Al Jamajem Valley … The Land of Waterfalls, Springs

 (ST) – Al Jamajem (skulls) Valley is unlike the others. The skulls in it have immortalized the memory of its explorers who entered it and did not get out. The water mills in it narrate the tales of grandparents and the waterfalls, which enchanted the amateurs and adventurers.

The valley has many names such as al Mheini valley, al Shalaga valley and the popular name the Skulls Valley.

There are many waterfalls and a group of mills amid this valley. The owners of the mills were living next door and parts of them still exist until today. The people were forcing their way to these mills across dense bushes to find a corridor for humans and animals, which were carrying wheat from neighboring villages to be ground in the mills.

The length of the valley is about 6 km. It starts from al Shalaga village and ends at the borders of al – Qadmous city. Al Shalaga River passes through it. There is also in the valley, many of the caves including a large one. It has been said that this cave joins between two mountains.

 Al Mheini River breaks the Skull Valley into halves. It flows from several springs and then the valley runs into the river and heads to Marashti village, then to al Arqouband al Oseiba before emptying into the coast of Banias.

Al Mheini River springs from northwest Qadmous city heading towards the West until the village of Marashti which lies about 15 km from the city  of Qadmous (540 m above the sea level), where it meets later with other several seasonal and permanent watercourses and form later the so-called Banias River.

 Slopes of the surrounding mountains are characterized by varying taluses with the presence of beautiful rocky bluffs in some locations, especially on the southern slope. At the top of this slope, there are farmlands in the form of terraces to plant mainly olives.

Sh. Kh.