Kefraya
Encyclopedia
Kefraya is a village in the Western Beqaa District
of the Beqaa Governorate
in the Republic of Lebanon
, approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of Joub Jannine
.
It is known for its vineyards and Château Kefraya wine
s. Château Kefraya is the second biggest winery
in the Beqaa Valley with land that extends up to 300 acres (1.2 km²) amongst the foothills of Mount Barouk
, 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) south of the town of Chtaura
. The majority of the shares of the winery were bought by Druze
politician Walid Jumblat from the De Bustros family in the late 1980s.
with a Heavy Neolithic
archaeological industry
prior to the Neolithic Revolution
. A very large archaeological site was discovered in the area running along both sides of the road. Good quality flint nodules were found amongst Eocene
conglomerates where a Heavy Neolithic factory site was detected with a massive abundance of Levallois
cores, debitage
and waste littering the surface of the site. Large numbers of flint
tools were collected by workers that included a variety of scrapers on flakes, kinves, axe
s, adze
s and a segmented sickle
blade. The type of flint found in the area was termed Kefraya flint.
Western Beqaa District
Western Beqaa District is an administrative district in the Beqaa Governorate of the Republic of Lebanon. The capital is Joub Jannine....
of the Beqaa Governorate
Beqaa Governorate
Beqaa is a governorate in Lebanon with a population of 750,000 inhabitants.-Geography:The Beqaa governorate covers an area of 4,429 km². Béqaa is the primary center of Lebanon's agriculture. The Beqaa governorate forms the main geographical extension of Lebanon and it lies between the Western...
in the Republic of 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...
, approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of Joub Jannine
Joub Jannine
Joub Jannine is located in the Beqaa Valley valley in Lebanon.Joub Jannine is the center of the Western Beqaa District, hosting the Serail, which is a main governmental building serving the area. Joub Jannine is surrounded by a number of villages...
.
It is known for its vineyards and Château Kefraya wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
s. Château Kefraya is the second biggest winery
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
in the Beqaa Valley with land that extends up to 300 acres (1.2 km²) amongst the foothills of Mount Barouk
Barouk
Barouk is a village in the Chouf District of Lebanon . Historically, the village is known for being the "land of good", because of its fountain . The poet Rachid Nakhleh, the writer of the national hymn , was born in Barouk...
, 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) south of the town of Chtaura
Chtaura
Chtaura is a town in Lebanon in the fertile Beqaa valley located between the Mount Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. It is located halfway on the Beirut Damascus highway. It is located 44 km from Beirut....
. The majority of the shares of the winery were bought by Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
politician Walid Jumblat from the De Bustros family in the late 1980s.
Archaeology
Kefraya was also once home to the Qaraoun cultureQaraoun culture
The Qaraoun culture is a culture of the Lebanese Stone Age around Qaraoun in the Beqaa Valley. The Gigantolithic or Heavy Neolithic flint tool industry of this culture was recognized as Neolithic by Henri Fleisch and confirmed by A. Rust and Dorothy Garrod....
with a Heavy Neolithic
Heavy Neolithic
Heavy Neolithic is a style of large stone and flint tools associated primarily with the Qaraoun culture in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon, dating to the Epipaleolithic or early Pre-pottery Neolithic at the end of the Stone Age...
archaeological industry
Archaeological industry
An archaeological industry, normally just "industry", is the name given in the study of prehistory to a consistent range of assemblages connected with a single product, such as the Langdale axe industry...
prior to the Neolithic Revolution
Neolithic Revolution
The Neolithic Revolution was the first agricultural revolution. It was the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement. Archaeological data indicates that various forms of plants and animal domestication evolved independently in 6 separate locations worldwide circa...
. A very large archaeological site was discovered in the area running along both sides of the road. Good quality flint nodules were found amongst Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
conglomerates where a Heavy Neolithic factory site was detected with a massive abundance of Levallois
Levallois technique
The Levallois technique is a name given by archaeologists to a distinctive type of stone knapping developed by precursors to modern humans during the Palaeolithic period....
cores, debitage
Debitage
The term debitage refers to all the waste material produced during lithic reduction and the production of chipped stone tools. This assemblage includes, but is not limited to, different kinds of lithic flakes, shatter, and production errors and rejects....
and waste littering the surface of the site. Large numbers of flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
tools were collected by workers that included a variety of scrapers on flakes, kinves, axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
s, adze
Adze
An adze is a tool used for smoothing or carving rough-cut wood in hand woodworking. Generally, the user stands astride a board or log and swings the adze downwards towards his feet, chipping off pieces of wood, moving backwards as they go and leaving a relatively smooth surface behind...
s and a segmented sickle
Sickle
A sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically used for harvesting grain crops or cutting succulent forage chiefly for feeding livestock . Sickles have also been used as weapons, either in their original form or in various derivations.The diversity of sickles that...
blade. The type of flint found in the area was termed Kefraya flint.