Saint Georges Orthodox Church, Rachaya El Foukhar

Rachaya el Fokhar, Hasbaya District

Church Of The Transfiguration

Rachaya el Fokhar, Hasbaya District

Basaya Reserve

Rachaya el Fokhar, Hasbaya District

Église Saint Georges Grecque Orthodoxe

Abou Qamha, Hasbaya District

Habbariyeh Roman Temple

Perched on the southwestern slopes of Mount Hermon, the Habbariyeh Temple stands in the village of the same name, roughly 116 km east of Beirut. Dating to the 2nd century AD, it is the southernmost sanctuary in the Mount Hermon temple group.

This Antae-type temple features an eastern portal aligned toward Mount Hermon—designed as if to catch the first beams of the morning sun. The structure measures approximately 18 × 9 m, with thick 1.8 m walls rising up to 8 m high. Ionic capitals remain along with a southern Ionic pilaster and frieze.

The entrance hosts two tiers of niches—semi-circular below, rectangular above—with one topped by a six-line Greek inscription. Beneath the cella is a vaulted basement chamber likely used for burials, accessible only from outside.

Well-preserved with walls still standing up to 8 m, the site is maintained by the local municipality and is freely accessible.

Set among apricot orchards and framed by Mount Hermon’s silhouette, this temple exudes a sense of sacred continuity from pagan Roman worship to Byzantine Christian presence. Ideal for cultural explorers seeking lesser-known ancient sites in southern Lebanon.

Hbariyeh, Hasbaya District

Khalwet Al-Jabal

Ain Kanya, Hasbaya District

Hasbaya Citadel - The Chehabi Castle

The great citadel of Hasbaya is a major historical emblem of the city of the same name located in southern Lebanon. Located on a hill overlooking the river, the citadel was owned by the Chehab emirs (princes). Along with medieval houses and a mosque, it is part of a complex of buildings built around a central unpaved square.

The construction of the citadel may date back to a Roman building. But its precise history is traced with that of the Crusaders. The fortress was taken from them by the Chehabs in 1172. The emirs rebuilt the building, which was again heavily damaged during conflicts throughout history, even recently: at the end of the 20th century, it was even hit by rockets during the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.

When visiting the site, one can admire a lion (emblem of the Chehab family) on both sides of the main entrance. On the first floor are 65 rooms, the largest of which features beautiful wall paintings.

Hasbaya, Hasbaya District

Saint Georges Orthodox Church

Marjeyoun, Marjeyoun District

Chebaa's Water Mills Museum

Among all the mills in Lebanon, and these exceed 500, there are six sub-types of the horizontal water-wheel mill. Chebaa alone has two of these sub-types: one that treats dry grains through wath is called a "Mathaneh" and another that has a double function that of treating dry grains and extracting oil from olive residue through wath is called "Matruf".

Information resulting from a field survey indicate that Chebaa mills are about 500 years old but the technical analysis and comparison allows us to suppose that the mills are actually much older than this especially that Chebaa's sub-type proved to be the most primitive among all of Lebanon's mills.

Water-mills were core to social interaction as they were a meeting place for men and women and different communities from different backgrounds and villages.

Shebaa, Hasbaya District