Khenchara (Arabic: الخنشارة) is a village 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 the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
. It is situated in the
Metn
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 ...
district (or
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
, ...
) (
Caza
Caza (), the pseudonym of Philippe Cazaumayou (; born 14 November 1941), is a French comics artist.
Biography
At 18, Cazaumayou started a career in advertising which lasted for ten years, but in 1970 he entered the field of bandes dessinées, ...
). It is located between
Ghabet Bologna (غابة بولونيا),
Bteghrine
Bteghrine ( ar, بتغرين, also spelled Bteghrin and Btighrin) is a municipality in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon.
Etymology
The exact origin of the town name ''Bteghrine'' is unknown, but possibilities inclu ...
(بتغرين) and
Dhour El Choueir - Ain el Sendianeh (ضهور الشوير - عين السنديانة).
The village is 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) north east of Beirut. The altitude of the village ranges from 1070 m to 1200 m.
Covering an area of about 328 hectares (1.26 sq mi), this attractive village is known for its traditional red-roofed brick houses and its skilled stonemasons.
Khenchara and
Jouar are under the same municipality. The estimated population number is 3543.
The most common families installed in the village are : Samaha, Riachy, Kanaan, Kassouf, Kfoury, Korban, Kouzy, Moawad, Henoud, Akl, Maalouf, Bejjeni, Barakat, Aboud and Abou Chawareb. The majority of the population is
Melkites
The term Melkite (), also written Melchite, refers to various Eastern Christian churches of the Byzantine Rite and their members originating in the Middle East. The term comes from the common Central Semitic root ''m-l-k'', meaning "royal", and ...
with some
Maronites
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 largest ...
and
Greek Orthodox Christians
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 ...
.
Khenchara is the home of the Melchite Catholic the Monastery of St. John of Chouweir or Deir et-Tabcheh, founded 1696–97. The oldest of its three churches is dedicated to St. John the Baptist and dates to the 12th century. There is also the 18th century church of Saint Nicolas, with its beautiful iconostatis of wood. In addition to its notable collection of icons and library, the monastery is also known as the site of the Middle East's first Arabic Printing Press, whose original publication appeared in 1734. A five-room museum displays the old presses and some 450 related objects and pieces of equipment. Founder of the press, Abdallah el-Zakher from Aleppo, built the oldest machine between 1726 and 1733.
The weather in Khenchara is pretty pleasant with temperatures varying from 18 to 35 degrees Celsius in summer, 13 to 20 degrees Celsius in autumn. In winter, the weather is cold with the temperatures varying from -7 to 10 degrees Celsius. It snows every winter between 30 and 70 centimeters, but the snow quickly melts.
References
Khinchara - Jouar Localiban
Khencharajwar website(Arabic)
Populated places in the Matn District
Melkite Christian communities in Lebanon
Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon
Eastern Orthodox Christian communities in Lebanon
{{Lebanon-geo-stub