Guidebook for Anfeh
Food Scene
Anfeh is famous for its local seafood, which is served at several restaurants located at the beach as well as in the town. Other restaurants also serve Lebanese cuisine and international cuisine, with some of them offering live entertainment at night.
5 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
This restaurant and bar offers delicious seafood dishes and other meals. Ô Fleur De Sel guests can benefit from a special discount here.
Wassim Aal Baher Anfeh
5 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
This restaurant and bar offers delicious seafood dishes and other meals. Ô Fleur De Sel guests can benefit from a special discount here.
7 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Chez Fouad is a restaurant and bar which serves delicious seafood dishes and other local specialties. Also has a pool.
Chez Fouad
7 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Chez Fouad is a restaurant and bar which serves delicious seafood dishes and other local specialties. Also has a pool.
7 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Al Khal is a restaurant which serves delicious seafood dishes and other local specialties.
Al Khal
7 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Al Khal is a restaurant which serves delicious seafood dishes and other local specialties.
7 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Salim Sur Mer is a restaurant which serves delicious seafood dishes and other local specialties.
Salim Sur Mer
7 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Salim Sur Mer is a restaurant which serves delicious seafood dishes and other local specialties.
Al Baydar Restaurant
AnfeZiad resto bar lb
5 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Abou Omar Cafe
7 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Food and shisha.
Memorize Restaurant
15 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Gergeh Dayaa (born March 10, 1949) is a celebrity fisherman and chef known for his seafood cuisine that only focuses on the traditional Lebanese seafood.
Samket Gergeh Dayaa brings a new innovative culture to the already vibrant Anfeh restaurant scene, known for experimentation and fluid incorporation of multicultural ingredients and looks to constantly push the food envelope, drawing in a wide variety of people with different tastes and backgrounds.
Samket Gergeh Dayaa became a destination to seafood lovers from everywhere. The menu is dedicated to fresh local seafood, prepared in a variety of styles, which makes it unique. The menu is a sampling of classic dishes and a few trendy small plates like Sabidij, Grilled and Fried Calamari, the famous Samke Harra, Grilled and fried shrimps, fried prawns, Batrakh with Shrimps, Kebbet Samak. And all kind of fish, sardines, lobsters and seashells.
Samket Gerge Dayaa
Sea Side Road15 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Gergeh Dayaa (born March 10, 1949) is a celebrity fisherman and chef known for his seafood cuisine that only focuses on the traditional Lebanese seafood.
Samket Gergeh Dayaa brings a new innovative culture to the already vibrant Anfeh restaurant scene, known for experimentation and fluid incorporation of multicultural ingredients and looks to constantly push the food envelope, drawing in a wide variety of people with different tastes and backgrounds.
Samket Gergeh Dayaa became a destination to seafood lovers from everywhere. The menu is dedicated to fresh local seafood, prepared in a variety of styles, which makes it unique. The menu is a sampling of classic dishes and a few trendy small plates like Sabidij, Grilled and Fried Calamari, the famous Samke Harra, Grilled and fried shrimps, fried prawns, Batrakh with Shrimps, Kebbet Samak. And all kind of fish, sardines, lobsters and seashells.
Sightseeing
1 minute walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Built during the Crusades, it is Lebanon's only remaining Romanesque church. The Church of Saint Catherine was originally dedicated to the Holy Sepulcher. The dedication was later changed to Saint Catherine during the 17th century, when the church was restored by local inhabitants. The church is built of sandstone. It has a rectangular vaulted nave with an apse at its east end. There are two main doors, one to the west and the other to the north. A small, vaulted chamber built in the southwest corner of the church can be accessed from the inside of the nave. Another room was built over this chamber and used to be accessed by a swinging ladder. On top of these rooms was the original bell tower. The new bell tower was built in the mid-20th century in a different architectural style. There is also a funerary cave near the church of Saint Catherine, which was transformed into an oratory. It was decorated with a circle inscribed with two Greek letters (Alpha and Omega) representing the Christ.
