Located on the coast 71km north of Beirut and 15km south of Tripoli, the town of Enfé is situated on an elongated peninsula measuring 400m long and with a maximum width of 120m. It is partially separated from the land by two great trenches dug into the bedrock during the Crusader period. This lovely, seaside fishing town is known for its ancient churches and caves. Today Enfé is also known for its salt production. Close to Enfé is the Crusader-era Abbey of Balamand, which sits on a promontory overlooking the sea.

The first written evidence mentioning Enfé is the Amarna letters (mid-2nd millennium B.C.), which were sent by the governors of the coastal Canaanite cities to the Pharaohs of Egypt asking for help in repelling Amorite intruders (nomad tribes originating from the middle Euphrates region in the North). Letters written by Rib Addi, the King of Byblos, specifically mention the Canaanite city of Enfé (called "Ampi" in the letters) and state that Enfé, after being occupied by the Amorites, fought with the Amorites against Jbail (Byblos).

Enfé was conquered by the Assyrian army in the 7th century B.C., when it was known as “Anpa.”

Classical archaeological evidence discovered in Enfé, including tombs containing pottery and coins, indicates that the city was inhabited during the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine eras. However, there is not enough evidence to determine the size or importance of Enfé during the Classical period. Other interesting archaeological remains from this era include many caves, oil presses, and vats dug into the bedrock near the shore, as well as a funerary cave near the Church of Saint Catherine.

Enfé entered its glory days during the Medieval era, and most of the archaeological and historical monuments that can be seen today date from this period. Around the 13th century, Enfé was a small, fortified village surrounded by fertile fields, and it was famous for its wine production. It was one of the lordships of the county of Tripoli, governed by French provincial nobles from the Renoir family. The French Lord was eventually chased out of Enfé by the Prince of Antioch Bohemond IV, the Lord of Beirut, and the Genoese, and he took refuge in Cyprus.

In 1282, Enfé was part of one of the greatest plots that marked the end of the Crusades. The Lord of Byblos, the Genoese, and the Knights of the Temple (a secret brotherhood established during the Crusades) rose up against the Count of Tripoli Bohemond VII, but they were brutally crushed. Bohemond VII punished the Genoese by blinding them, and he buried alive the Lord of Byblos and his family in the Fort of Enfé.

By the end of the 13th century, Tripoli and Enfé were invaded and destroyed by the Mamluke army. Enfé was completely forgotten, and the stones of its ruined buildings were used as building blocks for newer houses. After this time, travellers' accounts mention Enfé as a ruined and empty city on the road between Batroun and Tripoli.

Enfé regained some of its previous importance during the 17th and 18th centuries, when the Church of Saint Catherine was restored by the local inhabitants, and a new church dedicated to Saint Simeon and the Archangel Gabriel was built next door.

The Abbey of Balamand

The Abbey of Balamand was built on a promontory 200m above sea level, southeast of Tripoli. It was named "the beautiful mound" (Bel Mont in French) by the Crusaders, due to its location on top of a hill dominating the sea and the adjacent valleys, as well as its view overlooking most of the northern coastline.

Built by Cistercian Monks during the Crusader period, the Abbey was inhabited from 1157 to 1289, when the county of Tripoli fell to the Mamlukes. The Abbey was then abandoned, and it remained in ruins until the beginning of the 17th century, when Greek Orthodox monks restored it. Since that time, many modifications have been made to the architecture of the Abbey, and many rooms and halls were added. This Abbey was also a seasonal residence of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and the East.

Visiting the Abbey

Like all other Cistercian abbeys, the Balamand Abbey has an architectural plan built around a central courtyard surrounded by a portico. The different parts of the Abbey are structured around this courtyard, including the dining hall and kitchens to the south, the meeting hall to the east, and the church and the warehouses to the west.