Kaftoun
Encyclopedia
Kaftoun is a small Lebanese village located along the north bank of the Nahr el Jaouz (Walnut River),
in the Koura District
, North Lebanon
.The population of the Village is approximately three-hundred, spread around seventy-four houses. They are mostly of Antiochian Orthodox
Christians Ancestry.
The name "Kaftoun" in the ancient Aramaic language
means "dug from" or "sculpted from" a cliff.
In the ancient Syriac language
, (Kftuna) means "the domed". Both roots of the word lead us to believe that the village of Kaftoun was named after the domed Theotokos Monastery which is carved in the red rock cliffs by the banks of the Jaouz River.
Kaftoun has three historic churches: Saint Phokas Church (Mar Foka's), the Church of Saint Sergius and Bacchus
(Mar Sarkis) 6th century, and the most famed Theotokos Monastery, which houses a two-sided Byzantine icon from the 11th century.
in the Koura District
Koura District
Koura or El Koura is a district in the North Governorate, Lebanon.Koura is one of the 36 districts of Lebanon, which is very popular for the olive tree cultivation. It is known by its dark green color....
, North Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.The population of the Village is approximately three-hundred, spread around seventy-four houses. They are mostly of Antiochian Orthodox
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
Christians Ancestry.
The name "Kaftoun" in the ancient Aramaic language
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
means "dug from" or "sculpted from" a cliff.
In the ancient Syriac language
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
, (Kftuna) means "the domed". Both roots of the word lead us to believe that the village of Kaftoun was named after the domed Theotokos Monastery which is carved in the red rock cliffs by the banks of the Jaouz River.
Kaftoun has three historic churches: Saint Phokas Church (Mar Foka's), the Church of Saint Sergius and Bacchus
(Mar Sarkis) 6th century, and the most famed Theotokos Monastery, which houses a two-sided Byzantine icon from the 11th century.