Source: Wikipedia
St. Catherine Church
1 minute walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Built during the Crusades, it is Lebanon's only remaining Romanesque church. The Church of Saint Catherine was originally dedicated to the Holy Sepulcher. The dedication was later changed to Saint Catherine during the 17th century, when the church was restored by local inhabitants. The church is built of sandstone. It has a rectangular vaulted nave with an apse at its east end. There are two main doors, one to the west and the other to the north. A small, vaulted chamber built in the southwest corner of the church can be accessed from the inside of the nave. Another room was built over this chamber and used to be accessed by a swinging ladder. On top of these rooms was the original bell tower. The new bell tower was built in the mid-20th century in a different architectural style. There is also a funerary cave near the church of Saint Catherine, which was transformed into an oratory. It was decorated with a circle inscribed with two Greek letters (Alpha and Omega) representing the Christ.
Source: Wikipedia
1 minute walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
The Enfeh peninsula was once a mighty fortress area, including the Crusader castle of Nephin, and a fief of the Counts of Tripoli. The Crusader Lords of Nephin, who were protected behind the walls of Enfeh, the vast rock-cut moat which severed the peninsula from the town, and the sea-swept battlements of their citadel, soon established a reputation as robber barons, the terror of travellers between Jerusalem and Tripoli.
The town itself had a better reputation, for its wines were known and prized far and wide throughout the Latin kingdom in the 12th and 13th Centuries. Enfeh entered its glory days during the Medieval era, and most of the archaeological and historical monuments that can be seen today date from this period. Around the 13th century, Enfeh was a small, fortified village surrounded by fertile fields, and it was famous for its wine production. It was one of the lordships of the county of Tripoli, governed by French provincial nobles from the Renoir family. The French Lord was eventually chased out of Enfeh by the Prince Bohemond IV of Antioch, the Lord of Beirut, and the Genoese, and he took refuge in Cyprus. Enfeh, as a cell or a hive sculptured out of the ground, is surrounded by walls and fortifications of enormous stones hauled from the nearby quarries.
In 1282, Enfeh was part of one of the greatest plots that marked the end of the Crusades. The Lord of Byblos, the Genoese, and the Knights Templar rose up against the Count of Tripoli Bohemond VII, but they were brutally crushed. Bohemond VII punished the Genoese by blinding them, and he buried alive the Lord of Byblos and his family in the Fort of Enfeh.
Fall of Tripoli
In 1289 Sultan Qalawun suddenly attacked, captured and destroyed Tripoli. The knights who escaped from the burning city to the two remaining coastal castles of Batroun and Nephin (Enfeh) were unable to withstand the full fury of the Mamluk army and beat a further retreat to the island kingdom of Cyprus. Sultan Qalawun destroyed both castles so thoroughly that even the site of Batroun's citadel is lost from history. With Nephin (Enfeh) it was a different story, for here the Crusaders had performed one of the great engineering feats of the Middle Ages. They had cut off the peninsular fortress from Enfeh proper by cutting a great moat, at sea level, all the way across the peninsula, for over 100 yards, through the living rock, leaving only a small spur in the center at the south end to support the castle's drawbridge.
Camping Hiking and swimming:
Lying between the natural harbor of Nhayreh and the archaeological peninsula, the Enfeh creek consists of an attractive rocky shore shaped as a perfect semi-circle at whose bottom lie many sandy underwater caves. It has become a haven for hikers and swimmers who are drawn to its well-preserved view and always clear water.
Enfeh is also known for its clear water, one of the cleanest waters on the Lebanese coast, home to a wide variety of fish. the archaeological peninsula hides many secrets in its bottoms below sea level, attracting curious divers.
Source: Wikipedia
Ras el Qalaa
1 minute walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
The Enfeh peninsula was once a mighty fortress area, including the Crusader castle of Nephin, and a fief of the Counts of Tripoli. The Crusader Lords of Nephin, who were protected behind the walls of Enfeh, the vast rock-cut moat which severed the peninsula from the town, and the sea-swept battlements of their citadel, soon established a reputation as robber barons, the terror of travellers between Jerusalem and Tripoli.
