Kfardebian

Village de Kfardebian

Kfardebian, the highest village of Kessrwan, is situated at an altitude ranging between 600 and 2800m. It covers an area of 40 Km2 which makes it one of the biggest villages in Lebanon. Its population amounts to 15000 inhabitants and it is located at a distance of 44 km from Beirut and 27 km from Jounieh.

In summer and winter the village is full of activities. Those who live in the coast visit the region to enjoy its moderate climate. Ski lovers can practice ski in two of the best ski stations in Lebanon and the Middle East, Faqra Club and Mzaar Kfardebian which is the first ski resort that was established in 1957 under the name of “Tourism and winter sport Faraya-Mzaar SAL”. It’s useful to mention here that the name of this company caused for over of 50 years a big confusion in the name of the region of Kfardebian because it includes the name of a neighboring village “Faraya”. In the year 2007 the name of this company has been changed to become “ Ichtaa Mzaar –Kfardebian “ or simply MZAAR – KFARDEBIAN.

Kfardebian is also known for its agricultural products (Apple, honey…etc) and is rich in water that spring from two sources: Nebaa el- Laban and Nebaa el-Assal.

The ruins of Faqra are situated in Kfardebian on a small plateau at 1600 m above the sea. This plateau overlooks a deep valley where runs the water of Neba El-Laban and Neba Al-Assal. This site of outstanding beauty lies between the rocks, which look like a forest of stele. Faqra has attracted the western travelers since the 19th century. In the book "A Trip to Phoenicia", Ernest Renan considers the site "as the most spectacular one in Mount- Lebanon".

We stop at 3,5 km after Faqra and we go down to the left in order to admire the fabulous work of nature and that is Jisr el -Hajar, the Kfardebian natural bridge. It is an arch whose openings measure 38 m and has a height of 58 m. The water of Neba el-Laban runs under the arch and drops like a cascade in a deep valley. A play of lights gives this site a splendid view that is worth visiting in the night. We find under the bridge fossils of salt water origin.

We reach Kfardebian by taking the Beirut- Jounieh highway and than we turn to the right after the bridge of Nahr el-Kalb following the road that leads to the Kessrwan Mountain where Kfardebian is situated.