Bteghrine ( ar, بتغرين, also spelled Bteghrin and Btighrin) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

Matn District Matn ( ar, قضاء المتن, '), sometimes spelled Metn (or preceded by the article El, as in El Matn), is a district ('' qadaa'') in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The district capital is ...

of the Mount Lebanon Governorate of

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 Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Etymology

The exact origin of the town name ''Bteghrine'' is unknown, but possibilities include ''Place of Warriors'', ''Place of Rocks'', and ''House of the Saddest'' - references to a large battle in the area around 1290 that resulted in thousands of deaths. This date corresponds closely with the rise of the Mamluks, a period which saw numerous battles in the area, including a 1291 rebellion by the Shi'a against the new rulers in Keserwan, the district on the northern border of the Matn.Library of Congress
"A Country Study: Lebanon"
Retrieved November 29, 2006.

Geography

Bteghrine is located at . It is bordered by

Mount Sannine Mount Sannine ( ar, جبل صنين / ALA-LC: ''Jabal Șannīn'') is a mountain in the Mount Lebanon range. Its highest point is 2,628 m (8,622 feet) above sea level in Lebanon. Mount Sannine, which has a base of limestone, is the source of many ...

to the east, Wadi el-Jamajem to the north, Jouar to the west, and Khenchara to the south. The municipality is composed of seven neighborhoods and four outlying areas.

Neighborhoods

* Haret al-Ain * Haret al-Dara * Haret al-Shahara * Haret al-Shawyee * Haret al-Ssaha * Haret al-Wata * Haret Ali * Haret al-Asfourieh

Outlying areas

* Bsefrine * Meisree * Sabourta * Zaarour

Water

There are several springs used for both

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...

and agricultural purposes in Bteghrine. The four primary springs are Zaarour, Manboukh, Mir, and Sparta.

Agriculture

Bteghrine is situated on a rocky hillside, but supports a thriving, self-sufficient agriculture. Most of the land within the city and the surrounding hills, including the Meisree and Bsefrine districts, was fully-

terraced In agriculture, a terrace is a piece of sloped plane that has been cut into a series of successively receding flat surfaces or platforms, which resemble steps, for the purposes of more effective farming. This type of landscaping is therefore ...

to make it more suited for planting. The most common fruits and

vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...

grown in Bteghrine are:

figs The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...

s, mulberry,

plums A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-f ...

es,

persimmon The persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus '' Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Oriental persimmon, ''Diospyros kaki'' ''Diospyros'' is in the family Ebenaceae, and a number of non-per ...

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...

, cherries,

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

es, cucumber, parsley,

mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

, and beans. Small shops in the town process much of the local

produce Produce is a generalized term for many farm-produced crops, including fruits and vegetables (grains, oats, etc. are also sometimes considered ''produce''). More specifically, the term ''produce'' often implies that the products are fresh and g ...

into arak, molasses,

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

, and

preserves Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the meth ...

Economy

Th
Saliba Nail and Screw factory
is the largest single plant in Bteghrine. Additionally, the town has a large number of small shops for blacksmithing, woodworking, car repair and bodywork, leather tailoring, and aluminum manufacturing. The city also enjoys a full set of services including three gas stations, a supermarket, dry cleaner, several specialty and general stores, a large bakery, several bookstores, several clinics, many restaurants, and one hotel. Bteghrine also hosts the central telephone station for the upper Metn region.

Education

There is one public school in the town named Bteghrine Public School, and one private

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

school.

Religion

The vast majority of inhabitants of Bteghrine are

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

, with roughly 80%

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

and 20%

Melkite Catholic el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία , image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = , abbreviatio ...

Churches

* St. George – Greek Orthodox. * St. Michael – Greek Orthodox. * St. Elias – Greek Orthodox. * Notre Dame – Melkite Catholic.

Famous Bteghrineites

* Antonious Saliba – Orthodox priest in the 19th century who has had miracles attributed to him. Currently in process for sainthood. * Elias Murr – Lebanese

deputy prime minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

and

defense minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in s ...

George Hawi George Hawi ( ar, جورج حاوي; born 5 November 1938 – 21 June 2005) was a Lebanese politician and former secretary general of the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP). An outspoken critic of Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs, he was kill ...

– former secretary general of the

Lebanese Communist Party The Lebanese Communist Party (LCP), abbr. PCL is a communist party in Lebanon. It was founded in 1924 by the Lebanese intellectual, writer and reporter Yusuf Yazbek and Fu'ad al-Shamali, a tobacco worker from Bikfaya. History Creation The Sy ...

, assassinated June 21, 2005 by a bomb planted under his car * Greg Simon (Saliba) – current president of the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

-based

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

FasterCures, chief domestic policy advisor to former

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...

from 1993 to 1997 *

Michel Murr Michel Murr ( ar, ميشال المرّ, 29 September 1931 – 31 January 2021) was a Lebanese politician and businessman. He served as member of parliament, deputy prime minister and interior minister and was a prominent and powerful lawmaker ...

– former Lebanese

minister of the interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

* Naseeb M. Saliba – co-founder of the

Tutor-Saliba Corporation Tutor Perini Corporation (formerly Perini Corporation) is one of the largest general contractors in the United States. At the end of 2013, it reported annual revenue of approximately $4.2 billion. Tutor Perini is headquartered in Sylmar, Calif ...

, one of the largest construction companies in the United States. Responsible for the construction of LAX, SFO, The Olympic Stadium in Los Angeles, among many others major United States landmarks. * George Elie Nassar El Murr – One of the first Lebanese assented in America.. * George A. Saliba – CTO of multibillion-dollar Quantum Corp. Currently has over 100 patents (published or in process) and is internationally recognized as an industry pioneer and inventor in data storage. * Gabriel Murr – former Lebanese

(July 26, 1948 – October 10, 1949) * Gabriel Elias El Murr - founder of the first radio station in Mount Lebanon and founder/owner of

MTV Lebanon Murr Television, marketed and known as MTV Lebanon, is a Lebanese television station based in Naccache, Metn District. History Founded in 1991 by Gabriel Murr, a Lebanese businessman and politician. MTV was shut down in 2002 as it was found ...

, former deputy and politician.

References

External links

Bteghrine
Localiban
Bteghrine.com

Lebanese Government Portal for Information & Forms - Municipality of Bteghrine

Tutorsaliba.com
{{Matn District Populated places in the Matn District Tourist attractions in Lebanon Eastern Orthodox Christian communities in Lebanon Melkite Christian communities in Lebanon