The Temple of Adonis at Afqa stands near the source of the Nahr Ibrahim, the ancient Adonis river, where a waterfall drops from a limestone cave. Myth placed the death of Adonis here, and the Roman-era sanctuary served a cult that was famous across the Mediterranean. The archaeology is modest beside the power of the place: water out of the rock, a gorge and the memory of the rite. Paths can be slippery. Visit in spring for the water, and combine it with Byblos, which was historically linked to this valley. Among nature-and-temple sites in Lebanon, Afqa is the one where the myth is still geographically obvious.
