A very fruitful meeting was held on Wednesday, November 24, between the Minister of Culture Mohammad Wissam Murtada, Kayfoun mayor Bilal Wafic Saad, Asaad Serhal SPNL Director General, Birdlife International Global Council for the Middle East Region, Winner of MIDORI Prize for biodiversity 2018, and Winner of IUCN Honorary Membership Award 2021.
Serhal stressed the importance of the protection and giving the visibility needed to the Rich natural and cultural Heritage to Hima Kayfoun. He presented the project of the historic castle of the town of Kayfoun as an archaeological site that must be preserved and restored in order to be an archaeological landmark and destination, with the support of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL).
The naming of Kayfoun means the stone rock or diminutive of rock or rock idol carved in stone. Kayfoun is characterized by its location since its western side overlooks the capital Beirut. The town is rich with ancient history since it contains “AL Hosn” ancient castle which has been occupied by successive civilizations like Tanoukhis and Romans. The castle and the surrounding land were put under the supervision of the Directorate of Antiquities in 2004, especially that the town is classified as one of the important summer destinations.
In addition, an 8000 square meter model garden is to be set up in Kayfoun’s Zuhlayta forest, which will be the first of its kind in Lebanon. Naturally there will be constant follow up with the mayor of Kayfoun to achieve the desired results.
The green cover constitutes a large proportion of the territory of the town, where the ratio of built-up area does not exceed 40% of the total area of the town.
His Excellency the Minister of Culture promised to visit Kayfoun next month for the official opening of the hima center and the natural and cultural museum.
