Byblos District ( ar, قضاء جبيل; transliteration: ''Qadaa' Jbeil''), also called the Jbeil District (''Jbeil'' is Lebanese Arabic for "Byblos"; standard Arabic ''Jubail''), is a district (''

qadaa A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough') * bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза * el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also () * lad, kaza , ...

'') of the

Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate Keserwan-Jbeil ( ar, كسروان - جبيل) is the most recently created governorate of Lebanon. It consists of the districts of Jbeil and Keserwan. Keserwan-Jbeil covers an area of and is bounded by the North Governorate to the north, the Baa ...

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 ...

. It is located to the northeast of Lebanon's capital

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. The capital is

Byblos Byblos ( ; gr, Βύβλος), also known as Jbeil or Jubayl ( ar, جُبَيْل, Jubayl, locally ; phn, 𐤂𐤁𐤋, , probably ), is a city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is believed to have been first occupied between 8 ...

. The rivers of al-Madfoun and Nahr Ibrahim form the district's natural northern and southern borders respectively, with the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

bordering it from the west and

Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon ( ar, جَبَل لُبْنَان, ''jabal lubnān'', ; syr, ܛܘܪ ܠܒ݂ܢܢ, ', , ''ṭūr lewnōn'' french: Mont Liban) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It averages above in elevation, with its peak at . Geography The Mount Le ...

from the east, separating it from the adjacent district of

Baalbek Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In Greek and Roman ...

in the

Beqaa Valley The Beqaa Valley ( ar, links=no, وادي البقاع, ', Lebanese ), also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ, and Becaa and known in classical antiquity as Coele-Syria, is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon. It is Lebanon's most important ...

Demographics

The district's population is predominantly Maronite Catholic, followed by a

Shia Muslim Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...

minority community. The largest towns of the district are predominantly inhabited by Maronites; they are

, Qartaba, Aqoura and Amsheet. Most Shia Muslims live in the valley of the Ibrahim River, particularly in the villages of Almat,

Ras Osta Ras Osta ( ar, راس اسطا, also spelled ''Ras Usta'') is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is 55 kilometers north of Beirut. Ras Osta has an average elevation of 900 meters above sea level and ...

, Hjoula, Bichtlida, Lassa, and

Mazraat es-Siyad Mazraat es-Siyad (also transliterated ''Mazraet es-Siyed''; ar, مزرعة السياد ) is a mountainous village in the highlands of the Byblos District in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. The town is away from Beirut, and stands ...

. A

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 call ...

minority forms part of the population and is spread among several villages know locally as ''qornet el-roum'' (the corner of the Greek Orthodox). The villages that make up ''qournet el-roum'' are

Mounsef Mounsef ( ar, المنصف, also spelled ''al-Mounsif'') is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It located off the Mediterranean coast and is 47 kilometers north of Beirut. Mounsef has an average elevation ...

Jeddayel Jeddayel ( ar, جدايل; also spelled ''Geddayel'' or ''Jadayel'') is a town in the Byblos District of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is located 4 km north of Byblos. Its inhabitants are predominantly Greek Orthodox and Maronite ...

, Helwe, Berbara, Gharzouz, Rihanneh and Chikhane. Byblos District has three seats allocated to it in the Lebanese Parliament. Two of these seats are allocated to Maronite Catholics, while the other seat is allocated to Shia Muslims. As of 2009, the religious make-up of the Byblos District's 75,584 voters were roughly 80% Maronite Catholic, 5% Shia Muslim and 5%

Landmarks and sights

The Byblos District rises from 0 to 2,300 meters above sea level in the north. "Jabal el-Mnaitra" is also in the district, and said to have an altitude of 2,911/2,807 meters above sea level, but this isn't confirmed. Moreover, The District hosts a number of significant sites. The capital

is an important historical and archaeological site boasting Phoenician, Roman, and Crusader ruins. The mountain village of Aannaya hosts the Saint Maroun-Aannaya monastery and the Catholic shrine of Saint Charbel (1828-1898), the first Lebanese saint (officially canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1977), both significant religious Maronite Christian holy sites. The village of Laqlouq, which has an altitude of 1,750 meters to 2,000 meters, is a ski resort. The village of

Afqa Afqa ( ar, افقا; also spelled ''Afka'') is a village and municipality located in the Byblos District of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, northeast of Beirut in Lebanon. It has an average elevation of 1,200 meters above sea level and a total l ...

contains the Afqa grotto, which is the source of the Nahr Ibrahim, also known as the Adonis River. The village of Bentaël (also spelled Bintaael) contains the first

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in Lebanon, established in 1981. The village of Jaj hosts surviving cedar trees from the ancient cedar forests from which cedar wood was exported to Egypt and later to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. The village Chikhane is considered the birthplace of the first Russian school in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, believed to have been established during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The village of Hjoula is among the very rare villages in Lebanon to contain fossilized sea animals in it, along the village of Haqel. Byblos District also has a notable beach life with many public and private resorts existing along the seaside.

