Blaouza ( ar, بلوزا, also spelt ''Blawza'' and ''Blouza''), is a

Maronite The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the larges ...

Christian village in the

Bsharri District Bsharri District is one of the 7 districts (''qadaa, قضاء'') of the North Governorate, Lebanon. Overview and geography Surrounded by mountains, the Bsharri District sits on cliffs. The district is bordered by the Zgharta and Miniyeh-Danniye ...

of the

North Governorate North Governorate ( ar, الشمال, ') (Lebanese pr. ''eš šmél'') (French: Gouvernorat du Liban-Nord) is one of the governorates of Lebanon. Its capital is Tripoli. Ramzi Nohra has been its governor since May 2, 2014. The population of North ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. The population is approximately 457 (2021), and the village lies at an altitude of 1,320 metres above sea level.

The Village and its History

Blaouza lies in the Qannoubine Valley region of the

Qadisha Valley Kadisha Valley ( ar, وادي قاديشا), also romanized as the Qadisha Valley and also known as the Kadisha Gorge or Wadi Kadisha (french: Ouadi Qadisha), is a gorge that lies within the Bsharri and Zgharta Districts of the North Governora ...

, an area settled 1,000-1,300 years ago by

refugees fleeing persecution in the remote mountains of

and

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. In their isolation, the communities of the

preserved their religion, customs and language until the modern era. Unlike most

s in

, residents of Blaouza (and the

in general) claim to be of

Aramean The Arameans ( oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; syc, ܐܪ̈ܡܝܐ, Ārāmāyē) were an ancient Semitic-speaking people in the Near East, first recorded in historical sources from the late 12th century BCE. The Aramean h ...

, rather than

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

n descent. Most villages in the region have

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

names, and the name Blaouza comes from the

for "almond plains". Until the early 20th century, most villagers were

-speakers, and as a result, Blaouza natives speak

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

with a distinct accent. This is also true of many of the

villages of the region. In 1998 it was reported that Blaouza had a population of around 200, whilst there were an estimated 10,000 people in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

who identified their families as coming from the village.

Famous residents

Gabriel of Blaouza Gabriel II of Blaouza (or Jibra'il al-Bluzani, ''Gabriel of Blawza'', ar, جبرائيل الثاني, la, Gabriel Belusani, born in 1625, Blaouza, Lebanon - died on October 31, 1705, Qannubin Monastery, Kadisha Valley), was the 58th Maronite ...

(''born circa 1625''),Gabriel de Blawza
/ref>

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

1704-1705

References

External links

Australian Blouza Association
{{Bsharri District Populated places in the North Governorate Bsharri District Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon

The Village and its History

Famous residents

See also

References

External links