Saint Simeon roman stairs

The so-called “Saint Simeon” stairs, given that one of their sections passes in front of the church of Saint Simeon-the-Stylite, are in fact part of an ancient passageway which crosses Akoura and used to link the coast of Byblos to the Bekaa. Although designated as a "Roman staircase", probably because of a Latin inscription dating back to Roman times engraved on a rock located at its departure, studies have demonstrated that this passageway is much older than the Roman era and that it may date back to the Phoenician era. As for the inscription, which mentions the Roman emperor Domitian, it dates from the end of the 1st century AD, a date which corresponds to the period of the reign of the aforementioned emperor. As for the staircase itself, it is made up of a set of steps which take the appearance of an Italian-style ramp which follows the slope of its path. Some of these steps are carved into the rock while others are designed with rubble stones and are similar to the ones that were found in the Jabal Moussa biosphere reserve.

• Route : Romano-Byzantine archaeology
• Village : Aqoura