Towns and villages

* Aabaydat * Almat el-Chmaliyeh * Almat el-Jnoubiyeh * Amsheet * Annaya * Aqoura * Adonis *

* Ain ed-Delbeh *

Ain el-Ghouaybeh Ain el-Ghoubayeh ( ar, عين الغويبة, also spelled ''Ayn al-Ghubayah'') is a mountainous village in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is 82 kilometers north of Beirut. Ain el-Ghoubayeh has an average elevation ...

* Ain Jrain * Ain Kfaa * Bazyoun * Bchilleh * Beer el-Hit * Behdidat *

Bejjeh Bejjeh ( ar, بجه), is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is 54 kilometers north of Beirut. Bejjeh has an average elevation of 560 meters above sea level and a total land area of 502 hectares. There ...

* Bekhaaz * Berbara *

Beithabbak Beithabbak ( ar, بيت حباق) is a small village in the district of Byblos in Lebanon. It is located on a small hill, northwest from Byblos at an altitude of , just above Amsheet and Gharfine and before Abeidat. History The family's pr ...

* Bichtlida * Bentaël * Birket Hjoula * Blat * Boulhos * Brayj *

* Chatine * Chikhane * Chmout * Edde * Ehmej *

Fatreh Fatreh ( ar, فتري, also spelled ''Fatry'') is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is 45 kilometers north of Beirut. Fatreh has an average elevation of 500 meters above sea level and a total land a ...

* Ferhet * Fghal * Fidar * Ghabat * Ghalboun * Gharzouz * Ghorfine * Habil * Halat * Haqel * Hay el-Arabeh *

Hbaline Hbaline is a small village in Byblos-Lebanon located 44 km north of Beirut and at an altitude of 540 meters, just above Amsheet and Gherfine and before BeitHabbak. Hbaline is located on a small hill. Its eastern side overlooks the Medi ...

* Hboub * Hdayneh * Hjoula *

Hosrayel Hosrayel ( ar, حصرايل, also spelled ''Hisrail'' or ''Hasrayel'') is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is 44 kilometers north of Beirut. Hosrayel has an average elevation of 220 meters above sea ...

Hsarat Hsarat ( ar, حصارات) (also spelled ''Hisarat'', ''Hasrat'', ''Hsarate'', ''Ḩaşrāt'', ''Hsârâte'', ''Hsarale'' or ''Ḩişārāt'') is a village in the Byblos District of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. Its inhabitants are pre ...

Hsoun Hsoun ( ar, الحصون, also spelled ''el-Houssoun'') is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is 73 kilometers north of Beirut. Bejjeh has an average elevation of 916 meters above sea level and a tota ...

* Jaj * Janneh *

* Jenjol * Jlisseh * Jouret El Qattine * Kafr *

Kfar Baal Kfar Baal ( ar, كفر بعال), also known as Annaya ( ar, عنَايا) is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is 55 kilometers north of Beirut. Kfar Baal has an average elevation of 920 meters abov ...

Kfar Hitta Kfar Hitta ( ar, كفر حتى) is a village located in the Byblos District in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate in Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republi ...

Kfar Kiddeh Kfar Kidde ( ar, كفر كدّه) is a town in Northern Lebanon, roughly 51 km North of Beirut. It is in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, located along the Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to t ...

* Kfar Masshoun * Kfar Qouas * Kfoun * Laqlouq * Lassa * Lehfed * Maad * Majdel * Marj * Mastita * Mayfouq * Mazarib *

Mechane A mechane (; el, μηχανή, ''mēkhanḗ'') or machine was a crane used in Greek theatre, especially in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Made of wooden beams and pulley systems, the device was used to lift an actor into the air, usually represen ...

Mghayreh Mghayreh ( ar, مغيره,المغيري also spelled ''Mughayri'') is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is 82 kilometers north of Beirut. Mghayreh has an average elevation of 1,300 meters above sea ...

Mish Mish Mish Mish (), also spelled Michmich, is a village located in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon. Mish Mish is situated 1100 metres above sea level in the mountainous terrain of the north. The closest major city to the village is Tripoli 45 km to the ...

* Nahr Ibrahim * Qahmez * Qartaba * Qartaboun * Qorqraiya * Ram * Ramout *

* Rihaneh * Seraaita * Souaneh *

Tartej Tartej ( ar, ترتج) is a village in the Byblos District of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. Its average elevation is 1,100 meters. Qornet Ain el-Deb is the highest peak in the mountain (1,859 meters), peak Ain al-Marbout (1 ...

* Tourzaiya * Yanouh * Zebdine

References

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