Marjayoun
Encyclopedia
Marjayoun is a Lebanese
town and administrative district, Marjeyoun District
, in the Nabatieh Governorate in Southern Lebanon
. It is located on the west side of the Rift Valley Bank just across from the ancient regional capital, Caesarea Philippi, which was located at the foot of Mt. Hermon on the east side of the Rift Valley. It is not to be confused with the Banias Springs at Caesarea Philippi.
Marjeyoun stands majestically at a hill facing Mount Hermon
to the East, Beaufort Castle
, the 1000-year-old Crusader Castle above the Litani River
and overlooking Mount Amel (Jabal Amel) to the West, the summits of Rihan and Niha and the rest of the Mount Lebanon
range to the North and the fertile plains of Marjeyoun that extend southward into the Galilee plains and the Golan Heights. Marjayoun is home to the historic Cathedral of Saint Peter
.
Christians, as well as Druze
and some Muslims. However the majority is Christian, thus Marjayoun is considered by most as a Christian town; most of the villages in the mountains surrounding it are predominantly Muslim
.
The district of Marjayoun, which covers a greater area than the town, is largely Shi'a Muslim. It recognizes three seats in the Lebanese government, two belonging to Shi'a Muslims and one belonging to Orthodox Christians.
, an Ayyubid army commanded by Saladin
defeated a Crusader
army led by King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
on June 10, 1179. The Christian
king narrowly escaped being captured in the rout.
During the Lebanese civil war
the town was shelled by Palestinian militias.
It also was the headquarters of the South Lebanon Army
, the Israel
-affiliated militia that controlled southern Lebanon during Israel's occupation of the region after the 1982 Lebanon War
until Israel's withdrawal from the region in 2000. It has a population of about 3,000 people.
After cease-fire negotiations stalled on August 10, 2006, Israeli forces took control of Marjayoun.
Next day, a convoy of 3,000 people fled from the town.
The convoy was attacked by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) at Joub Jannine
. The attack on the convoy of approximately 759 vehicles containing Lebanese police, army, civilians, and one Associated Press
journalist is known as the Marjayoun convoy incident.
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...
town and administrative district, Marjeyoun District
Marjeyoun District
The Marjeyoun District is a district in the Nabatieh Governorate of Lebanon. The capital of the district is Marjeyoun.Marjeyoun stands majestically at a hill facing Mount Haramoun to the East, Beaufort 1000 years old Crusader Castle above the Litani River and overlooking Mount Amel to the West,...
, in the Nabatieh Governorate in Southern Lebanon
Southern Lebanon
Southern Lebanon is the geographical area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. These two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s...
. It is located on the west side of the Rift Valley Bank just across from the ancient regional capital, Caesarea Philippi, which was located at the foot of Mt. Hermon on the east side of the Rift Valley. It is not to be confused with the Banias Springs at Caesarea Philippi.
Marjeyoun stands majestically at a hill facing Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon is a mountain cluster in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon and, at 2,814 m above sea level, is the highest point in Syria. On the top there is “Hermon Hotel”, in the buffer zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied...
to the East, Beaufort Castle
Beaufort Castle, Lebanon
Beaufort or Belfort The castle was named "bel fort" or "beau fort" by the Crusaders who occupied the castle in the twelfth century. Its Arabic name Qala'at ash-Shqif means Castle of the High Rock...
, the 1000-year-old Crusader Castle above the Litani River
Litani River
The Litani River is an important water resource in southern Lebanon. The river rises in the fertile Beqaa Valley valley, west of Baalbek, and empties into the Mediterranean Sea north of Tyre. Exceeding 140 km in length, the Litani River is the longest river in Lebanon and provides an average...
and overlooking Mount Amel (Jabal Amel) to the West, the summits of Rihan and Niha and the rest of the Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon , as a geographic designation, is a Lebanese mountain range, averaging above 2,200 meters in height and receiving a substantial amount of precipitation, including snow, which averages around four meters deep. It extends across the whole country along about , parallel to the...
range to the North and the fertile plains of Marjeyoun that extend southward into the Galilee plains and the Golan Heights. Marjayoun is home to the historic Cathedral of Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
.
Demography
The town of Marjayoun has a mixed population - Greek Orthodox, Maronite and CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Christians, as well as Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
and some Muslims. However the majority is Christian, thus Marjayoun is considered by most as a Christian town; most of the villages in the mountains surrounding it are predominantly Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
The district of Marjayoun, which covers a greater area than the town, is largely Shi'a Muslim. It recognizes three seats in the Lebanese government, two belonging to Shi'a Muslims and one belonging to Orthodox Christians.
