Jezzine

Jezzine sits at around nine hundred metres at the head of a valley of pine forest, and the water that runs through the town drops over the edge in a fall of about a hundred metres, best seen from the road below or the terrace above. The town's other distinction is cutlery: workshops here have made knives and forks with hand-carved handles, traditionally in the shape of a phoenix or firebird, since the nineteenth century, and a few families still do the work by hand.

History

The name comes from an Aramaic word for "depot" or "store", and many historians think the town served as a storehouse for traders on the caravan route from Sidon to the Chouf, the Beqaa and Syria (Wikipedia, Jezzine).

What's there

• The waterfall - a hundred-metre drop off the edge of the town's valley.
• The cutlery workshops - hand-carved firebird handles made by a few remaining families.
• The pine forest - umbrella pine covering the slopes around the town.
• The old houses - red-roofed stone buildings stepped along the valley side.

When to go

May to October is the season, and the fall is strongest in spring after the snowmelt. By late summer the flow reduces considerably. Winter brings snow and many businesses close.

Before you go

The waterfall is much reduced in late summer and autumn and can disappoint. The viewing points are unfenced in places. Roads up from the coast are winding and slow.

Nearby

Bkassine pine forest is nearby, and Sidon is west on the coast.

Key facts