Hermel

Hermel is a town in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon. It is the capital of Hermel District. Hermel is home to a Lebanese Red Cross First Aid Center. Hermel's inhabitants are predominantly Shia Muslims.There is an ancient pyramid known as Kamouh el Hermel located about 6km south of the town that is a popular attraction for local tourists.ArchaeologyHermel plainsThe Hermel plains are an area of low hills around Hermel, through which runs the Orontes river and several wadis, which drain into the Homs basin. The area dominates the north of the Beqaa Valley and reaches north to the border with Syria. A curious and unpublished archaeological industry exists from finds of stone tools in this area. It consists of generally small tools whose typology is limited. It was termed the Shepherd Neolithic industry by Henri Fleisch.Hermel I (Mrah Abbas)Hermel I or Mrah Abbas was discovered by P. Billaux and Maurice Tallon and is 5km north northeast of Hermel, 1km before reaching Mrah Abbas, next to the road. It is located on an uncultivated sloping plain leading down 2km from the Orontes. The garden revealed the remains of ten dolmens, most of which were built on a larger foundation than the covered chamber. Some were perhaps not covered by tumuli and a few were evidently not built to have cap-stones on top.