Barza’ or Barzaq are caves and sinkholes in Qadisha valley located to the south of the trail from Deir Qannubine directed towards Saydet Hawqa. They form a series of relatively small cavities of speleological aspect containing beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. The Group for Subterranean Studies and Researches of Lebanon (Groupe d’Études et de Recherches Souterraines du Liban –GERSL) had explored them since 1988, and published in its review “Liban Souterrain-2”a study in French accompanied by pictures and topographic map for the Barza’ cave (40 meters length), and a sinkhole close to the cave which was called by the explorers at that moment sinkhole of Barza’. As usual, as is the case in most of the caves in Lebanon, some of the stalactites and stalagmites were broken and taken.

In 1995, the GERSL explored in the same area another cave characterized by a sinkhole at its end. It is noticeable that the entrance was used as a burial place for the people of the region. The team members of the GERSL have found the remnants of human bones and skulls with wooden pieces,could be fragments of coffins (“Liban Souterrain-5” in Arabic). The inhabitants of Qadisha valley, who guided us to these cavities also confirmed this matter. The depth of this cave-sinkhole is 50 meters (see map). At the bottom of the sinkhole, we have found an Arabic inscription mentioning names of people; we managed to read two names, “Chaaya” and “Tawfiq”, and a date“year of 1960”. It appears that this inscription was written by smoke emitted from the flame of a candle, and those who came down to this place have surely used ropes.