I was charmed by this whole area. Google Maps insisted on sending us in random directions, but the locals kept us on the right path, joking with us about the almost-nonexistent signage pointing the way. At one point, Google sent us down a road that turned out to be blocked; “maqtou3a, maqtou3a,” a guy on his scooter told us. Before we knew it, another guy in a pickup truck opened up the gate to his farm and told us to drive through his land to get back down to the main road. All in the typical Druze accent and matter-of-fact hospitality of mountain folk. 10/10 would do again.
The name of this village, Deir el-Qamar, means “convent of the moon,” and is the Arabic translation of the Syriac name “Deir Sahro.” Tourist websites spin this name as a reflection “the village’s historical association with religious institutions.” Indeed, Fakhr al-Din II is said to have had a vision to build a church, mosque, and synagogue right next to each other in the town square. But the true origins came from the Roman temple dedicated to the moon that used to be here; that site is now the location of this church, Our Lady of the Hill, or “Saydet el-Tal.” Marian shrines around here are almost always repurposed pagan places.
I was so taken by this little cat colony clinging to the hem of Saint Rafqa’s robes, almost mirroring the statue itself. Mama cat had to come and check up on me, but I passed the sniff test.
The doors of Deir el-Qamar. Doors, windows, portals; I’ve always been drawn to these, but more so now than ever before. I’ll say more about that at some point too.
Keep an eye on the gentleman by the door in this first slide. I’ll have more to say about him as well. The man you see sitting here “t7arkash fiye,” as we say in Lebanon, piping up to talk to me as I took photos around the building. I ended up asking for his portrait with my film camera. I hope it comes out. I have a lot to say about this colorful character.
And that’s the last of what I saw in Hamra. It was funny to realize that my alma mater is as old as the Lebanese Communist Party.