Sahel Alma ( ar, ساحل علما) is a village located in the

Keserwan District Keserwan District ( ar, قضاء كسروان, transliteration: ''Qaḍā' Kisrawān'') is a district ('' qadaa'') in Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon, to the northeast of Lebanon's capital Beirut. The capital, Jounieh, is overwhelmingly Maro ...

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

, it constitutes along with three other villages (Sarba, Haret Sakher and Ghadir) the area known as Jounieh. Sahel Alma is situated between the coast of Jounieh bay and the mountain of Harissa. It is one of the few villages on the Lebanese coast that still offers oId Lebanese houses, landscapes as well as traditions and family/neighbors relationships. The village is a known destination for hiking along the "Darb el Sama" trail that leads to

Our Lady of Lebanon ar, سيدة لبنان , native_name_lang = , image = Ladylebanon.JPG , image_upright = , alt = , caption = Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon , map_type = , map_s ...

sanctuary.

Etymology

Sahel Alma consists of two words in Arabic that mean, Sahel: Coast ساحل and Alma: On the water علماء. Some people also explain that Alma means العلماء - the scientists who used to visit the village to find fish fossils.

Nature

Sahel Alma is famous for lemon fruit and its gardens are filled with lemon trees. Greengage, loquat and plums are also typically found there. During spring the scent of orange blossom is noticeable and orange blossom water as well as rose water are traditionally produced by the villagers. The water coming from the spring above the village (نبع رأس ألماء) irrigates all the planted terraces through canals that cater all the houses.

Religion

The village has 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 ...

population following two parishes (St Nohra and St Doumit) under the Maronite diocese of Jounieh. The parish of St Nohra holds masses in the main church of St Nohra, and occasionally in the monastery of St Georges and the monastery of Baklouch. Populated places in Keserwan District {{lebanon-geo-stub