History
On June 10, 1179, during the Battle of Marj AyyunBattle of Marj Ayyun
In the Battle of Marj Ayyun, alternately Marj Ayyoun, an Ayyubid army commanded by Saladin defeated a Crusader army led by King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem on June 10, 1179. The Christian king, who was crippled by leprosy, narrowly escaped being captured in the rout.-Background:In 1177 Saladin's...
, an Ayyubid army commanded by Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
defeated a Crusader
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
army led by King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
Baldwin IV of Jerusalem , called the Leper or the Leprous, the son of Amalric I of Jerusalem and his first wife, Agnes of Courtenay, was king of Jerusalem from 1174 to 1185. His full sister was Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem and his nephew through this sister was the child-king Baldwin V...
on June 10, 1179. The Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
king narrowly escaped being captured in the rout.
During the Lebanese civil war
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
the town was shelled by Palestinian militias.
It also was the headquarters of the South Lebanon Army
South Lebanon Army
The South Lebanon Army , also "South Lebanese Army," was a Lebanese militia during the Lebanese Civil War. After 1979, the militia operated in southern Lebanon under the authority of Saad Haddad's Government of Free Lebanon...
, the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
-affiliated militia that controlled southern Lebanon during Israel's occupation of the region after the 1982 Lebanon War
1982 Lebanon War
The 1982 Lebanon War , , called Operation Peace for Galilee by Israel, and later known in Israel as the Lebanon War and First Lebanon War, began on 6 June 1982, when the Israel Defense Forces invaded southern Lebanon...
until Israel's withdrawal from the region in 2000. It has a population of about 3,000 people.
After cease-fire negotiations stalled on August 10, 2006, Israeli forces took control of Marjayoun.
Next day, a convoy of 3,000 people fled from the town.
The convoy was attacked by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) at Joub Jannine
Joub Jannine
Joub Jannine is located in the Beqaa Valley valley in Lebanon.Joub Jannine is the center of the Western Beqaa District, hosting the Serail, which is a main governmental building serving the area. Joub Jannine is surrounded by a number of villages...
. The attack on the convoy of approximately 759 vehicles containing Lebanese police, army, civilians, and one Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
journalist is known as the Marjayoun convoy incident.
People from Marjayoun
- Dr. Richard Jabara, 1920–1967, founded several hospitals from Tripoli in Lebanon to Saudi Arabia- Philanthropist.
- James JabaraJames JabaraJames "Jabby" Jabara was the first American jet ace in history. Born in Oklahoma, he lived in Kansas where he enlisted as an aviation cadet at Fort Riley after graduating high school. Jabara attended four flying schools in Texas before he received his pilot's wings and was commissioned as a ...
, an American pilot and hero of the Korean WarKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, was born to a family of Lebanese AmericansLebanese AmericansLebanese Americans are American citizens of Lebanese descent. This includes both those who are native to the United States as well as Lebanese immigrants to America. The vast majority of them are Christians, in particular Maronite Catholic...
originating from Marjayoun.
- Michael E. DeBakeyMichael E. DeBakeyMichael Elias DeBakey was a world-renowned Lebanese-American cardiac surgeon, innovator, scientist, medical educator, and international medical statesman...
, world renowned American surgeon, innovator, medical educator, and international medical statesman was born to a family of Lebanese AmericansLebanese AmericansLebanese Americans are American citizens of Lebanese descent. This includes both those who are native to the United States as well as Lebanese immigrants to America. The vast majority of them are Christians, in particular Maronite Catholic...
originating in Marjayoun.
- Dr. Walid GholmiehWalid GholmiehDr. Walid Georges Gholmieh was the director of the Le Conservatoire libanais national supérieur de musique or The Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music...
who is the director of the Le Conservatoire libanais national supérieur de musiqueConservatoire LibanaisLe Conservatoire libanais national supérieur de musique or The Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music was founded in the 1930s by Wadih Sabra, composer of the national anthem of Lebanon. Sabra's goal was to establish an institute of higher learning for music. The Conservatoire, which is...
was born in Marjeyoun.
- Issam Mahfouz, son of the poet Abdul-Massih Mahfouz, was the author of more than 45 books, and a nationally renowned playwright. He also wrote for renown Lebanese daily Al-Nahar News paper. His most famous books included the plays of Al Dictator and AL-Zinzanakht.
- Brigitte GabrielBrigitte GabrielBrigitte Gabriel is the pseudonym, of a Lebanese American journalist, author, and activist. Gabriel says that Islam keeps countries backward, and that it teaches terrorism...
, although most Marjeyounis do not share her views, a Lebanese American journalist, supposedly born in Marjeyoun, author, and activist.[2][1] Gabriel says that Islam keeps countries backward,[3][4] and that it teaches terrorism.[5][6][7] In order to promote such views, Gabriel founded the American Congress For Truth and ACT! for America so that citizens may "fearlessly speak out in defense of America, Israel and Western civilization."[8]