Lebanon · Limestone
also known as Baakline Stone, Chouf Limestone, Lebanese Grey, Pierre de Baakline
A warm grey-to-grey-beige Cretaceous limestone from the Chouf district of Mount Lebanon, in the hills above the Levantine coast. Lebanese limestone has been the primary building material of the region since the Phoenician era: Beirut's historic architecture, from Ottoman palaces to French Mandate villas, was constructed almost entirely from local limestone. Baakline is one of several named varieties from this zone, quarried for facades, flooring and paving across Lebanon and the wider Gulf region. Fine to medium grain, consistent colour, good weather resistance.
Type-level physical facts shown. Per-lot lab values (absorption, flexural strength) confirmed at quotation.
They are geologically related — both are Cretaceous limestones of the Levantine crust — but quarried in different countries and with distinct colour signatures. Jerusalem Stone (Israeli) tends to be warmer and more golden; Baakline Grey is cooler and more grey-toned. Both share the characteristic of naturally darkening and mellowing over decades of exposure.
Export capacity from Lebanon has been constrained by logistics and infrastructure challenges in recent years. Buyers should verify current availability with quarry operators or regional stone trading companies. Quality of Lebanese limestone remains high.