Qadisha,one of
the deepest and most beautiful valleys in Lebanon, is indeed
a world a part. At the bottom of this wild steep-sided gorge
runs the Qadisha River whose source is in the Qadisha Grotto
at the foot of the Cedars. And above the famous Cedar grove
stands Qornet es Sawda, Lebanon's highest peak.
The word Qadisha comes from a Semitic root meaning "holy"
and Wadi Qadisha is the "Holy Valley." Filled
with caves and rock shelters inhabited from the third millennium
B.C. to the Roman period, the valley is scattered with cave
chapels, hermitages and monasteries cut from rock. Since
the Early Middle Ages generations of monks , hermits, ascetics
and anchorites found asylum here. Even Moslem Soufis were
found in this valley.
At the town
of Tourza the valley divides into two branches, each named
for a monastery there: Wadi Qannoubin leading to the Cedars.
A path goes along the bottom of the valley through an area
called "Bain an-Nahrain" (Between the Two Rivers)
where Wadi Qannoubin meets Wadi Qadisha. From here trails
lead to the various sites.
The Qadisha Valley area
is surrounded by many important sites and villages like:
Bqaa Kafra highest village of Lebanon (1750 m), Qornet Es
Sawda; the highest peak in Lebanon (3088 m), Hasroun; one
of the last villages in Lebanon to preserve its traditional
red-roofed houses; Qadisha grotto located between Bsharreh
and the Cedars; Deir Mar Elishaa (Monastery of St. Elieus);
Deir Qannoubin built into the rock, Deir Mar Antonios Qozhaya
(Monastery of St. Anthony Qozhaya), Our Lady of Hawqa's
chapel, etc... and the nice village of Ehden.
Magharet Qadisha
was discovered by the priest John Jacob, a monk of Monastry
of St. Joseph, in 1923. He was looking for the sources of
Qadisha river. He followed the river up to the spring and
entered the cave, but he soon ended his first cave exploration
because of the low temperature in the cave. He repeated his
exploration tour soon after with warmer clothes and discovered
the cave.
But although
he told about his discovery and the inhabitants of Bcharré
knew about the cave, it took until after his death to make
another exploration. Later the cave was well developed and
has now easy paths and electric light.
The cave is the
spring of Qadisha river, which means it is a river cave.
Qadisha cave
is beautiful, but small. Unlike Jeita it is rarely mentioned
in guidebooks and so there are very little visitors. But
it is not the only cave in Ouadi Qadisha, there are numerous
caves which were used over centuries for cave churches and
monasteries. The cave churches of Mar Sarkis, Mar Bohana
and Mart Shmouna show 13th century paintings. The whole
valley with its cave churches is inscribed in the UNESCO
World Heritage List.
