kadisha

Kadisha, also spelled Qadisha, refers primarily to the Kadisha Valley in northern Lebanon, a deep, historic gorge that runs through the Bsharri District in the North Lebanon Governorate. The valley is formed by the Kadisha River and is closely associated with Lebanon’s historic Christian monastic tradition.

The term Kadisha means "holy" or "sacred" in several Semitic languages; the valley is commonly called the Holy Valley for its religious heritage.

Since late antiquity, it has been a major center of Christian monasticism, hosting a network of monasteries and hermitages carved into the rock faces. Monasteries include Deir Qozhaya (the Monastery of Saint Anthony the Great), among others with roots dating from the 4th century onward. The sites are central to the Maronite and other Christian communities in Lebanon.

In 1998, the Qadisha Valley and the Cedars Forest were inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for their outstanding cultural and natural values. The area is noted for its rugged, cedar-dominated landscapes and for the many religious settlements that cling to the canyon walls.

The valley runs south from its confluence with the Nahr Ibrahim; its surrounding cedar forests and limestone cliffs support rare plant and animal life and have historically protected the monastic hermitages.