The town itself had a better reputation, for its wines were known and prized far and wide throughout the Latin kingdom in the 12th and 13th Centuries. Enfeh entered its glory days during the Medieval era, and most of the archaeological and historical monuments that can be seen today date from this period. Around the 13th century, Enfeh was a small, fortified village surrounded by fertile fields, and it was famous for its wine production. It was one of the lordships of the county of Tripoli, governed by French provincial nobles from the Renoir family. The French Lord was eventually chased out of Enfeh by the Prince Bohemond IV of Antioch, the Lord of Beirut, and the Genoese, and he took refuge in Cyprus. Enfeh, as a cell or a hive sculptured out of the ground, is surrounded by walls and fortifications of enormous stones hauled from the nearby quarries.
In 1282, Enfeh was part of one of the greatest plots that marked the end of the Crusades. The Lord of Byblos, the Genoese, and the Knights Templar rose up against the Count of Tripoli Bohemond VII, but they were brutally crushed. Bohemond VII punished the Genoese by blinding them, and he buried alive the Lord of Byblos and his family in the Fort of Enfeh.
Fall of Tripoli
In 1289 Sultan Qalawun suddenly attacked, captured and destroyed Tripoli. The knights who escaped from the burning city to the two remaining coastal castles of Batroun and Nephin (Enfeh) were unable to withstand the full fury of the Mamluk army and beat a further retreat to the island kingdom of Cyprus. Sultan Qalawun destroyed both castles so thoroughly that even the site of Batroun's citadel is lost from history. With Nephin (Enfeh) it was a different story, for here the Crusaders had performed one of the great engineering feats of the Middle Ages. They had cut off the peninsular fortress from Enfeh proper by cutting a great moat, at sea level, all the way across the peninsula, for over 100 yards, through the living rock, leaving only a small spur in the center at the south end to support the castle's drawbridge.
Camping Hiking and swimming:
Lying between the natural harbor of Nhayreh and the archaeological peninsula, the Enfeh creek consists of an attractive rocky shore shaped as a perfect semi-circle at whose bottom lie many sandy underwater caves. It has become a haven for hikers and swimmers who are drawn to its well-preserved view and always clear water.
Enfeh is also known for its clear water, one of the cleanest waters on the Lebanese coast, home to a wide variety of fish. the archaeological peninsula hides many secrets in its bottoms below sea level, attracting curious divers.
Source: Wikipedia
Along with Gozo Island in Malta, Anfeh has the oldest salt pans in the Mediterranean.
Calls for the protection of Anfeh's shore and its traditional salt-mining industry have been ongoing for decades.
Before the 1970s, Anfeh supplied most of Lebanon’s salt. The Anfeh Municipality estimates that approximately 70 percent of local families made a living from salt.
They built houses and sent their children to school on their earnings. But profit margins have dramatically decreased since the 1990s when the Lebanese government abolished taxes on imported salt and the cost of Lebanese salt became too expensive to compete.
Deir Saydet el Natour
Along with Gozo Island in Malta, Anfeh has the oldest salt pans in the Mediterranean.
Calls for the protection of Anfeh's shore and its traditional salt-mining industry have been ongoing for decades.
Before the 1970s, Anfeh supplied most of Lebanon’s salt. The Anfeh Municipality estimates that approximately 70 percent of local families made a living from salt.
They built houses and sent their children to school on their earnings. But profit margins have dramatically decreased since the 1990s when the Lebanese government abolished taxes on imported salt and the cost of Lebanese salt became too expensive to compete.
Entertainment & Activities
1 minute walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Beach, restaurants and bars. Water sports available.
Tahet El Ri7 تحت الريح
1 minute walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Beach, restaurants and bars. Water sports available.
Religious tourism
20 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Besides its serenity and amazing views, this historic geek orthodox monastery is characterized with the salt pounds which are ones of the few remaining and operating patrimonial salt ponds in the area. You can buy some "fleur de sel" salt directly from the producer there.
Deir Saydet el Natour
20 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Besides its serenity and amazing views, this historic geek orthodox monastery is characterized with the salt pounds which are ones of the few remaining and operating patrimonial salt ponds in the area. You can buy some "fleur de sel" salt directly from the producer there.
