Qartaba ( ar, قرطبا, also spelled ''Kartaba'' or ''Artaba'') is a mountainous town in the
Byblos District
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'') of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of L ...
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 B ...
,
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 57 kilometers north
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 ...
on the mountains above
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 ...
at an average altitude of 1,250 meters.
Qartaba is surrounded by
olive groves,
apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
orchards, and
vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineya ...
s.
Etymology
![Qartaba 1931](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Qartaba_1931.jpg)
In
Syriac Syriac may refer to:
*Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic
*Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region
* Syriac alphabet
** Syriac (Unicode block)
** Syriac Supplement
* Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
, Qartaba means either a good place (ܟܘܪ ܛܒܐ) or nice chillness (ܩܪܛܒܐ) reflecting its good, curing, and balanced weather. The town is often referred to as
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 ...
' Bride.
History
Qartaba was once considered an important village in the Byblos highland, a trade point for surrounding villages.
[ Silk manufacturing flourished and in 1918, seven factories employed more than 500 people and much of the silk was exported to ]Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.[
]
Archeology
A column carved into the facade of two temples, with statues of members of an elite Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
family was discovered in 1940 in Qartaba, near the Saint Sarkis and Bacchus Monastery. It is estimated that the statues were buried between 120 and 160 CE.
Written under the statues in Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
are the names of the family members: "Abd al-Latus", "Meli", "Cassia" and "Germanus".
Men's clothing reflects the influence of Roman dress, unlike women's clothing, which reflects local tradition.
"Germanus" appears to have been a priest, wearing the flat hat of a Phoenicia
Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...
n priest, with a sprinkler in his hand for religious rituals. Germanus is still a family name present in Qartaba and is also used as a first name, particularly in Mazraat es-Siyad.
As for "Abd al-Latus", he bears the name of a goddess whose honor was associated with the Arabs. And the names "Germanus" and "Cassia" reflect the Roman influence in the area.
The statues are now located in the National Museum of Beirut
The National Museum of Beirut ( ar, متحف بيروت الوطنيّ, ''Matḥaf Bayrūt al-waṭanī'' or French: Musée national de Beyrouth) is the principal museum of archaeology in Lebanon. The collection begun after World War I, and the m ...
.
Demographics
The inhabitants of Qartaba are predominantly Maronite Catholic
The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The current head of the ...
s. As of 2009, the religious make-up of the Qartaba's 6309 voters were roughly 99% Maronite Catholics
The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. Th ...
(6247 voters), 0.8% Melkite Catholics (50 voters) and 0.2% 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 cal ...
(12 voters).
The main families of Qartaba are: Acar
Acar is a type of vegetable pickle of Maritime Southeast Asia, most prevalent in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It is a localised version of Indian '' achar''. It is known as atjar in Dutch cuisine, derived from Indonesian ''acar ...
, Atallah, Beyrouthy, Challita, Gharios, Karam, Khoury, Sakr, Sawaya, Sokhen and Soueid.
Climate
Places Of Worship
There are around 19 places of Christian worship in Qartaba, including churches, monasteries and shrines, such as:
Monasteries
• Saint Sarkis and Bakhos Monastery, built in 1536 when the children of Sheikh Gerges fled from Aqoura to Qartaba, carrying with them the image of the two holy martyrs, Sergius and Bacchus
Sergius (or Serge) and Bacchus were fourth-century Roman Christian soldiers revered as martyrs and military saints by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches. Their feast day is 7 October.
According to their hagiography, S ...
. In cooperation with the townspeople, they built a church in the name of the aforementioned saints, which was exposed to fire and was rebuilt in 1717. In the year 1815, the people of Qartaba, by virtue of a deed, presented the Church with its livelihood and property as an “eternal endowment” to the Lebanese Maronite Order
The Baladites, formally known as the Lebanese Maronite Order (; abbreviated OLM), is a monastic order among the Levant-based, Catholic Maronite Church, which from the beginning has been specifically a monastic Church. The order was founded in 16 ...
, in order to set up a school next to it to “teach children reading, Christian education, guidance, and service of spiritual matters free of charge.” And that was through an agreement with the General Father Ignatius Blebel and with the approval of Bishop Germanos Tabet. The Order agreed, and completed the construction of the school in a short time. And it worked to buy the lands adjacent to it to expand the construction, so that it later became a legal monastery in 1823.
Cathedrals
• Cathedral of Saint Elias
Elias is the Greek equivalent of Elijah ( he, אֵלִיָּהוּ ''ʾĒlīyyāhū''; Syriac: ܐܠܝܐ ''Eliyā''; Arabic: الیاس Ilyās/Elyās), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several h ...
, which was built in the middle of the 16th century and restored in 1556, it was rebuilt twice in 1846 and 1903. Its architecture is according to a basilical plan with three naves and three altars. The cathedral holds many 19th century paintings by Kanan Dib and Daoud Corm
Daoud Corm (1852–1930), David Corm in English, was an influential Lebanese painter and the father of writer, industrialist and philanthropist Charles Corm. He was a teacher and mentor to the young Khalil Gibran as well as Khalil Saleeby and H ...
and is decorated by stained glass windows. The exterior of the cathedral is decorated with a bell tower with a clock.
Churches
• Church of Our Lady of Herezmeny, which was built in 1827 when the Karam family moved from Yanouh
Yanouh ( ar, يانوح) is a village and municipality in the Byblos District of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is located 94 kilometers north of Beirut. Yanouh's inhabitants are predominantly Maronites, Maronite Catholics. Its ave ...
to Qartaba. The family made a deal with the sheikhs of the Hamade family to build a church in the Herezmeny land where stood some Roman ruins. In the late 19th century a vault was added to the main building that ended up with an L shape.
