fraction of the family’s collection, it serves also as an educational centre and a starting point for groups and individuals who wish to learn about Lebanese fossils and experience the thrill of fossil hunting. Here is Roland’s sister – Sarah, explaining to the group the fossilisation process and the notion of Lagerstaate. Here are some incredible specimens on display in the museum: The family of rays Squids with soft parts preserved A snake From the museum, it takes a short car ride and a hike in very scenic surroundings to get to the quarry. Like in some other parts of Lebanon, here as well one virtually walks on fossils On the way to the quarry, there is a place where tired fossil hunters returning from a successful hunt can count on fresh flatbread with various local stuffing – like labneh cheese or zatar (a mixture of spices), and for the very exhausted ones – even with Nutella Roland’s father, Rizkallah, and his aunt make sure everything is ready when happy fossil fans return from their hunt. Here is Roland, waiting patiently for me, a low-land person to climb up the hill As you can see, there are already lots of characteristic rocks on the way, but the true abundance is in the quarry. Practically every rock one splits contains either complete or parts of fossilised animals – Roland is a gentleman, so he was helping me “pre-splitting” the rocks As you can see on the pictures, this day the weather was not very favourable and eventually it started raining – we resisted for a while, but then decided to call it a day and we returned to the dining area, where I tried to stay as close to the oven as possible to dry out Here we are with Roland soaked, but nevertheless happy with the hunt The next day the weather was much better, so I ventured again with to the quarry – this time with Roland’s sister – Sarah. There are a few pictures of me (sorry, only me), happily splitting the rocks I took the opportunity of the nice weather and ventured with my phone on the rubble, to spot some of the fossils already exposed by nature: Here are some of my finds: and last, but not least – a partial ray I know it’s not complete, but I love it anyway – I asked @KING-X, Roy, Roland’s brother, who specialises in preparation, to work a bit on it: Just to show you the difference between my piece and the usual stuff Roy prepares He’s now working on a shark, which – if complete – would be almost 1,5 m long. Everyone hopes the tail is still waiting in the quarry to be uncovered. Both Roy and Roland (in the order of seniority ) followed the footsteps of their father, who started collecting fossils when he was 7. His skills in excavating the fossils in the quarry and their preparation are unparalleled – just an example from my experience: this is what he has managed to do with a huge slab I found when travelling around Lebanon (app. 10 kg). Before: After: Such a nice trip had to end with a little celebration – so we went for the Lebanese falafel and another tasty dish, which name I cannot remember (help me, guys - @roland nohra / @KING-X). Here we all are enjoying the food and the company. I’m really happy I had the chance to meet Roland and his family and spend some time in their quarry – it’s a really great experience and a must-see for all fossil fanatics. I’m sure I will be coming back!

Hi everyone, I just ordered this beautifull shark fossil from Lebanon, I saw it passing by on the webshop of one of my favorite fossil dealers and it was love at first sight! Just had to get this when I saw it, really love the preservation on it. The shark was found in Hajula, Byblos, Lebanon and is from the Cretaceous, Cenomanian (98 mya). I was only hoping if someone could tell me which species it might belong to. I am pretty sure it's some kind of catshark or carpetshark, but it turns out there are multiple of these in the Lebanon deposits like Pararhinchodon, Scyliorhinus elongatus and Paratriakis curtirostris. Also the shark measures, 12 inches / 30,50 cm So any help would be welcome! Thank you in advance!