Reminiscence of a journey to the Land of Cedars – Lebanon (Part 7 of 7)

The Qadisha grotto lies on the main road between the Cedar forest and Bcharre. This 778-metre long grotto is the source of the River Qadisha. The natural stalactite and stalagmite formations in dazzling colours are a sight to behold. From the grotto, one could see the Qadisha Valley or Wadi Qadisha, as it is more popularly known. Qadisha means ‘holy’ in Aramaic and the valley is also sometimes called the Holy Valley.

Qadisha Grotto

Qadisha Grotto

Qadisha Grotto

Qadisha Grotto

Qadisha Valley

Qadisha Valley

Qadisha Valley

Qadisha Valley

Bcharre, pronounced as Sharr-i, in ancient times was a Phoenician settlement. Later in the 7th century AD, it became the refuge of Maronite Christians fleeing persecution. Bcharre is known to the world as the birthplace of the famous writer and poet, Kahlil Gibran. He is especially remembered for the book ‘The Prophet’. Today, the town of Bcharre also has a Gibran Museum which contains the works of the Lebanese writer.

On the way to Bcharre

On the way to Bcharre

Bcharre

Gibran Museum

Gibran Museum

One of the churches in Bcharre

Bcharre

Acknowledgment:
I would like to express my special thanks to my friend Zaher Joumblat for making this visit a reality. His hospitality and effort to show me around his country is much appreciated and will always be cherished. Especially, the journey we took to explore Hiram’s tomb and Noah’s tomb which were very difficult to locate. It was just one of the many adventures we had in Lebanon.