Kafr Zabad


Kafr Zabad is a village in Lebanon. It is also the site of two ancient Roman antae temples.

History

The village is very old; probably was founded during early Roman centuries. It is located at nearly 986 meters of altitude. It is famous because of its Roman temples.
George F. Taylor classed the temples in a group of Temples of the Beqaa Valley. They are situated above the village on a hill. The temples had almost been completely destroyed when Taylor visited the site. He noted only foundations and some parts of the cella walls and pediment of the upper temple had survived. Remains of architraves, carved stones and door frames littered the hill.
The lower temple had only one section of upright door frame, again with blocks of pediment, architrave and cornice lying scattered about the landscape of the Anti-Lebanon. There is a relief carved into a rock approximately east of the temple with the figure of a Roman goddess. The figure is barely recognisable and had been mostly destroyed with only the lower half remaining distinguishable: indeed to the northeast of the lower temple there it is a rock-cut relief of Venus, called "Bint El Malik" or the king's daughter by the local people.
There it is also a Roman sanctuary probably dedicated to the god Mercury; the area also has ancient quarries and shaft tombs from the Roman period.