The monasteries
In the cliffs.
Vyacheslav Argenberg — CC BY 4.0 · Vyacheslav Argenberg — CC BY 4.0 · Vyacheslav Argenberg — CC BY 4.0 · Vyacheslav Argenberg — CC BY 4.0 · Vyacheslav Argenberg — CC BY 4.0 · Vyacheslav Argenberg — CC BY 4.0 · Eusebius — CC BY 3.0 · Nicolas63400 — CC BY-SA 3.0
A deep gorge cut by the Qadisha River in northern Lebanon. The river rises in a cave below the Cedars and runs some 35 km, and the finest stretch, about 20 km between Bsharri and Tourza, is all towering cliffs and villages perched on the rim. Qadisha is Aramaic for «holy». For centuries the valley sheltered Christian monastic communities and hermits living in caves in the rock, and its monasteries still stand: Qannoubine, seat of the Maronite Patriarch for some 500 years from the fifteenth century; Mar Elisha; and Qozhaya, whose press printed a Syriac book of Psalms in 1610, one of the earliest printing presses in the region. The valley and the Cedars of God were listed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. Walking trails drop into it from Bsharri, Hadchit and other villages, some of them very steep, and the best known pass the monasteries and the riverbanks. Wear proper shoes and go with a local guide if you don't know the trails; the climb back out takes good fitness. Visit the monasteries quietly and modestly dressed. Spring and autumn are the finest seasons.
In the cliffs.
Down to the river.
On the rim.
Between Bsharri and Zgharta, north Lebanon
It isn't required, but it helps if you don't know the trails; some are very steep, and the climb back out takes good fitness.