Ehden

Ehden works on an old arrangement: the population of Zgharta on the plain moves up here for the summer and back down for the winter, so the town swells in June and empties in October. It sits at around fifteen hundred metres with stone houses, a large main square of cafes, and the ruined church of Mar Mema from the seventh century. Above the town, the Horsh Ehden reserve protects a mixed forest of cedar, fir and wild fruit trees with an unusually high count of endemic plants.

History

The name is often derived from Aramaic, "the mountain's base and slope", though Patriarch Estephan El Douaihy held that it came from Eden. A Greek inscription on the church of Mar Mama carries a date equal to 282 AD, and in the 16th century people from Ehden founded Zgharta on the coast below (Wikipedia, Ehden).

Highlights

• The main square - the town's cafe-lined centre, at its busiest in August.
• Horsh Ehden reserve - mixed cedar, fir and wild fruit forest above the town.
• Mar Mema church - a seventh-century ruin at the edge of the town.
• The seasonal migration - a town that fills and empties with the year.

When to go

June to October is the season and August is the peak, with festivals and crowds. Outside those months much of the town is shut. The reserve is best in late spring for flowers.

What to expect

From November to May the town is largely closed and there is little open. August is very crowded with heavy traffic. Reserve trails need a guide for the longer routes.

Nearby

The Qadisha valley is south, and Tripoli is west on the coast.

Key facts