Hiking Dhour El Chweir – El Chweir – Khenchara

Hiking at Dhour El Chweir – El Chweir – Khenchara

Dhour El Choueir (summit of a mountain) is a typical Lebanese town with old caves, mills, ancient bridges, water springs, and an old souk with stone-paved passages, and beautiful houses with old traditional arches. It lies slightly north of the main Beirut – Damascus highway. It overlooks the city of Beirut and the Mediterranean Sea.

HIKE LOCATION :

Dhour el Choueir – Khenchara /Maten/ Mount Lebanon
1250 meters above sea level, 30 km from Beirut.
Khenchara village (St. John Monastery)

WHEN :

Sunday, October 08, 2023

ENCOUNTER PLACE :

Mar Maroun Church Parking, Dora @ 7:30 AM

Driving directions to Mar Maroun https://dalecorazon.com/contact/
Or Martyrs Square at Al-Nahar Bldg., Beirut Downtown @ 7:10 AM

FEES:

20 $ /person or equivalent including transport (comfortable air-conditioned Pullman), professional guides, 5 minutes of warming up, stretching, and pictures.
Children 18 years old and younger will have a discount of 10%. (18 $/person)
Make your group of 5 persons (& more) and get a 10% discount (18$ per person).
Optional transportation by your own vehicles 15$ /person

DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT:

It is one of Mount Lebanon’s favored summer resorts. Dhour El-Choueir is important for its August yearly carnival, honoring Lebanon’s emigrants.
The Greek Catholic monk Abd Allah Zakhir set up an Arabic language printing press using movable type at the monastery of Saint John at Choueir, the first homemade press in Lebanon. He personally cut the type molds and did the founding of the elegant typeface. He created the first true Arabic script type in the Middle East. The first book off the Zakhir press was printed in 1734; this press continued to be used until 1899.

It is the birthplace of Anton Saadeh who founded the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and of Tanios Bou-Nader Khneisser, the father of the Sword & Shield Folkloric Dance.
It will be our destination for this journey. Will start from the main square of Dhour Choueir and end at St. John Monastery Khenchara.

HIKING LEVEL. 1 to 3 for easy, 4 to 6 for intermediate, 7 to 9 for strenuous

Level 4 plus: (11 km) is a moderate hike. Starting from the village where you can have a stroll in the narrow passageways and contemplate the old houses and ancient arches, you will pass by three water springs like Ain Al-Khassis. From there, you will continue further along a picturesque trail and cross Mgharit el Za3im Cave of Antoun Saadeh, a water source of Ain el Hanout and Hirch Khinchara. Then we will head to St. John Monastery in Khenchara to buy wine, and meet the monks.

LEVEL 2 is the same, but it will just be a visit to all the beautiful sights there like a tour.
We will have time to rest in the stunning nature of St. John Monastery before walking back to our bus and continuing back home.

WHAT TO TAKE:

Healthy snacks that will boost your energy include 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:

Please Call 03 422 493 and send an SMS or WhatsApp to mention your name, surname, and the event you wish to join us on.