Ghineh The Forgotten Sanctuary of Adonis
In the heights of Kesrouan, the Ghineh site houses one of Lebanon’s most forgotten shrines: Adonis worship.
On the rock, a Hellenistic bas-relief shows a hunting scene: according to legend, that where Adonis was mortally wounded by a boar.
The drops of his blood, mixed with the tears of Aphrodite, would have given birth to the anemones that bloom every spring in Lebanon.
Not far from the grave, an ancient Roman temple, the Palace of Adonis, will later be transformed into a Byzantine church.
The building was destroyed by the earthquake of the year 550, leaving behind the ruins of an ancient village, between wells and forgotten places of life.
Nevertheless, several mosaics have passed through the centuries almost intact, decorated with animal figures.
Every spring, the Adonias celebrated here the mourning and then the return to the life of the god, in feasts reserved for women.
Kesrouan, Lebanon
Comments