Lykos (Nahr al-Kalb)

The Lykos river is a remarkable place. Winter storms blowing down the gorge make a howling noise, which explains the name of this river, which means "wolf". The present name, Nahr al-Kalb, means "dog river".

In the thirteenth century BCE, the Egyptian king Ramesses II left three reliefs on the south bank of the Nahr al-Kalb, north of Berytus, which commemorated the northern campaigns that culminated in the battle of Kadesh (1274 BCE). Several centuries later, the Assyrian king Esarhaddon, having forced cities like Tyre into submission, conquered Egypt, and chose to put a memorial of his own opposite the relief of Ramesses. Ever since, armies have left inscription at the Nahr al-Kalb, a custom that was known to the Greek researcher Herodotus of Halicarnassus (more).

All in all, there are twenty-two inscriptions and two monuments, with texts in seven languages: Egyptian, Assyrian, Greek, Latin, Arabic, French, and English. There is also the pedestal of a statue of an animal, which may have been a wolf or dog (cf. the name of the river). The making of stelas in this area is mentioned in several Assyrian texts (example).

In Chronological Order

Nahr al-Kalb, Relief of Ramesses II	Nahr al-Kalb, Relief of Ramesses II	Nahr al-Kalb, Relief of an unidentified Assyrian king	Nahr al-Kalb, relief of an unidentified Assyrian king
Nahr al-Kalb, Relief of an unidentified Assyrian king	Nahr al-Kalb, Relief of an unidentified Assyrian king	Nahr al-Kalb, Relief of Esarhaddon	Nahr al-Kalb, Inscription of Nebuchadnezzar
Nahr al-Kalb, Inscription by an unidentified Hellenistic king	Nahr al-Kalb, Dedication to Caracalla by III Gallica	Nahr al-Kalb, Inscription by Proculus	Nahr al-Kalb, Inscription by sultan Barquq
Nahr al-Kalb, Inscription commemorating Napoleon III	Nahr al-Kalb, Inscription commemorating the capture of Damascus	Nahr al-Kalb, Inscription commemorating the occupation of Beirut	Nahr al-Kalb, Inscription commemorating the victory at Maysalum
Nahr al-Kalb, Monument for the French army	Nahr al-Kalb, Inscription commemorating the liberation of Damascus	Nahr al-Kalb, Inscription commemoration the end of World War II	Nahr al-Kalb, Inscription commemorating the end of the Israeli Occupation

From East to West

If you want to visit the place and arrive from Beirut, you must follow the coastal road to Jubayl (ancient Byblos) and turn right immediately after the tunnel. Continue for some 400 meters; there's a Medieval bridge, built by the Mamluk sultan Qalawun (r.1279-1290). Here, you can park your car, and here you will find inscription #2. Walking back in the direction of the tunnel, you will pass several other monuments.

There's a passage over the tunnel, after which the path winds itself up the hill. Inscription #15 is on the summit, and you will see the interesting #16 and #17 if you proceed and go down again. There is also the pedestal of the ancient statue of a dog or wolf: nowadays nothing but a damaged stone, but one day a monument that must have caught everybody's attention.

Literature

Anne-Marie Maïla-Afeiche e.a. "Le site de Nahr el-Kalb", special issue of Bulletin d'archéologie et d'architecture Libanais (2009)