Here are some facts about the small mountain village of Kfarmishki (also spelled Kfar Mechki), which is located on the southeastern side of Bekaa, in the Rashaya District.
#1 Its name means “the Leather village”
#2 Many of its inhabitants have moved to Canada
Many of the town’s inhabitants migrated to Ottawa, Canada, in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
#3 The town mourns over a dozen Titanic victims
The late Robert Fisk, the acclaimed British journalist who wrote Pity The Nation: Lebanon at War, wrote that at least 13 Lebanese from Kfarmishki set sail aboard the ill-fated Titanic and perished. There is said to have been only one survivor from Kfarmishki.
Other reports say there were 16 Kfarmishki natives aboard the ocean liner and that 2 survived.
#4 It was home to Romans in ancient times
In the Kfarmishki municipality, you can find ruins of a Roman temple that is included in the group of Temples of Mount Hermon. An orientalist named Edward Robinson visited the village in 1852 and wrote about his visit. He mentioned the existence of two Roman sarcophagi in the area.
#5 It boasts many caves
#6 It is predominantly Orthodox Christian
#7 The town’s specialty is its “Mwajjah pie”
#8 Its main agricultural production is grapes and olives
#9 It has stunning views of Mount Hermon
#10 A Canadian band gave tribute to the town in a song
Interestingly, the Toronto-based instrumental band Sultans of String has a song called “Road to Kfarmishki”. According to the band, the family of one of its members, Chris McKhool, is originally from Kfarmishki.