Silk Mills and Churches
(28 km from Halba)

    Located at the extreme end of the Mount Lebanon range in the Akkar area, this now bustling town was, some 90 years ago, a silk-rich community of only a few thousand people.
    Two vestiges of these days still exist: the abandoned silk reeling factory and the mansion of the Daher family. This beautiful home has an ornate portal with relief carvings of stylized lions which were borrowed from a Mamluke monument in the region, probably Akkar al-Atiqa.
    Near the silk mill is an Italian style church and school dedicated to St. George. Several kilometers outside the town is a recently reconstructed old church that was built from Roman temple elements.
    Ask for directions to the St. Shalleeta Church in the town. This is built on a single vaulted apse and has a niche inside with interesting carved pieces, including two stones with incomplete Greek inscriptions. The pieces were found during reconstruction.