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The Afka waterfall is on the Nahr Imbraham ("nahr" meaning 'river') near the ancient city of Jebail, a little east of the modern town named Qartaba. At the source of the river a precipitous 600 foot bluff forms an immense amphitheatre. The stream itself, like so many throughout the mountains of Lebanon, emerges from a large cave in the cliff-wall. The mountains of the country are honeycombed with limestone caverns, which store and channel snow-melt water before releasing it in springs and streams at lower levels. At Afka several watery threads flow from the cave to form numerous cataracts and form a scene of great beauty.

Here once stood a great temple dedicated to Venus, and here were practiced various rites. Under the Christian Emperor Constantine the Great, this temple was destroyed in the fourth century. However, with the accession of his successor Julian, who did not profess to Christianity, it was partially rebuilt. It was finally abandoned during the reign of Theodosius. Also at this site are to be seen the remains of a Roman aqueduct that carried waters from Nahr Imbraham to the city of Jebail (now abandoned).

Afka is also the site associated in classical mythology with the legend of Venus and Adonis. Here was born a beautiful youth, according to the tale, the result of incestuous love of Cinyras. King of Cyprus, and his lovely daughter Myrrha. Following her seduction Myrrha was changed into a tree, which bears her name. After several months the tree split and the child emerged. The young Adonis was reared by Venus, goddess of Love. When she became enamored of his manly beauty, Venus' lover Mars grew jealous and sent a vicious boar to kill the youth. It was at the pool at the foot of the falls that Adonis was killed by the boar; he bled to death from a deep wound in the groin. Down the wild. slopes the goddess rushed, disheveled and in despair. Out of pity for her the gods allowed Adonis annually to ascend from Hades, abode of the dead, to spend some time with her.

Each spring the melting snows flood the river, bringing a reddish mud washed from the steep mountain slopes. The clear waters of the river are discolored and the stain can be seen far out to sea. The legend claims this as the blood of Adonis, renewed perennially at the time of his death. The river follows a fault that exposes Jurassic limestone, for much of its length. Near the town of Chahteol it encounters rocks of Cretaceous age, and flows along a seaward-dipping monocline to pour into the Mediterranean Sea.

In the fertile valley millions of scarlet anemones bloom. accorded the name of Adonis' flowers by legend. They spring from the blood of the slain youth, spilled as he lay dying beneath the trees at Afka, and renewed each year as a remembrance sign.