Morh Kfarsghab ( known also as Morh Kfar Sghab, Murh Kafarsghab or Mrah Kfarseghab; ar, مرح كفرصغاب, pronounced ) is a village located in the

Zgharta District Zgharta District ( ar, زغرتا) is a district (''qadaa'') of the North Governorate, northern Lebanon. Its capital is the city of Zgharta. Geography The administrative center is the city of Zgharta. The district has 101 populated areas with 30 ...

in the North 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 the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. Murh Kfarsghab is the winter dwellings of the people of the mountain village of

Kfarsghab Kfarsghab ( known also as Kfar Sghab, Kafarsghab or Kfarseghab; ar, كفرصغاب, ) is a village located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. It is situated in the Valley of Qadisha, which is considered a holy and spiri ...

. It is a typical organization of

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

and agricultural

Mediterranean 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 e ...

communities where seasonal fixed

transhumance Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower vall ...

is still practised.

Etymology

''Morh'' ( ar, مرح, pronounced ) is derived from the Semitic root ''mrh''. It is one form of ''mrah'' which according to Elie Wardini,

is almost exclusively in Lebanon a spread place name appellation. It signifies stable, hurdle, resting place (for livestock), besides also building in which the silk caterpillar is pulled ''(reeling of cocoons)''…

It gives an indication as to the historical destination of this place during wintertime for the

mountain people Hill people, also referred to as mountain people, is a general term for people who live in the hills and mountains. This includes all rugged land above and all land (including plateaus) above elevation. The climate is generally harsh, with s ...

of Kfarsghab. As cattle breeding was never a main source of income for Kfarsghab, it is possible that Morh Kfarsghab was used in winter for the Mullberry

silkworm The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically imp ...

s which represented a major activity in the region. For the local people, Morh Kfarsghab is called ''sahil'' ( ar, ساحل ) which literally means ''sea coast'' in Arabic.

History

Geography

Morh Kfarsghab, the winter village, is located on the north-western slope of the Joueit valley separating Miziara from

Bnachii Bnashii (also Bnashaai, Bneshaai, Bnechaai, Bnash'i, ar, بنشعي) is a village located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Leban ...

. On average, it sits at 280 meters above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

gives an estimation which is slightly higher (298 meters) than measured average altitude (280 meters). A written document mentioning Morh Kfarsghab is dated to October / November 1748 AD (Thu'l-Qa'dah 1161 Hijri).

Climate

Morh Kfarsghab is a typical

plain settlement. There are four seasons, with winters being mild with moderate to heavy rainfall while summers are hot, arid and dry. The highest average temperature is in August at 86 °F (30 °C) while the lowest average temperature is in January at 46 °F (8 °C). However, summer temperatures can top 104 °F (40 °C), and winter temperatures can drop below 35 °F (2 °C). Total yearly precipitation is in the range of 33 inches (810 mm), with the heaviest occurring from late November to early April. Rainfall is exceptional between mid June and mid September.

Economy

Agriculture

The major issue is scarcity of water. Agricultural activities privileged crops that do not need irrigation, such as

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

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 ago, ...

and

fig 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 ...

. The main culture is however

harvested typically from November to January. In this part of the

, a full crop of olive is only occurring every other year. There are in the village around six olive presses for

olive oil extraction Olive oil extraction is the process of extracting the oil present in olive drupes, known as olive oil. Olive oil is produced in the mesocarp cells, and stored in a particular type of vacuole called a lipo vacuole, i.e., every cell conta ...

, most of them using the traditional first cold pressed method ensuring an excellent oil quality. Green olives and black olives are also produced as well as olive oil soap. There is also in Morh Kfarsghab an important production of

used mainly to produce the national aniseed-flavoured distilled alcoholic drink, the Arak. Grape is harvested in July / August usually. In the recent years,

lost its importance as it needs continuous care during summertime when most of the people are in the summer village, some 25 kilometers away. Finally, there is also a modest culture of

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

trees such as

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

and

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

. For citrus, as it needs irrigation, it is cultivated in the valley of Joueit where water is available, at least during winters. The land owned by the Kfarsghab people extends on a large area in the

Bsharri District Bsharri District is one of the 7 districts (''qadaa, قضاء'') of the North Governorate, Lebanon, North Governorate, Lebanon. Overview and geography Surrounded by mountains, the Bsharri District sits on cliffs. The district is bordered by the Z ...

as well as

Koura District Koura District ( ar, ٱلْكُورَة, from gr, χώρα, lit=country) is a district in the North Governorate, Lebanon. Koura is one of the 26 districts of Lebanon, particularly known for its olive tree cultivation and olive oil production ...

. Land was acquired mostly at the beginning of the 20th century thanks to the funds sent by emigrants.An article on Kfarsghab land owning by the Lebanese newspaper Daily Star dated of 10 June 2004 by Adnan Al Ghoul
Kfar Sghab: Village stays close to its expatriate sons and daughters - Residents are so close-knit they don't sell land to strangers
last retrieved on August 4, 2008. The revenues derived from agriculture would have been comfortable if, since the Seventies, the agriculture in Kfarsghab was not plagued by several problems. The main difficulties faced by agriculture are the lack of manpower due to emigration, the unfair competition of foreign products at lower dumped prices especially for olive oil, apple diseases and parasites, the weakness of the Lebanese pound increasing the prices of fertilizers and pesticides, the closing of some important foreign outlets for Lebanese products like

Irak Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

, the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

.Countrystudies - U.S. Library of Congress
last accessed on August 6, 2008.

Notes

External links

*
kfarsghab.net, useful information
*
The Australian Kfarsghabian community website
*
The American Kfarsghabian community websiteEhden Family Tree
{{Zgharta District Populated places in the North Governorate Zgharta District