Arnoun

Arnoun
أرنون
City
Map showing the location of Arnoun within Lebanon
Arnoun
Location within Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°20′0″N 35°32′0″E / 33.33333°N 35.53333°E / 33.33333; 35.53333Coordinates: 33°20′0″N 35°32′0″E / 33.33333°N 35.53333°E / 33.33333; 35.53333
Grid position 130/155 L
Country  Lebanon
Governorate Nabatieh Governorate
District Nabatieh District
Elevation 550 m (1,800 ft)
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST)
Dialing code +961

Arnoun (Arabic: ارنون‎, Syriac-Aramaic: ܐܪܢܘܢ) is a majority Lebanese Shia village 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south-east of Nabatiyeh, in Nabatiyeh Governorate, southern Lebanon. The village is located approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the Israeli border. The village is approximately 550 metres (1,800 feet) above sea level,[1] and approximately one kilometre (0.62 miles) from the Beaufort Castle.

The noted academic and commentator Fouad Ajami was born in Arnoun.[2]

History

Arnoun is linked to the nearby Beaufort Castle. The town's name is derived from the Aramaic arnoun, meaning "little top", referring to the highland where the Beaufort Castle stands.[1] The castle itself was referred to as Qal'at Shqif Arnoun (Aramaic: the castle of the high rock on the hill), from which the town took its name.

In 1875 Victor Guérin noted that it contained one hundred "Metualis".[3]

Modern era

After the establishment of the Israeli Security Zone in southern Lebanon in 1985, Arnoun lay just outside its boundaries, although, from its position at the Beaufort Castle, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) effectively controlled the village.

On February 17, 1999, after Israel alleged that attacks on IDF forces were launched from Arnoun, the village was formally incorporated into the Security Zone.[4]

On February 26, 1999, thousands of peaceful Lebanese protesters cut through the recently erected barbed wire, effectively freeing the village.

The IDF left Arnoun on May 24, 2000, when it withdrew from the Security Zone.

Notable residents

  • Fouad Ajami, university professor and writer on Middle Eastern issues

References

Bibliography

  • Guérin, Victor (1880). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). 3: Galilee, pt. 2. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
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