Sawfar ( ar, صوفر), also spelled as ''Saoufar'' or ''Sofar'') is a village in the

Aley District Aley ( ar, عاليه) is a district (''qadaa'') in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon, to the south-east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The capital is Aley. Aley city was previously known as the "bride of the summers" during the 1960 and 1970s, when Aley ...

of the

Mount Lebanon Governorate french: Gouvernorat du Mont-Liban , native_name_lang = , image_map = Administrative divisions of Lebanon 2017-08 (Numbered).png , map_caption = The governorates of Lebanon, including Mount Lebanon (in pink, label ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. It is situated at an altitude of 1,320 meters and next to the main road linking

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

with

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. Sawfar has a population of about 3,000 people, most of whom are

Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...

. During the summer months, the population can increase to around 15,000 due to tourism. It gains its importance from its strategic and panoramic views overlooking the

Matn District Matn ( ar, قضاء المتن, '), sometimes spelled Metn (or preceded by the article El, as in El Matn), is a district (''qadaa'') in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The district capital is Jd ...

and the Lamartine Valley. The village is the summer headquarters of the French Embassy in Lebanon. It is home to Chateau Bernina, a well-known hotel tucked in the green side of northern Sawfar, which overlooks the Lamartine Valley and Kneise Mountain. The Grand Sofar Hotel, a favorite destination for royals and dignitaries from 1892 to 1975, was reopened as an art exhibition venue in 2018. In the winter, Sawfar receives significant snowfall, which can exceed one meter high after particularly heavy storms. Temperatures usually drop below zero during the months of December and January. The village experiences moderate and dry summers, making it a popular destination for tourists wishing to escape the extreme summer heat and humidity common to other areas in the region.

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Saoufar
Localiban {{Aley District Populated places in Aley District Druze communities in Lebanon

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