Al-Qaouzah

Al-Qaouzah
القوزح
Municipality
Map showing the location of Al-Qaouzah within Lebanon
Map showing the location of Al-Qaouzah within Lebanon
Al-Qaouzah
Location within Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°07′17″N 35°20′22″E / 33.12139°N 35.33944°E / 33.12139; 35.33944
Grid position181/280 PAL
Country Lebanon
GovernorateNabatieh Governorate
DistrictBint Jbeil District
Highest elevation
800 m (2,600 ft)
Lowest elevation
700 m (2,300 ft)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Dialing code+961

Al-Qaouzah (also spelled Al-Qawzah, Arabic: القوزح)[1] is a municipality located in the Caza of Bint Jbeil in the Nabatiye Governorate in Lebanon.

Geography

Al-Qaouzah occupies a hill with elevation ranging from 700 to 800 meters above sea level. It is located 110 km south of Beirut.[2]

Vegetation

The main agricultural products of Al-Qaouzah are olive, carob and tobacco. Al-Qaouzah is celebrated for the quality of its thyme and za'atar production.[3]

The Saint Joseph forest stretches from the village to the border.[4]

History

Late 19th Century

In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it: "A small village, containing about 100 Christians, with a small Christian chapel situated on a hill-top, with figs, olives, and arable land; a few cisterns for the water supply.”[5]

20th Century

The Saint Joseph church was built in 1927.[6]

21st Century

In July 2006, Al-Qaouzah, like other villages that string Lebanon's southern border, such as Ain Ebel, Debel, Rmaish, and Yaroun, was caught in the 2006 Lebanon War of Hezbollah and the Israeli army.[7]

In 2019, a monkey owned by Sister Beatrice Mauger, who runs a peace project in the village, breached the border with Israel, and after a week on the loose and media frenzy, was returned to its owner by United Nations peacekeepers.[8]

Al-Qaouzah, like other villages along the border, was caught in the crossfire during the 2023 Israel–Lebanon border conflict.[9][10]

Demographics

In 2014 Christians made up 97.59% of registered voters in Al-Qaouzah. 92.03% of the voters were Maronite Catholics. The Christian population is mostly Maronite.[11]

References

  1. ^ ”The height or top”, according to Palmer 1881, p. 87
  2. ^ Germany, Yara (22 July 2022). "Qaouzah, un village qui fleure bon le thym". L'Orient Le Jour. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Germany, Yara (22 July 2022). "Qaouzah, un village qui fleure bon le thym". L'Orient Le Jour. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  4. ^ Pavec, Priscille (15 June 2018). "Au Liban-Sud, « sur un foyer de guerre, construire un foyer de paix »". L'Orient Le Jour. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  5. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 202
  6. ^ "Seize jours dans une cave pendant la guerre: le récit d'un couple libanais". La Libre. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  7. ^ USATODAY.com - Archbishop tells church to stay in Lebanon: 'You'll make it'
  8. ^ "Tachtouch returns to Lebanon after monkeying around in Israel". The Times of Israel. AFP. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Hezbollah's threats to Israel harm Christian Lebanese villages analysis". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  10. ^ "Israeli strike kills Lebanese soldier — Lebanese army". The Jordan Times. AFP. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  11. ^ https://lub-anan.com/المحافظات/النبطية/بنت-جبيل/القوزح/المذاهب/

Bibliography