 Located about 40 kilometres ( 25 mi ) south of Beirut and 2 kilometres ( 1 @.@ 2 mi ) northeast of Sidon , the Eshmun Temple sits on the southern bank of the modern Awali river , previously referred to as <unk> or Asclepius <unk> in ancient text . <unk> groves , known as <unk> el @-@ Sheikh ( Arabic : <unk> <unk> , the <unk> of the Sheikh ) , occupy the ancient " sacred forests " of Asclepius and are a favorite summer picnic location for locals . 
