ABSTRACT
Since the time of the earliest botanical exploration, botanists have been drawn to the Akar fault valley in northwestern Syria. A beautiful horseshoe-shaped valley capping the northernmost end of Mount Lebanon, it is not only home to one of the most complete crusader castles left today, but is also a refugium for botanic diversity. I first visited the valley as a research student in 1986 in an attempt to rediscover the faba bean relative Vicia hyaeniscyamus, thought by some to be synonymous with a related species from Palestine. Arriving at the site, the species was immediately located and the valley has been special for me ever since. In fact, the valley justifiably should be special to all humankind because recent analysis has shown that it contains the highest concentration of priority temperate crop wild relatives (CWR) anywhere in the world (Maxted and Kell, 2009a). However, worryingly, the area is being rapidly urbanized; therefore, protection of this unique site and its resources should be a global priority.
