Gilgamesh and the Cedars of Lebanon
Nearly 4000 years ago, Gilgamesh’s epic told the legend of a forest of sacred cedars.
This forest, reserved for the gods, is described as a dense, fragrant place where birds and cicadas resonate.
His caretaker, the terrifying Humbaba, was watching at the command of the god Enlil, inspiring fear and respect.
To bring back a wood worthy of the gods, King Gilgamesh and his companion Enkidu face the giant and take him down.
They then cut down an immense cedar, whose crown, according to the text, almost touched the sky.
Several researchers point this mythical forest to the high mountains of the Levant, including Lebanon.
Even today, the Forest of the Cedars of God, near the Qadisha Valley and classified by UNESCO, remembers it.
Bcharre, Northern Lebanon
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