Enfeh

About this place

Enfeh (Anfeh) is a seaside resort town in the Koura District of North Lebanon, about 14 km southwest of Tripoli and 56 km north of Beirut in a straight line. It borders Chekka and Qalamoun and covers about 5 square kilometres. The town is built around the remains of ancient cities going back to before the Phoenician period; the original city sits on a small peninsula 400 metres long and 120 metres wide, partly cut off from the land by two great trenches dug into the bedrock in Phoenician times. Phoenician and Roman walls, wine presses, mosaic floors and two 7th-century chapels lie across it, and caves abound in the hill above. Today it is known for its salt production and ancient churches. The town's white houses and stone churches look over small coves of clear blue water between carved rocks, old salt pans line the shore, and small fishing boats sit in the harbour. Visitors explore the archaeological peninsula and rocky shore, swim in the coves in summer and admire the old churches from outside. The Balamand monastery is nearby. Check the UK Foreign Office's current Lebanon guidance before you go.