The Droub El Hima Programme brings agricultural terraces back to life, transforming them into living trails that connect memory with sustainable development
In the village of Al Ghaboun, perched on the slopes of the Aley District, it is not only nature that tells its story. Stone by stone, the landscape speaks of the people who lived here, labored, built, and cultivated the land, shaping a deep and enduring relationship with their environment across generations.
The agricultural terraces of Al Ghaboun extend like a living heritage mosaic, bearing witness to the ingenuity of ancestors who transformed steep slopes into fertile, green landscapes. These terraces were never merely spaces for cultivation, they formed a network of daily pathways used by the people of the village, connecting homes to fields, seasons to livelihoods, and labor to social life.
Between one stone wall and another, narrow paths emerged, carrying the rhythms of everyday life. Farmers walked these routes at sunrise with their tools and returned at sunset carrying the harvest. Along these trails, stories were shared, folk songs echoed, and the collective memory of the place was shaped. The path itself became an integral part of the village’s social and spiritual fabric.
The stones of Al Ghaboun still bear the imprints of countless footsteps. Here, ancestors walked toward vineyards and olive and fig groves. Here, women made their way to harvest seasons, and children accompanied their families, learning the meaning of land, belonging, and continuity. These paths were never simple passages, they were spaces of learning, interaction, and life.
In this context, the Droub Al Hima Programme of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon organized this activity to activate and promote the rural walking trail in Al Ghaboun. The initiative forms part of SPNL’s ongoing efforts to revive traditional heritage paths and link them to sustainable agricultural and rural tourism, transforming ancestral routes into living spaces for education, nature connection, and community support.
Today, these terraces are reclaiming their role through agro-tourism, which has become a bridge between past and present. Stone pathways have been transformed into rural walking trails that allow visitors to discover Al Ghaboun’s natural beauty and rich agricultural heritage, learn about traditional farming practices, participate in harvest activities, and taste fresh local products as part of an authentic rural experience.
SPNL believes that this form of tourism not only revitalizes the landscape, but also supports local communities, encourages the restoration of abandoned terraces, and protects the biodiversity that has long characterized Al Ghaboun’s agricultural environment. It also restores respect for a balanced way of life based on working with the land rather than against it.
The agricultural terraces of Al Ghaboun are not silent stones. They are the paths of ancestors that still lead us back to our roots, corridors that encapsulate the resilience and creativity of mountain communities. Through agro-tourism and rural walking trails, these routes are transformed from memories etched in stone into living experiences, shared with everyone who walks them.
