Arz Ehmej - Arz Jaj - Qornet el Aliyé - Qornet Namroud - Qornet Hafroun

Amazing loop combining Arz Ehmej, Arz Jaj, Namroud and Hafroun. The hike started from "Arz Ehmej" camping, our basecamp in Ehmej area :). After a short road walk, the hike goes uphill north following a nice footpath that intersects with the classical trail coming from Mar Gerges church to Arz Jaj. After visiting Arz Jaj and God's church, we headed towards El Jouwar valley. This part is challenging but experienced hikers will love the adrenaline boost. The trail in El Jouwar valley is clear till the base of Qornet el Aliyé. To reach the summit, you should make a semi-loop southwest. A geodesic point is found on top of Qornet el Aliyé. More to the east, another summit is reached (Qornet Namroud), overlooking Laqlouq and Saydet el Qarn. The descent follows many hills till you reach a kind of plateau called "el Moghr" where you can see many caves in the "zagh" mountain facing you. Continue your walk southwest to the north of Moukhada to join the LMT side trail, leading you to the base of Hafroun summit. The ascent is tough but easier than Qornet el Aliyé ascent. The view from the top is stunning and remnants of an old castle are found there. The descent from Hafroun is steep and slippery. Go down slowly. After reaching Sahlit Hafroun, we went back to our starting point via Hafroun valley.

I am sharing below interesting info i read on ehmej.org website:

"Hafroun is the highest mount between Ehmej and Laklouk, with 1820 meters of altitude. On this mount, the remains of a fortress dating back to the post Phoenician era are still visible. It looks like a pyramid and is facing another mount named “the mount of Nephron or Namroud”.The two mountains were mentioned in the old testament by the names “Hebron and Nephron” (the story of Sarah, wife of Abraham, and her death). In Genesis 23/2, it is said that Abraham went to the land of Hebron (the name could be modified), and asked its king to burry Sarah, his wife. He was given the cave of the field of Machpelah, which lies near the Mount of Hebron, and was known, as the cave of Machpelah. This justifies why the two locations are geographically and historically linked. The legend of Hebron and Nephron: According to the study of Fr. Michel el Hayek, there are two mountains in the region: Hebron and Namroud, mentioned in the Old Testament as Hebron and Nephron. Their story is still spreading nowadays. The excavations show the remains of 14 houses and 4 mud painted caves with carves depicting: wedges, snakes and doves. Roman coinage was also found. Regarding the pottery of the caves, it is believed that it dates back to the Phoenician, Greek and roman eras. The story of Hebron tells that a king named Hebron took this mountain as a residence. Inside, he built a fortress and provided water from a 4 km spring through a canal dug in the mountains (the remains are still visible nowadays). King Nephron, brother of Hebron was on the other mountain that was named after him. During winter time Nephron left the mountain and left his brother and soldiers behind, because of the cold weather and the snow. The king of Hebron wasn’t able to establish any communication, and had no transportation means to move out of his castle. He died with the soldiers out of hunger and frost. It is said that the king, moments before he died, said something that some elders are still repeating nowadays: “we did not die out of frost or hunger. We were terrified by the screams of the Junipers”.