Kaftoun

Kaftoun
كفتون
—  City  —
Kaftoun
Location within Lebanon
Coordinates:
Country  Lebanon
Governorate North Governorate
District Koura District
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code
Dialing code +961
Website http://www.kaftoun.com/

Kaftoun (Arabic: كفتون‎) is a small Lebanese village located along the north bank of the Nahr el Jaouz (Walnut River), in the Koura District, North Lebanon.The population of the Village is approximately three-hundred, spread around seventy-four houses. They are mostly of Antiochian Orthodox Christians Ancestry. The name "Kaftoun" in the ancient Aramaic language means "dug from" or "sculpted from" a cliff. In the ancient Syriac language, (Kftuna) means "the domed". Both roots of the word lead us to believe that the village of Kaftoun was named after the domed Theotokos Monastery[1] which is carved in the red rock cliffs by the banks of the Jaouz River.

Kaftoun has three historic churches[2]: Saint Phokas Church (Mar Foka's[3]), the Church of Saint Sergius and Bacchus (Mar Sarkis[4]) 6th century, and the most famed Theotokos Monastery[5], which houses a two-sided Byzantine icon[6] from the 11th century.

References

  1. ^ Photo Gallery. Kaftoun. Retrieved on October 12, 2011.
  2. ^ Kaftoun Churchs. Kaftoun.com (6 November 2004). Retrieved on October 12, 2011.
  3. ^ Photo Gallery. Kaftoun. Retrieved on October 12, 2011.
  4. ^ Photo Gallery. Kaftoun. Retrieved on October 12, 2011.
  5. ^ The Kaftoun Theotokos Monastery - a jewel of spirituality!. Kaftoun.com (30 March 2005). Retrieved on October 12, 2011.
  6. ^ Kaftoun's Theotokos. Ortmtlb.org.lb. Retrieved on October 12, 2011.

External links