There are two Aynatas in Lebanon, one of which is
in the south of the country near Bint-Jbeil at a height
of around 2,500 feet, a large village dominated by
a crest rising 500 feet above it. At the highest point
of this one can see a Roman temple, measuring forty
feet by twenty-six, in quite a good state of preservation,
with doorway, reliefs, platform, cornice, heads of
bulls and a bust of Astarte, together with tombs and
inscriptions.
But the Aynata that interests us here is in the region
of Baalbek, which was once known as Heliopolis, City
of the Sun. To be more exact, it is north-west of
Baalbek, on the road that climbs the eastern slopes
of the mountain Qornet es-Sawda and leads to the forest
of the Cedars of Lebanon.
This Aynata is a Maronite Christian village on the
side of Wadi en-Nsour, Valley of the Eagles, below
the ridge of the Cedars thirty-five miles from Baalbek
and well over 5,600 feet high, also called the Ridge
of Aynata.
The Aramaic or Syriac roots of the name indicate a
spring of water, or several springs. The village is
seventy-one miles from Beirut passing through Baalbek,
but it can also be reached through Tripoli and the
Cedars. From Aynata one goes down into the valley
which ends at Lake Yammouneh at an altitude of some
4,600 feet. It must be explained here that this stretch
of water practically dries up in summer.
The view here is splendid, with the majestic plain
of the Beqaa Valley, Lake Yammouneh, the Western Chain
of Lebanon on the near side, and opposing it the Ant-Lebanon
range with Mount Hermon at its southern end.
Now in the third millennium Aynata gives one a feeling
of nostalgia, for the village still has its old rural
and pastoral appearance. I first visited Aynata sixty-five
years ago and if I go there now I feel that time has
stopped still, as if it were frozen.
From an abundant spring, the Spring of Aynata, streams
of icy-cold, pure, scintillating blue water flow everywhere
to irrigate the surrounding agriculture. What is more,
this generous flow of water still drives a mill to
which quite a number of people even now bring their
wheat and other grain to be ground.
At the entry to the village there is a mzar a shrine,
dedicated to Our Lady. The old church of the village
is dedicated to Saints Serge and Bacchus and the construction
of a new church is under study. There is a telephone
service, a police post, a medical center and a modest
school. Large numbers of walnut and apple trees have
been planted.
Winter is very cold at Aynata so most of the inhabitants
have emigrated or settled on the coast or in the main
cities. However, in Aynata there is the summer residence
of the regional archbishop. The feast of the patron
saints of the church is celebrated in the village
but the main religious celebration is on August 15th
for the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady.
There is little point in just passing an hour or so
in Aynata, for then the real charm of the place escapes
one. One should pass several days and nights there
to get the feel of its vigorous climate and to become
intimate with the good people of the place and feel
their affection and kindness.
Joseph Matar - Translation from the French: Kenneth
J. Mortimer
- Village of
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