Nahr al-Kalb
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Nahr al-Kalb dog river |
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 Medieval bridge |
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| Data | ||
| location | Lebanon | |
| River system | Nahr al-Kalb | |
| source | in Jeita | |
| muzzle | north-east of Beirut in the Mediterranean Coordinates: 33 ° 57 ′ 26 " N , 35 ° 35 ′ 47" E 33 ° 57 ′ 26 " N , 35 ° 35 ′ 47" E
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| length | 31 km | |
The Nahr al-Kalb ( Arabic نهر الكلب, German dog river ) is a seasonal river in Lebanon . It has a length of 31 km from its source in Jeita near the Jeita grotto to its mouth in the Mediterranean at Jounieh .
The ancient Greek name for the Nahr al-Kalb is Lycus or Eleutherus. In a treaty between Ramses II and the Hittites from the 14th century BC It served as a border between Egypt and the property of the Hittites.
Strategic importance and fortification
It is precisely this border between the northern and southern coastal regions that makes the Nahr al-Kalb so important. The deep gorge can only be crossed near the mouth. It was therefore of strategic importance for numerous armed forces to secure this transition. Even the Egyptians carved steps into the rock to make it easier to cross. The Assyrians also expanded the narrow paths, which were hardly suitable for large armies or heavy transports. Only under the Roman Emperor Marc Aurel was a road carved into the steep slope around 180. This ran 30 m above sea level.
Inscriptions
Generals of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Romans and many more left an inscription in the rocks of the river valley after a successful conquest. The oldest stelae date from the time of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II. He was the first to prefer the arduous coastal route to the route through the Bekaa plain. He had a total of three inscriptions carved into it. Other inscriptions come from the Roman emperor Caracalla, the neo-Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar and the Mameluk Sultan Barquq. More modern inscriptions have also been preserved. In 1860 the French general Beauforts had the Egyptian memorial plaque for Ramses II erased in order to show the success of his campaign in the same place. Other inscriptions were carved between 1918 and 1946.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=23073&URL_DO=DO_PRINTPAGE&URL_SECTION=201.html ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=256&letter=P
