Nahr al-Kalb Steles

Where the Dog River cuts through to the sea, the coastal road has always had to squeeze past a rock spur, and for three thousand years the forces that passed left inscriptions in the cliff. There are around twenty: Egyptian and Assyrian reliefs, a Babylonian panel, Greek and Latin texts, Arabic inscriptions, and modern additions carved in the twentieth century. Reading them in sequence is a rare thing, a single rock face used as a register by successive powers. The site is on Lebanon's tentative list rather than inscribed.

What you'll find

• The Egyptian reliefs - pharaonic panels among the oldest inscriptions on the rock.
• The Assyrian and Babylonian panels - cuneiform texts cut into the cliff face.
• The Roman inscriptions - Latin texts recording road works at the pass.
• The modern additions - twentieth-century inscriptions continuing the sequence.

When to go

March to November is comfortable. Morning light falls best on the rock face. Winter storms make the lower path wet and slippery.

What to expect

Many of the panels are badly weathered and hard to make out without a guide or a reference. Traffic noise from the motorway is constant. Interpretation on site is minimal.

Nearby

Jeita Grotto is up the valley, and Jounieh is north on the coast.