Nahr el-Kalb (Dog River)

The seven-kilometer long narrow gorge of Nahr el-Kalb starts halfway between Beirut and Jounieh and originates from Jeita Grotto.

More than 3,000 years ago, the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II and his army marched through, and many kings, pharaohs, sultans and emperors - Napoleon III in 1860 - would follow. Recent examples are the British troops on their way to occupying cities in Syria and Lebanon in 1918, and the French troops invading Damascus in 1920. Celebrating the victory of this dangerous undertaking - the narrow and steep gorge offering ample opportunities to attack - the survivors left their inscriptions (stelae) on the walls of the gorge.

Except for one, all inscriptions (17 in total) are on the south bank. From the entrance, several of these can be reached by walking straight into the gorge, while for the others you have to climb the stairs on your right. The three-arched bridge you see from there was built by a pasha from Mount Lebanon between 1883 and 1892.

Click 'transportation' in the menu for information on how to get there.