Banias - Since 1967 You are not allowed to bathe in Banias for ecological Reasons

The site was originally named “Panias” after the Greek god Pan. There are remains of a temple, courtyards, a grotto and niches for rituals dedicated to the worship of Pan, dating to the beginning of the Common Era.
Since there is no “p” sound in Arabic and the region was long under Syrian rule, the village that grew up around the spring came to be called Banias.