Bhamdoun

Bhamdoun
بحمدون
Bhamdoun
Bhamdoun
Location in Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°48′35″N 35°39′19″E / 33.80972°N 35.65528°E / 33.80972; 35.65528Coordinates: 33°48′35″N 35°39′19″E / 33.80972°N 35.65528°E / 33.80972; 35.65528
Country  Lebanon
Governorate Mount Lebanon Governorate
District Aley District
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) +3

Bhamdoun (Arabic: بحمدون‎), is a town in Lebanon 23 kilometers (14 mi) from Beirut on the main road that leads to Damascus and in the suburbs of the main tourist city of Aley, lying at an altitude of 1,150 meters (3,770 ft) above the Lamartine valley. Two separate villages compose the town, Bhamdoun-el-mhatta (literally meaning "Bhamdoun the station") and Bhamdoun-el-day'aa ("Bhmadoun the village"). A railroad used to link Bhamdoun to Beirut with the train station being a prominent feature of the town for many years. The station and railroad were eventually abandoned when cars became more popular. The population is mostly Orthodox Christian.

Before the Lebanese civil war, Bhamdoun was one of Lebanon's most renowned and favorite summer resorts. Today, the town has regained some of its past tourism industry as most of its hotels, restaurants and entertainment centers have been renovated or rebuilt. Tourists, especially from Kuwait and the Persian Gulf region spend their summer vacation in Bhamdoun. Kuwaiti citizens own more than 30% of the properties in Bhamdoun Station since the 50's. A branch of Kuwait airways and the National bank of kuwait reopened in 2001.

Bhamdoun has seven churches, two mosques built by Kuwaitis, and the Bhamdoun synagogue. There are four Greek Orthodox churches, three Maronite, and one Protestant but was not reconstructed after the war.

The Bhamdoun synagogue, built in 1910,[1] was one of three grand synagogues in Lebanon. It was abandoned shortly before the civil war, but the shell of the structure still stands .

In 2000, a winery called Chateau Belle-Vue began planting vines, creating few jobs in the village. It began producing wine in 2003. The "Renaissance 2003" blend that it produced won the International Spirits and Wine Competition's Gold Medal Best in Class award in 2005[2]. The town also contains the Safir Hotel, Four Points Hotel by Sheraton, Carlton Hotel, Alsheikh Hotel and many others.

Notable Families

Families who have roots in Bhamdoun are:

  • Abdel Nour
  • Haddad (Also spelled Al Haddad)
  • Khairallah (also Kyrala and Kheirallah or Khayrallah)
  • Abou Rjeili (also spelled Bou Rjayle)
  • Abou Khaled
  • Haber (also spelled El Haber, Habre)
  • Jabbour
  • Nehme
  • Matta
  • Moujaes (also spelled Majaess)
  • Salibi (also spelled Saliby or Al Salibi; see Kamal Salibi)
  • Tabet
  • Bou Mansour
  • Nasrallah
  • Khalil Raad (also spelled Cahlil...Palestine's first Arab photographer)

References

  1. ↑ Parfitt, Tudor, Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish relations, Page 89, St. Martin's Press 2000
  2. ↑ http://www.chateaubelle-vue.com
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