Ehden– Wadi Qozhaya St Valley

The magic QOZHAYA Valley, 🚶 trail from EHDEN

The view you get to 🔭 see from the top of the valley at Ehden village is beyond imagination. Once there, you get the feeling of 🕊 peace and tranquility. The spiritual atmosphere reigns over the entire valley.

📌 HIKE LOCATION : Qadicha Valley – Wadi Qozhaya/Ehden –
=============== Zgharta Districts, in the north
, 1500 – 1200 meters above sea level, 39 km from Tripoli.

⏳ WHEN : Sunday, September 21, 2025
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🕢 ENCOUNTER PLACE : Mar Maroun Church Parking, Dora @ 7:30 AM
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Driving directions to Mar Maroun https://dalecorazon.com/contact/
Or Martyrs Square at Al-Nahar Bldg., Beirut Downtown @ 7:10 AM

💰 FEES:
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20 $ including 🚌 transport (comfortable air-conditioned Pullman), professional guides, coffee, energetic snack, 5 minutes of warming up, stretching, and pictures.
Children 18 years old and younger will have a discount of 10%. (18$/person)
Every 4 coupons can be exchanged for a free hiking trip.
Optional transportation by your own 🚗 vehicles 15 $/person

📜 DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT:
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Ehden is a ⛰mountainous city in the heart of the northern mountains of Lebanon and on the southwestern slopes of Mount Makmal in the Mount Lebanon Range.

The name of Ehden comes from Adon, Adonis meaning “power, stability and 🕊 tranquility”. It is corroborated by the Arabic root Hdn meaning “steadiness, calm and fertility”.
Ehden is a famous summer resort and touristic center, often called “The Bride of Summer Resorts in the North of Lebanon.

Qadisha, one of the deepest and most beautiful valleys in Lebanon, is indeed a world apart. “Qozhaya” is of Syriac origin and means “the 🏺 treasure of Life”. The 💒 Monastery of Qozhaya (Deir Mar Antonios Qozhaya – دير مارانطﻮنيوﺱ ﻗﺰحيا) sits on the opposite flank of the Qadisha from Qannoubin Monastery; it was first built at the beginning of the fourth century. It was several times looted, set on fire and razed to the ground, but there still remain vestiges dating back to the seventh century.

The Monastery is truly a national center of 🕊 prayer, pilgrimage and tourism. It comprises a corridor, meeting room, museum and chapel, with a mill and a number of hermitages cut into the rock nearby. The story of the Monastery is the story of the Christians in Lebanon and in the Middle East, the story of cultural, economical, social and political development in the Lebanese society and in the region.

After about 1700 years, the Monastery continues to be a sign of faith and an expression of behavior.
It must be mentioned here that the Monastery of Qozhaya possesses a library containing archives, scholarly compendia and Syriac manuscripts. The first printing press in the Middle East (1584) was placed in this Monastery which still has the Scepter of St Louis, the King of France (1226-1270).
All the above-mentioned wealth, whether natural or cultural, pushed the UNESCO to register 💒 Monastery of St. Anthony Qozhaya on the list of International Patrimony under the number 850.

HIKING LEVEL. 1 to 3 for easy, 4 to 6 for intermediate, 7 to 9 for strenuous.
🌿🥾 The hike will be divided into three levels:

🥇 LEVEL 2 (Visits) Saydet El Hosen, El Midan, Yousef Beik Karam, Monastery Mar Antonios Qozhaya.

We will start our hiking near an old church “Saydet El Hosen” ⛰hill and will 👓 see from the top Ehden and Qozhay valley. Part of our trail will be along with the LMT.

🥇 LEVEL 3 (around 5 km) will start from Saydet El Hosen. After the visit, you will take a downhill easy trail between the pines to Al Midan. From there, you will continue our path of 3 km downhill to the valley, crossing an old village with wonderful views.
From there you will take the 🚌 bus to visit the historical 💒 “St. Michael’s Church”. There shrine the mortal remains of the parish priest Yousef Abi Maroun Maatouq (1847-1929), a Godly priest whose remains are still whole, knowing no decay until now.
After the visit you will take the bus to join the level 5 at the 💒 Monastery Mar Antonios Qozhaya in the valley.

🥈 LEVEL 5 (around 13 km) After the visit to the Diman and Youssef Beik Karam tomb, you will have a long downhill hike for about 300 meters, cross the beautiful 💧 waterfalls in the River of the Qadisha, and many of the ruins 🏛 of old houses, old cave churches, stone bridges and ⚱️hermitages until we reach the 💒 Monastery of Qozhaya where the 🍞 lunch break will take.

Where you meet the other group at the Monastery and continue together the visit.

🎒 WHAT TO TAKE:
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Healthy snacks that will boost up your energy such as dried fruits, lunch, water, cap, sunglasses and sunscreen. Wear comfortable walking shoes (A professional brand is recommended) and don’t forget to get a light jacket. DC members get a 20% discount on sports equipment in Sports 4 Ever branches.
==There will be a breakfast stop along the way==

☎️ FOR RESERVATION AND INFO:
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Please Call 03 422 493 and by sending SMS, or WhatsApp mentions your name, surname and the event you wish to join us on.