• Church of Saint Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
, which was built in 1898 when Joseph Rafael Jabbour gave the land of Al Malaha to build a church.
• Church of Saint Teddy
Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to:
People Nickname
* Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator
* Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer
* Tedd ...
, which was built in 1607 when the family of the priest Teddy came to Qartaba from Edessa. It was built upon a parcel of land that was donated by the Hamade sheikhs. It is the only church in Lebanon dedicated to Saint Teddy. The church was rebuilt in 1868 and restored in 2004.
• Church of Saint Georges, which was built as a private chapel for the family of Moufarrej Geryes in the late 19th century and was restored in 2022, it is located in Haret El Tahta street.
• Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation
• Church of Saint Challita - Hjarta, built in 1925.
• Church of Sainte Thérèse
• Church of Saint Semaan Semaan (Syriac Aramaic: ܫܡܥܘܢ ''Šemʿōn'' ; , ''Semʻān'') (also spelled Sem'an, Semán, Simaan, Sim'an, Samaan, Samman, Sam'an, Sima'an) is a Christian surname mainly found in the Levant area of the Middle East. It is derived from the Semi ...
Al Aamoudy
• Church of Saint Charbel
Charbel or Sharbel may refer to:
Religion
* Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Charbel in Buenos Aires, named after St. Charbel Makhlouf
* ''Acts of Sharbel'', a Syriac Christian martyrdom text
People Mononym
* Charbel (martyr) (died 107 AD) ...
- Al khalle
• Church of Saint Charbel
Charbel or Sharbel may refer to:
Religion
* Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Charbel in Buenos Aires, named after St. Charbel Makhlouf
* ''Acts of Sharbel'', a Syriac Christian martyrdom text
People Mononym
* Charbel (martyr) (died 107 AD) ...
- Charbineh
• Church of Saint Charbel
Charbel or Sharbel may refer to:
Religion
* Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Charbel in Buenos Aires, named after St. Charbel Makhlouf
* ''Acts of Sharbel'', a Syriac Christian martyrdom text
People Mononym
* Charbel (martyr) (died 107 AD) ...
- Chmis street
• Church of Saint Elias
Elias is the Greek equivalent of Elijah ( he, אֵלִיָּהוּ ''ʾĒlīyyāhū''; Syriac: ܐܠܝܐ ''Eliyā''; Arabic: الیاس Ilyās/Elyās), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several h ...
- Hsayya
• Church of Our Lady of Tenderness
• Church of Sainte Rita
Rita may refer to:
People
* Rita (given name)
* Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984)
* Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962)
* Rita (Japanese singer)
* Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita
Places
* Djarrit, also known as Rita, ...
- Hjarta
Some Shrines may include:
• Shrine of Our Lady of Peace
• Shrine of Saint Challita
• Shrine of Sainte Veronica Giuliani
Veronica Giuliani (also "Veronica de Julianis"; 27 December 1660 – 9 July 1727)
Carnivals
Kartaba Carnival is a traditional and annual event in the town of Qartaba, which is organized by "The Qartaba Touristic and Traditional festivals" committee and is supported by the Municipality of Qartaba. It is attended by political, military, judicial, religious people and social media figures, in addition to presidents of municipalities and personalities of the town and the area of the Jbeil District. The carnival first started in the 1960s, and is still held to this day in the square of the village, with the attendance of people coming from all regions. The townspeople, of all ages, participate and cooperate together to create exhibition boards that combine traditional Lebanese music, art and culture. This event is free of charge. The carnival ends with a musical evening held by Lebanese artists.
Institutions
Some of the most important and active official institutions in Qartaba are:
Educational
• Don Bosco School, the first school established by the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco
, image = Maria Dominika Mazzarello jpg..jpg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = Maria Mazzarello: Founder
, abbreviation = FMA
, founder = Saint Sr. Maria Domenica Mazzarello,
, type ...
in Lebanon.
• El Saydé School, which was a private school run by the Sisters of Ibreen, and then turned into a mixed public high school.
Others
• The municipality of Qartaba which was established in 1894.
• (ABK) "الجمعيّة الخيّرية القرطباويّة", which was established in 1927, and is one of the first charitable societies in Lebanon that still exists, and that practices and supports the Qartabian society in various fields (medical, health, educational, and social).
• Brotherhood of the Heart of Jesus
• Brotherhood of the Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception.
It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...
• Court of First Class
• Center for the internal security forces
• Governmental Hospital
• Civil Defense Center
Notable People
• Dr. Fares Souaid
Dr. Fares Antoun Souaid (Arabic: فارس أنطون سعيد, born 1958, Qartaba) is a Lebanese Maronite politician, former MP and Secretariat General Coordinator of the March 14 Alliance, the movement behind the ending of the Syrian occupatio ...
, politician, former MP and Secretariat General Coordinator of the March 14 Alliance
The March 14 Alliance ( ar, تحالف 14 آذار, taḥāluf 14 adhār}), named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon formed in 2005 that are united by their anti-Syrian stance ...
.
• Nouhad Souaid, former MP.
• Joseph Sakr, singer and stage actor.
• Adel Karam
Adel Karam ( ar, عادل كرم; born 20 August 1972) is a Lebanese actor, comedian and TV presenter.
Career
Karam started his acting career with the comedy show "S.L.CHI" at MTV Lebanon in 1990s, which later became a film, ''S.L.Film'', in 2000 ...
, actor, comedian, and TV presenter.
• Dr. Bechara Khoury, president of Notre Dame University-Louaize.
• Rachel Karam, senior reporter.
• Jean Nakhoul, journalist and executive producer.
• Nadim Cherfan, choreographer and founder of The Mayyas.
References
External links
Kartaba - Byblos' Bride
Populated places in Byblos District
Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon
{{Lebanon-geo-stub