Welcome to the Village of Kaftoun!

Kaftoun is a small Lebanese village located along the north bank of the Nahr el Jaouz (Walnut River), in the District of Koura, North Lebanon. The houses of Kaftoun number seventy, and its inhabitants number about three hundred. They are mostly Greek Orthodox Christians, who are peaceful, respectful of others, and generally well educated. The name "Kaftoun" in the ancient Aramaic language means "dug from" or "sculpted from" a cliff. In the ancient Syriac language (Kftuna) it means "the domed". Both roots of the word lead us to believe that the village was named after the domed Theotokos Monastery which is carved in the red rock cliffs by the banks of the Jaouz River.

Kaftoun and its surroundings are steeped in history. This can be evidenced from the names of some of its families: Kanaan (canaan), after the Canaanites who dwelt in the region during the earlier Bronze Age (3000-1200 H.C.) and from which the Phoenicians of the Iron Age (first millennium B.C.) descended. Semaan (Samaan), after Saint-Simon (Sam'an), a shepherd from northern Syria, who became a monk after a revelation in a dream, and who lived on top of a pillar for forty-two years. He died in the year 459 A.D. The historic Maronite Church in the neighboring village of Boukssmayya, just across the Jaouz River from Kaftoun, is dedicated to his memory.



The Sarkis Family, takes its name from Saint Sergius (Mar Sarkis). Sergius an officer in the Roman army and Bacchus, an officer under him, were both friends of Emperor Maximian (284-305). They were scourged to death when they refused his orders to offer sacrifice to the pagan god Jupiter. For nearly a thousand years they were the official patrons of the Byzantine armies. Many Eastern Christians still continue to revere them as their special patron saints. Their feast day is October 7th. The old Mar Sarkis Church by the banks of the Jaouz River, which is presently being excavated, was erected in their honor (600-700 A.D.).
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The Kaftoun Theotokos Monastery - a jewel of spirituality!

By the edge of Kaftoun you turn right towards the Walnut River (Nahr el Jaouz) valley; on your right a vast expanse of olive groves and on your left the el Majdel Mountain dressed in its majestic green cover of scrub oak. As you approach a small pine forest perched above the river valley, turn left down the steep and winding road descending towards the river. On a spring morning you can observe the dawn mist lifting itself from the river as the sun's rays stream down gloriously from behind the majestic Lebanon mountain peaks. As the cool mist rises from the river you are engulfed by the aromatic fragrances it caries with it from the flowering orange trees in the valley below. The gushing waters of the el Jaouz River break over the large boulders in the valley on their final journey to the Mediterranean. They cry, as if lamenting their inevitable fate, their cries and moans amplified by the echo of the river valley. As you are mesmerized by the sights, smells and sounds of the river you become totally unaware of your purpose, savoring every moment, oblivious of what lies ahead. But then, suddenly, there it is! The Greek Orthodox Theotokos Monastery, nestled by the river's edge, a jewel of spirituality! Adorned and perfectly set within the red limestone cliff above, protected from prying eyes and sheltered from the elements. What a sight! What a find! You rush towards it with adoration and disbelief. Your sanctity restored!

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Id Saideh

It was an evening like no other. Time for the seven year old boy stood still as he played with his friends at the Malaab [the playing field]. It was the evening of August 14, and all his friends would not stop talking about tomorrow! Yes, for tomorrow was not going to be any ordinary day! Tomorrow, none of them would have to pick and string tobacco leaves as they have done every day this summer. Instead they will be going on a picnic to the Monastery by Naher Al Jaouz where they can swim in the river. This is an opportunity for them to spend the money they have earned from [ta'fear]. Ta'fear is the activity of collecting stray almonds after the farmer's first pickings. Many of them earned several Lebanese Liras, twenty-five or thirty-five piasters at a time, by selling their pickings to the shopkeeper Afif.

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