Amsheet
Encyclopedia
Amsheet is a predominantly Maronite
Maronite Church
The Syriac Maronite Church of Antioch is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome . It traces its heritage back to the community founded by Maron, a 4th-century Syriac monk venerated as a saint. The first Maronite Patriarch, John Maron, was elected in the late 7th...

 seaside town in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 about 40 km north of Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...

.

There are many old churches in Amsheet (more than a hundred and some old synagogues)

Demography

Amsheet's population is around 25,000. The majority of the inhabitants are Maronite Christians with a small Shi'a minority.

Economy

Amsheet is known for its baskets and mats woven from palm leaves. Olive and citrus fruits are the main agricultural products of the town.

Landmarks

The house of Zakhia family where Ernest Renan
Ernest Renan
Ernest Renan was a French expert of Middle East ancient languages and civilizations, philosopher and writer, devoted to his native province of Brittany...

 stayed, the French philosopher who lived in Amsheet for a long period in the 19th century, can be visited, аs can the tomb of his sister who was buried at St. Marie Church in the Zakhia family Cemetery.

The Church of Saint George was built on an ancient temple and the altar has both Greek and Arabic inscriptions.
The adjoining churches of Saint Sophie and Saint Stephen retain their ancient vaulted porches and wall paintings. The churches were built on the remains of a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 temple.

The Church of Saint Nicholas (Mar Zakhia) has medieval wall paintings and was built in the Vth century.

Tourism

The town is home to Lebanon's only organized coastal campsite, "Camping Les Colombes", a place with a history since it's beginning in the 50's.
Amchit is also known for its delicious seafood restaurants located on all the coast. The most popular ones are "Chez Zakhia", "Mhanna Sur Mer","Le Cap".

Famous people from Amsheet

  • Michel Sleiman - President of the Lebanese Republic
  • Charbel Rouhana
    Charbel Rouhana
    Charbel Rouhana is a Syriac oud player in Lebanon. Born in 1965 in Amsheet , Charbel pursued his music education at the Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik and obtained his diploma in oud instrumentation in 1986 and his M.A...

     - singer, composer
  • Marcel Khalife
    Marcel Khalife
    Marcel Khalife is a Lebanese composer, singer and oud player. From 1970 to 1975, he taught at the conservatory in Beirut. In 1976, he created Al Mayadeen Ensemble and became famous all over the world for songs like Ummi , Rita w'al-Bunduqiya and Jawaz al-Safar , based on Mahmoud Darwish's...

     - singer, composer
  • Aline Lahoud
    Aline Lahoud
    Aline Lahoud is a Lebanese singer, and the daughter of well-known singer Salwa Al Katrib and producer Nahi Lahoud. She was selected to sing for Lebanon at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kiev, where the nation had been due to make its debut in the competition...

     - singer and actress
  • Elsa Zgheib
    Elsa Zgheib
    Elsa Zgheib is a Lebanese actress, born in Amsheet, Lebanon, February 1, 1981.-Early Life and Career Beginning:Elsa studied and graduated high school at Saint Coeur Jbeil in 1998, and then studied theater in the Lebanese University and graduated in 2002....

     - Actress
  • Salwa Al Katrib
    Salwa Al Katrib
    Salwa Al Katrib or Salwa Al Qatrib, Salwa Katrib , was a Lebanese singer best known for her roles in Emerald Princess and Mountain Girl . She was the wife of Nahi Lahoud and the mother of aspiring Lebanese actress and singer Aline Lahoud...

     - stage actress and singer
  • Romeo Lahoud - Artist
  • Papou Lahoud - Stylist
  • Paul Sleiman - Actor
  • Marwan Khoury
    Marwan Khoury
    Marwan Khoury is a Lebanese singer, writer, composer and music arranger. His compositions are performed by some of the most famous artists in the Arab World and adapted by many other countries including Turkey...

     - Singer and composer
  • Mona Yazbeck - Artist and Architect
  • Joseph Khalifeh - Music Composer
  • Victor Khoury - Former Army General
  • Pierre Karam
    Pierre Karam
    Pierre Karam is a Lebanese sculptor, born in Amchit in 1963.Pierre Karam has organized and taken part of several national and International sculpture symposium. the latest was the International sculpture symposium organized by him, which took place in the Lebanese town Amsheet.Pierre Karam has...

     - Sculptor and artist
  • Nazem El Khoury - Former member of parliament
  • Bassam Lahoud - Photographer/instructor
  • Walid El Khoury - Member of Parliament
  • Rida Khoury - Actress

Main families from Amchit

Yazbeck, Wehbe, Karam, Lahoud, Khoury, Sleiman, El Hayeck, Zakaria, Abboud ,Zgheib
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