3 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Saydet El-Rih in Arabic, the oldest church of Enfeh, was built in the Byzantine era. It is believed that sailors and fishermen from the village of Enfeh built the chapel so that the Virgin Mary would protect them as they sailed the Mediterranean. It has a vaulted nave that ends with an apse oriented toward the east. On the west side, the nave is preceded by a square vaulted room that corresponds today to the entrance of the church. This room was once part of a rectangular hall, which was part of a nursing home that used to be connected to the church. Even though the roof of the chapel has long collapsed, it still retains traces of remaining frescos that are difficult to see. The old frescos depict Saints George and Demitrios, the baptism of the Christ, and the Christ in His Glory with some of the evangelists. The frescos on the south wall represent the Virgin Mary calming a storm.
Source: Wikipedia
Lady Of The Wind
3 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Saydet El-Rih in Arabic, the oldest church of Enfeh, was built in the Byzantine era. It is believed that sailors and fishermen from the village of Enfeh built the chapel so that the Virgin Mary would protect them as they sailed the Mediterranean. It has a vaulted nave that ends with an apse oriented toward the east. On the west side, the nave is preceded by a square vaulted room that corresponds today to the entrance of the church. This room was once part of a rectangular hall, which was part of a nursing home that used to be connected to the church. Even though the roof of the chapel has long collapsed, it still retains traces of remaining frescos that are difficult to see. The old frescos depict Saints George and Demitrios, the baptism of the Christ, and the Christ in His Glory with some of the evangelists. The frescos on the south wall represent the Virgin Mary calming a storm.
Source: Wikipedia
15 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Mar Youhanna al-Ma'madan in Arabic, is an ancient monastery surrounded by green landscapes and some curious rock cuttings. the site host the saint john festivals every summer.
Source: Wikipedia
St. John the Baptist Orthodox Monastery - Anfeh
15 minutes walk from Ô Fleur De Sel Guesthouse.
Mar Youhanna al-Ma'madan in Arabic, is an ancient monastery surrounded by green landscapes and some curious rock cuttings. the site host the saint john festivals every summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Lokalne preporuke
Što trebate ponijeti sa sobom
Mediterranean climate.
Enfeh has a Mediterranean climate characterized by four notably different seasons with a moderate nice weather during spring time. Summers are mainly hot, while winters are cold and rainy.
Što ne smijete propustiti
Enfeh is primarily Antiochian Orthodox.
Enfeh is primarily Antiochian Orthodox, and there are several historical churches and local shrines throughout the village.
Što ne smijete propustiti
Check out the salines and buy some salt.
Wide areas of Enfeh and its surrounding are covered by salines. Along the length of the bay, the salt marshes add a typically pretty note to the landscape, especially with the traditional wind wheel which pumps seawater. The production of sea salt is a staple of the local economy. "White gold", as it is called, provides for an inexhaustible natural resource which can thus be extracted without endangering the environment.
Što ne smijete propustiti
Eat some fresh seafood.
Around 415 inhabitants practice fishing on a regular basis. The 80 full-time fishermen own their boats and maintain them. Fishing is the livelihood and main source of income for many families in Enfeh. Fishing boats have sought shelter in the natural harbor of Nhayreh in bad weather conditions. The large terraces on Enfeh's rocky coast shelter underwater species feeding on the seaweed and attract large numbers of fish. That place also attracts many anglers willing to fill their baskets with different types of fish. Fishing, by itself, is an art in Enfeh, inherited by its ancestors.
Što ne smijete propustiti
Enjoy the tasty olives.
Fruits consist mainly of: Olive trees producing quality table olives and olive oil, and Grapes (seedless and non seedless).
Običaji i kultura
Touristic town.
Anfeh attracts tourists, especially during summer time, for its landscape of small white houses, windmills and salines on its rocky beaches along the Mediterranean coast. Its historical monuments, old churches, and archaeological site of its peninsula make it one of the top touristic destinations of the Lebanese northern coast.
Enfeh is equipped to receive tourists, offering a choice of activities and guesthouses such as Ô Fleur de Sel. Tourists can also eat fresh fish by the sea at local restaurants that offer fresh daily picks.
Kretanje gradom
Arrive by car.
Easily accessible from the main Beirut-Tripoli highway, taking the Enfeh exit. It is also reachable by taking the Chekka exit and heading north, or the Balamand exit and heading south. The road through town is the old main road that connects Beirut to Tripoli, now called the seaside road, parallel to the old train railway.