Moussa spent his whole life building a castle: Today, this edifice is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Lebanon

(Patria) - Moussa Al Maamari fell in love with a beautiful girl named Sayde in school, who came from a wealthy family.

He asked her if she would be his girlfriend, to which she replied: "When you have a castle, you can approach me."

In art classes, he began sketching a palace for his Sayde, even though the teacher asked him to draw something completely different.

Thinking he was deliberately provoking him, the teacher became furious and punished Al Maamari, telling him he would never own a castle.

Moussa Al Maamari left school at the age of 14 and decided to prove to his teacher that he could achieve his new dreams.

He began learning the building trade from his uncle, who was renovating a castle in Sidon at the time.

He developed his skills, saved money, and in 1962, he managed to buy a piece of land on which he began building his palace in medieval style. He was 31 years old at the time.

To build this edifice, Moussa moved 6,000 stones, some weighing as much as 150 kilograms.

He spent all his free time on the construction, and his wife Mary also helped him, reports Punkufer.

He placed an inscription on the castle gates: "I entered here as a young man, and left as an old man," trying to explain that he had actually spent his entire life building his castle.

It is also interesting to note that he deliberately made the entrance doors very small so that any visitors would have to bow before entering the castle.

Today, Moussa's castle in Lebanon is one of the most visited tourist attractions, with up to a thousand visitors exploring it every day during the summer months.

It is located in the Shouf mountains between Deir el-Qamar and Beiteddine at an altitude of 900 meters.

The castle covers 325 square meters, has 30 rooms, and about 150 life-sized figures depicting the history of Lebanon. Moussa handcrafted each of these dolls.