LOCATION

The town of Chehime is located in the center of Iklim El Kharoub in the Chouf Area. It is considered the capital of the Iklim. Its real estate area is 1000 hectares, and its population is more than 20,000.

ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES

The oldest ruins discovered in Chehime belong to a group who used to live on the east side of the old Chehime suburbs. There, they found buried tombs, along with skeletons in huge burial pots, about 30 different pottery pieces, and two bronze dagger blades.

In the late 60’s, the digging began and led to the discovery of monumental ruins: the Roman temple, the Byzantine church, oil mills, village buildings, and cemeteries.

CHEHIME PALACE

The palace is 1 km north of the town, and it’s about 40000 m2 in size. The palace was built in the same period as the Baalbek fortress (i.e. in the in the 2nd century). In the 4th and 5th centuries, during the Byzantine Age, many houses were built around the temple. Oil production was its

economical basis.

THE BYZANTIN CHURCH

The church was built in the 5th century A.D. Its ground was covered with wonderful mosaics. Writings discovered detailed the history of the mosaic work that took place 1500 years ago (498 A.D.). Despite the passing of all this time, the colors and illustrations remain in an excellent condition.