Al Qoubaiyat, Koubeiyat, Kobayat or Qoubayat ( ar, ٱلْقُبَيَّات) is the biggest

Christian 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'' (Χρι ...

village in the

Akkar Governorate french: Gouvernorat de l'Akkar , settlement_type = Governorate , image_skyline = Berkayl.jpg , image_caption = Berkayel, Akkar Governorate , image_flag = , image_seal = , image_shield ...

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 ...

. Its population is mostly composed of

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 ...

numbering around 12,000 persons according to the civil state registers. It is usually full with people during summer but a few stay during the winter. The village's mountainous terrain and snowy winters harbour many leisure activities including hiking, camping, mountain biking, offroading and sightseeing. During the winter, many locals and tourists head towards its high peaks for skiing.

Etymology

The origin of the name "Al Qoubaiyat" is Aramaic. The word "Qbayya" means the big pool of water, and "Qbayyat" is the plural of it. That region was called "Qbayyat" for being rich in water sources.

Geography

Al Qoubaiyat is located at the northeast of the Lebanese republic. to the North of the Lebanese 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 ...

. It covers around 70 sqm. It is bordered at the west by Akkar al-Atika and

Bireh Al-Bireh, al-Birah, or el-Bira ( ar, البيرة; also known historically as Castrum Mahomeria, Magna Mahomeria, Mahomeria Major, Birra, or Beirothah) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, north of Jerusalem. It i ...

, at the East by

Hermel Hermel ( ar, الهرمل) is a town in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon. It is the capital of Hermel District. Hermel is home to a Lebanese Red Cross First Aid Center. Hermel's inhabitants are predominantly Shia Muslims. There is an ancient ...

, and the north by

Andaket Andaket, Aandqet, ( ar, عندقت) is a Maronite Christian village in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon. History In 1838, Eli Smith noted Andakid'' as a Maronite The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnorel ...

and Aydamoun.

History

During the 17th century the name of Al Qoubaiyat began to appear in the documents of the legislative court in

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

as being the biggest village in Akkar paying the taxes of engagement. It was known as the "fertile valley" throughout its history; it has been a center of attraction for people desiring stability based on agriculture, and accordingly, civilization took shape. In 1838,

Eli Smith Eli Smith (born September 13, 1801, in Northford, Connecticut, to Eli and Polly (Whitney) Smith, and died January 11, 1857, in Beirut, Lebanon) was an American Protestant missionary and scholar. He graduated from Yale College in 1821 and from Andov ...

noted el-Kubeiyat'' as 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 ...

village, located east of

esh-Sheikh Muhammed Cheikh Mohammad ( ar, الشيخ محمد) is a village situated in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon. Situated 400 metres above sea level, in between two mountains, it overlooks the Akkar plains and sea. It is made up of approximately 450 houses, with ...

.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p
185
/ref> One of the French delegates in Lebanon "Ducousso" depicted it in 1912 by the taking after words: "These valleys are interesting by their shocking richness". Usually how Qoubaiyat has been for a long time the home of a few people groups. Its ruins are the witness of its local individuals, with cemeteries from the age of press and copper dating back to 3000 a long time BC It is located on the silk road, between East and West Asia through the Mediterranean, towards Rome, the capital of the ancient world. There is a Phoenician and pagan altar in front of St. Chahlo church. Phoenician, Greek and Roman pieces of currency were found at Saydet al Ghassalet church and St. Chahlo, in addition to Roman tombs spread across the town, as well as two notable Roman ruins that are all witnesses of the great prosperity in the Roman age during the first centuries of Christianity: The first was the temple of the God Ban, in the Helsban Valley, which its ruins were rebuilt into a monastery under the name of St. Artimos-Challita. The second ruin is located to the south-west, currently known as Saint Georges chapel, which witnessed the events of the

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

duel in the Middle East. A third witness, is the convent of Mar Doumit of the Carmelite Fathers on the hill; considerable thanks to its vast place, to its subsisting bases and to the found jars.

Economy and services

Educational Institutions: Public A kindergarten, an elementary and intermediate, a high school, a teachers college and a public training school which is still under construction. Private A kindergarten, an elementary and intermediate school for the Carmelite Fathers (Ecole Mar Doumit des Pères Carmes), a kindergarten and an elementary school for the Sisters of Charity (ND Paix), a private training school and a nursery school belonging to the hospital of Sayidat Al Salam of the antonine Maronite sisters. Civil Institutions: An agricultural cooperative, three groups of the Scouts Of Lebanon, two groups of the Guides Of Lebanon, an environment council, Caritas center and a public library established by the municipality. Private medical institutions: The hospital of Sayidat Al Salam, for the Sisters of Saint Anthony, the dispensary of Malta's knights, many Pharmacies and various clinics specialized in all medical fields. Agriculture: The cultivation of mulberry was prosperous in Kobayat. But it disappeared and the mulberry was replaced by fruitful trees (vine, apple, pear, cherry and especially olive trees.). Then appeared the cultivation of tobacco, vegetables and grains. There are also several poultry farms, few flocks of sheep and goats and some fisheries.

References

Bibliography

External links

Kobayat News section in Sada Akkar, a local online news agency
* http://www.kobayat.org/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Qoubaiyat Populated places in Akkar District Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon