Pre-Historic Meghalitic tombs

The dolmens civilization in the Near East dates back to around 5000 B.C. It accompanied the emergence of new funerary rites joined to the establishment of new socio-commercial traditions in the area. These new rites consisted of inhumating the dead in megalithic tombs, also known as dolmens. These tombs comprised funerary chambers built with big stone blocks, most of the time arranged following a circular or rectangular organization. They were surrounded by a passageway and covered by a tumulus. In Lebanon, several dozens of these tombs were discovered and studied in the area of Akkar, around Menjez and Wadi Kahled, while those in the area of Yanouh remained totally unstudied until now. The latter, built of white limestone, consists of squarish or rectangular-shaped rooms constructed with monolithic stones. Their exact dating has not been determined yet due to the lack of research and scientific archaeological excavations. However, they are most probably contemporary with those in Northern Lebanon.

• Route : Patriarchal Circuit
• Village : Yanouh