The origin of the name is Syriac, coming from Kafr,
which means village. Kfour is the plural form. Kfour
lies in Kesrouan, a little higher than the township
of Ghazir, to the north of which its charming hills
surround the Bay of Jounieh, separated by a deep valley.
Its verdant slopes climb in successive levels to heights
of 3,500 feet. Formerly not only this region was a
part of Kesrouan but also more than half of the departments
of Jbeil (Byblos) and North Metn. The whole made up
a region unique for its beauty, its sources of water,
and its summits with the mountain of Sannine behind
them. Kesrouan is still an area notable for its indented
coastline, its rocks with fantastic forms, its orchards
of fruit trees, and its forests.
All the little villages and hamlets here resemble
one another in their internal make-up and their environment.
They are separated by only short distances, they are
surrounded by the same natural scenery, share the
same climate and enjoy a similar infrastructure. They
are scattered over the hillsides stretching to the
north of the fairylike Bay of Jounieh, beyond and
above Ghazir, with fertile terraces, attractive houses
ensconced between trees of every description, valleys
plunging below them, with a typical Roman bridge crossing
the stream down at Maameltein.
As for Kfour, this is a site that is outstanding,
with a fairy display of light in the evening and a
a religious character and memories of legend that
dominate the scene. The church of Kfour, on a turning
to the right off the main road, with a charm of its
own, is a copy on a very small scale of Notre Dame
of Paris with two small and modest little towers on
its façade.
The story, supposedly from the Old Testament, has
it that there used to be a sanctuary visited by the
faithful, but history says differently. The Kephirim
mentioned in the Old Testament would be a village
in Palestine, not in Lebanon, and in any case the
name has a different meaning.
Kfour is counted one of the most popular summer resorts,
being only a little over twenty miles from the capital
Beirut, seven or eight from Jounieh, and five or six
from Adma. It is occupied both in summer and winter,
although in fact many of the inhabitants have houses
lower down near the coast. There is a school, medical
facilities, a club, hostels, a hotel, restaurants,
and cultural and sporting activities associated.
Joseph MATAR - Translation from the French:
Kenneth Mortimer
- The Village of Kfour: >> View
Movie << (2013-04-01)
