Hasbaya
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Hasbaya
حاصبيا | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 33°23′52″N 35°40′57″E / 33.39778°N 35.68250°E | |
Country | Lebanon |
Governorate | Nabatieh Governorate |
District | Hasbaya District |
Elevation | 750 m (2,460 ft) |
Hasbaya or Hasbeiya (
Hasbaya is the capital of the
Mount Hermon, 2,745 metres high, is a unifying presence throughout the Wadi El Taym. This imposing mountain held great religious significance for the Canaanites and Phoenicians, who called it the seat of the All High. The Romans, recognising it as a holy site, built many temples on its slopes. Some identify Hasbaya with the Old Testament's "Baal – Hermon," while in the New Testament the mountain is the site of the transfiguration of Jesus.
Hasbaya is mainly inhabited by the
Near Hasbaya were bitumen pits which were worked in antiquity and in the 19th century up to 1914. Production may have peaked at about 500 tons/year.[2] To the north, at the source of the Hasbani, the ground is volcanic. Some travellers have attempted to identify Hasbeya with the biblical Baal-Gad or Baal-Hermon.[1]
The town of Hasbaya is the centre of the district and can be reached from Marjeyun across the Hasbani bridge, or from Rachaya. It is one of the most important and oldest towns of the Mount Hermon area. This mountain peak, also called Jabal al Sheikh, rises east of Hasbaya. The town is watered by a small tributary of the Hasbani River.
Hasbaya is an important historical site, but little of its ancient monuments survive. The oldest standing ruins date to the Crusader period. After the conquest of the area by the
Hasbaya keeps its traditions alive and its workshops are still producing traditional clothing such as abayas, caftans and turbans.
In the direction of Marjeyun and also part of the Hasbaya Caza (3 km away from the town), there is Souk al Khan, which is located inside a pine forest at the crossing of Hasbaya, Rashaya, Kawkaba and Marjeyun roads.
There lies the ruins of an old khan where Ali, son of
Historical site
Hasbaya is an attractive town full of history. A good deal of this history transpired at the huge citadel that is today Hasbaya’s chief claim to fame. Owned by the
Since then it has been burned many times in battle and was often the scene of bloody conflict. In the 20th century, it was struck by rockets during the Israeli occupation of South Lebanon. Amazingly, for almost all of the eight centuries since it fell to the
The Citadel
The building consists of three floors above ground and three subterranean floors. Constructed in stages, often damaged and rebuilt, today the sprawling structure incorporate a mix of styles, building techniques and states of repair. The tower in the southwest corner and the eastern wall-both visible from the third floor – are easily identifiable as Crusader. Other medieval elements are arrow slit windows and machicolations-small openings through which hot oil or missiles were dropped on the enemy. Despite its primary function as a fortress, the castle also possesses many graceful architectural features such as slender columns and arched windows Entrance and First Courtyard.
Wide steps lead to the main entrance, where the original Crusader door still swings smoothly on 800-year-old hinges. Four metres wide and three metres high, the passage allowed horsemen to enter the castle without dismounting.
Stone lions, a heraldic emblem of the
During the citadel’s heyday the lower floors were also used to store water and other suppliers, as well as to house animals. At the far end of the courtyard is a wine arched opening set in a wall of alternating black and white stone. This was the entrance of the "diwan" or salon of Sitt Chams, wife of Bechir Chehab II, governor of Mount Lebanon between 1788 and 1840. To the left of the diwan is the wing occupied by ibrahim Pasha of Egypt during his campaign against the Ottomans in 1838. Another, higher entrance, in a wall of yellow and white stone, once gave onto a Crusader church, which was long ago destroyed. The rooms surrounding the lower courtyard, including what was once the stables, are now used for storage.
Overlooking the modern village of Hasbaya in south Lebanon, the
The 20,000-square-meter complex is centered around a large unpaved courtyard and contains residential buildings and a mosque. Its main portal features a carved image of a lion, the emblem of the
Almost a millennium of occupation and war, combined with a lack of maintenance and drainage problems have left the citadel battered, with portions of it in danger of structural failure. A recent preliminary study of the conditions of the complex revealed that load-bearing walls of the buildings and fortifications are under stress and cracking. Some of the interior vaults and ceilings have collapsed or are nearing collapse, and architectural and interior decoration require additional assessment and repairs.
The Lebanese Foundation for the Preservation of the
Notable natives/residents
- Faris al-Khoury, Prime Minister of Syria(1944–1945, 1954–1958)
- Emir Khaled Chehab, Lebanese prime minister (1937, 1952 - 1953), minister of finance (1927 - 1928), deputy, and speaker of parliament (1936 - 1937).[3]
- Assad Kotaite, International Civil Aviation Organization official, Secretary-General (1970–1976), and Council President (1976–2006
- Faris Nimr, (1856–1951), Lebanese journalist and intellectual
- Firas Hamdan, is one of 12 independent politicians who emerged from a mass anti-government protest movement in 2019.[4] Hamdan was hit in the chest by a lead pellet in 2020 during a demonstration near parliament, days after a deadly explosion struck Beirut's port.
1860 conflict
The Prince of Wales toured the Middle East in the early 1860s, and he and his party stopped Hasbaya on their way to Damascus. The Prince was told that between 800 and 1,000 Christians were killed here by the Druze in the fighting during 1860.[5]
See also
- Chehab family
- Druze in Lebanon
References
- ^ a b c public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hasbeya". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 49. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ "Answers - the Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions". Answers.com.
- ^ "Lebanon independents celebrate: 'change has begun'". France 24. 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- ^ Reference - Royal Collection Trust - Hasbeiya - scene of the massacre [Hasbaya, Lebanon] 26 Apr 1862
Bibliography
- ISBN 0521-46010-7. (p. 50)
- Wilson, C.W., ed. (c. 1881). Picturesque Palestine, Sinai and Egypt. Vol. 2. New York: D. Appleton. (pp. 132, 133)
External links
- Hasbaiya, Localiban. Archived 2016-08-26 at the Wayback Machine