The top-level domain (TLD) “.lb” is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) associated with the Republic of Lebanon. This identification is used for internet addresses to symbolize a specific geographical region, in this case, Lebanon. The “.lb” domain is managed by the Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications via the American University of Beirut (AUB).
As the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) states in its Root Zone database, The Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications has officially designated the American University of Beirut Computing and Networking Services as the registration authority for the .lb domain. Residing as the ccTLD within the DNS Name Space, .lb is part of the group of Internet infrastructure resources delegated by ICANN.
As per the printed information in the domain’s creation, it was added to the root zone database on April 25, 1993. This data can be retrieved from the reports of IANA, providing reliability to this information.
This TLD follows a structured, hierarchical system, as a majority of country code top-level domains do. Underneath the “.lb,” there are a number of second-level domains (SLD) pre-determined by the Lebanese registry that classify the nature of the domain’s organization. Common SLDs include “.com.lb” for commercial entities, “.edu.lb” for educational institutions, “.gov.lb” for government entities, amongst others, to adequately represent the nature of the respective organizations.
It’s important to note that while a larger number of domain names globally are archival, the Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications enforces a stricter policy when registering a “.lb” domain, requiring proof of connection to Lebanon. For businesses, the company must be registered in Lebanon and for individuals, the person must be a Lebanese citizen or a permanent resident of Lebanon. This regulatory aspect distinguishes it from more generic TLDs, like “.com” or “.org”, which generally have more liberal registration policies.
Examples of domains using this TLD include “www.mot.gov.lb” (Ministry of Transport of Lebanon), “www.aub.edu.lb” (American University of Beirut).
The information was obtained using the official website of the American University of Beirut, who is in charge of the .lb domain name registration, and from the IANA, which manages global domain name data.
To conclude, the country code top-level domain “.lb” identifies internet resources associated with the Republic of Lebanon. The domain is maintained by the Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications with the delegation to the American University of Beirut.
Sources:
1. IANA — .lb Domain Delegation Data:
2. American University of Beirut – .lb domain registration:
