Chtaura ( ar, شتورا) is a town in

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 ...

in the fertile Beqaa valley located between the Mount Lebanon and Syria. It is located halfway on the

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 ...

- Damascus highway. It is located from Beirut. Chtaura is the valley's hub for banking, transportation, and commerce, with many hotels and restaurants on the main road. From Chtaura, travelers can depart for

Zahlé Zahlé ( ar, زَحْلة) is the capital and the largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 150,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Lebanon after Beirut and Tripoli and the fourth largest taking the whole urban area ...

, Baalbek, or Damascus.

History

On January 29, 1983, the Israeli-run

Front for the Liberation of Lebanon from Foreigners The Front for the Liberation of Lebanon from Foreigners (FLLF) ( ar, جبهة تحرير لبنان من الغرباء, ), or (FLLE) in French language, French, was a formerly obscure underground militant organization that surfaced in Lebanon at ...

detonated a car bomb close to the Fatah HQ at Chtaura (also named Shtura), and another in West Beirut, close to the HQ of the left-wing

Mourabitoun The Independent Nasserite Movement – INM ( ar-at, حركة الناصريين المستقلين-المرابطون, translit=Harakat al-Nasiriyin al-Mustaqillin) or simply Al-Murabitoun ( lit. ''The Steadfast''), also termed variously Mouveme ...

. Some sixty people were killed and hundreds wounded. For almost 30 years, during the civil war, the Syrian Army’s military headquarters for the Beqaa Valley was in Chtaura. On 24 November 1989, following the assassination of President

René Moawad René Moawad ( ar, رينيه معوض; 17 April 1925 in Zgharta – 22 November 1989 in Beirut) was a Lebanese politician who served as the 9th President of Lebanon. He served for 18 days, from 5 to 22 November 1989, before his assassination by ...

, his successor,

Elias Hrawi Elias Hrawi ( ar, الياس الهراوي, 4 September 1926 – 7 July 2006) was president of Lebanon, whose term of office ran from 1989 to 1998. Early life and education Hrawi was born in Hawch Al Umara, Zahlé, to a wealthy landowning Maro ...

, was elected by a hastily gathered assembly of 53 MPs in the Chtaura’s Park Hotel.Middle East International No 364, 1 December 1989, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP;

Jim Muir Jim Muir (born 3 June 1948) is a British journalist, currently serving as a Middle East correspondent for BBC News, based in Beirut, Lebanon. Education Muir is of Scottish heritage, but was born in Farnborough, Hampshire in England in 1948, an ...

pp.3-5

Climate

The area east of Lebanon is known for its dryness. It rarely rains in Chtaura in the summer, and there is a lack of humidity. The summers are warm, with temperatures reaching 36 degrees Celsius. In winter there are an average of 3-4 snowstorms yearly.

Population

Chtaura's population has steadily grown since its founding. A century ago, Chtaura had less than two- thousand inhabitants and 70 houses. In the early 20th Century the Ottomans developed Chtaura to be the cultural Hub of the Beqaa Valley due to its strategic location, and the population jumped to about 10,000-15,000 people. The population continued to grow throughout the twentieth century, and today the town is home to about 60–80,000 Lebanese.

References

External links

Chtaura
Localiban Populated places in Zahlé District {{lebanon-geo-stub