Jabal Amel
Encyclopedia
Jabal Amel or Amil is a mountainous region of Southern Lebanon
.
The region is named after the Banu 'Amilah
, a Yemenite tribe who, along with the kindred tribes of Hamadan, Lakhm, and Judham, settled in Syria, Palestine, parts of Jordan, and Lebanon. The area was known in ancient times as Jabal 'Amilah, and later as Jabal 'Amil (Jabal Amel). A legendary story has it that the tribe of Banu 'Amilah migrated from Yemen to the Levant in pre-Islamic times because of a flood caused by the destruction of the Ma'arib Dam
.
Jabal 'Amel is synonymous with the northern part of Galilee
(Arabic: al-Jalil) and historically has been used to denote the homeland of Shi'a Muslims in Southern Lebanon. It also includes the Shi'a Muslim communities between Sidon and Beirut such as Joun, Wardanieh, Rmaileh, Sibleen, , Qmatieh, and Kaifun. Furthermore, places in the western Bekaa valley such as Yohmor, Sohmor, Maidoun, Zillaya, Libbaya, Mazraat Dallafeh, Ain al-Tineh, Qillaya, and Mashghara are also usually included under the designation "Jabal Amel." The reason for this overlap is the fact that the historic region of Jabal 'Amel does not exactly correspond to the current region of Southern Lebanon, in administrative terms. It is said to have been an area of Shi'ite Muslim religious persuasion since the 7th century AD, when the Abi Dharr Al Ghafari, a close companion of the Prophet Mohammed and Ali Bin Abi Talib, settled there and spread the word of that faith. He died and was buried there in the coastal town of Sarafand (biblical Serepta), and has two shrines to his name, one in Sarafand and the other in the mountain village of Mays Al Jabal.
Besides Shi'a Muslims, other religious groups include: Sunni Muslims (Sidon, Ain al-Meir, Yarine, Marwahine, Kfar Hamam, Kfar), Druze (Hasbaya area), Jews
(Marjeyoun, Bint Jbeil
, Sidon
, Tyre
, Hasbaya area), Maronite and Greek Catholics (Marjeyoun, Aishieh, Jezzine, Bkassine, Kfar Falous, Maghdouché
, Mieh ou Mieh, Ain Ebel
, Debel
, Rmaich
, Qaouzah
, and Alma Chaab) Greek Catholic Christians (Deir Mimas
, Ibel el Saqui, Kfaroueh, Marjeyoun, Markaba, Qlaia and Jezzine), Greek Orthodox Christians (Marjayoun
, Deir Mimas
, Rachaya Al Foukhar
and Hasbaya
areas), and Alawites (Ghajar village). The towns of Baraachit, Khiam, Tebnine
, Safad El Batikh, and Yaroun
have a mixed population of Shi'a and Christians. The predominantly Shi'a town of Nabatieh also has a substantial Christian quarter and known for its annual reenactment of the Karbala tragedy during the Ashoura Holiday.
Furthermore, Shi'a scholars from Jabal Amel have always had a strong intellectual presence in the religious seminaries of Iraq, Iran, and Egypt.
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...
.
The region is named after the Banu 'Amilah
Banu Amela
The Banu Amela a South Arabian tribe that migrated from the towns of Bardoun, Yarim, Mayrayama and Jibla in the central highlands and the Raimah region in Yemen ....
, a Yemenite tribe who, along with the kindred tribes of Hamadan, Lakhm, and Judham, settled in Syria, Palestine, parts of Jordan, and Lebanon. The area was known in ancient times as Jabal 'Amilah, and later as Jabal 'Amil (Jabal Amel). A legendary story has it that the tribe of Banu 'Amilah migrated from Yemen to the Levant in pre-Islamic times because of a flood caused by the destruction of the Ma'arib Dam
Marib Dam
The Marib or Ma'rib or Ma'arib Dam blocks the Wadi Adhanah in the valley of Dhana in the Balaq Hills, Yemen. The current dam is close to the ruins of the Great Dam of Marib, dating from around the eighth century BC...
.
Jabal 'Amel is synonymous with the northern part of Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
(Arabic: al-Jalil) and historically has been used to denote the homeland of Shi'a Muslims in Southern Lebanon. It also includes the Shi'a Muslim communities between Sidon and Beirut such as Joun, Wardanieh, Rmaileh, Sibleen, , Qmatieh, and Kaifun. Furthermore, places in the western Bekaa valley such as Yohmor, Sohmor, Maidoun, Zillaya, Libbaya, Mazraat Dallafeh, Ain al-Tineh, Qillaya, and Mashghara are also usually included under the designation "Jabal Amel." The reason for this overlap is the fact that the historic region of Jabal 'Amel does not exactly correspond to the current region of Southern Lebanon, in administrative terms. It is said to have been an area of Shi'ite Muslim religious persuasion since the 7th century AD, when the Abi Dharr Al Ghafari, a close companion of the Prophet Mohammed and Ali Bin Abi Talib, settled there and spread the word of that faith. He died and was buried there in the coastal town of Sarafand (biblical Serepta), and has two shrines to his name, one in Sarafand and the other in the mountain village of Mays Al Jabal.
Demographics
The inhabitants of Jabal Amel have diverse origins, but besides being of mixed Arab stock, they are descendants of the population that has lived there since time immemorial. It should also be noted that the word "Jabal Amel" has often been extended to include the Shi'a populations of the Baalbek and Hermel regions.Besides Shi'a Muslims, other religious groups include: Sunni Muslims (Sidon, Ain al-Meir, Yarine, Marwahine, Kfar Hamam, Kfar), Druze (Hasbaya area), Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
(Marjeyoun, Bint Jbeil
Bint Jbeil
Bint Jbeil is the second largest town in the Nabatiye Governorate in Southern Lebanon.The town has an estimated population of 30,000. Its exact population is unknown, because Lebanon has not conducted a population census since 1932.-History:...
, Sidon
Sidon
Sidon or Saïda is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km north of Tyre and 40 km south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah...
, Tyre
Tyre
Tyre is a city in the South Governorate of Lebanon. There were approximately 117,000 inhabitants in 2003, however, the government of Lebanon has released only rough estimates of population numbers since 1932, so an accurate statistical accounting is not possible...
, Hasbaya area), Maronite and Greek Catholics (Marjeyoun, Aishieh, Jezzine, Bkassine, Kfar Falous, Maghdouché
Maghdouché
Maghdouché is a town in the South Governorate in Lebanon. It is located 50 km south of Beirut and 8 km southeast of Sidon...
, Mieh ou Mieh, Ain Ebel
Ain Ebel
Ain Ebel is a village located in the Caza of Bint Jbeil in the Nabatiye Governorate in Lebanon.-Etymology:Historians as Anis Freiha and Fr Youakim Moubarak believe that the name of Ain-Ebel derives from two words,"Ain" and "Ibl".The first means spring as many places in Lebanon are named,and the...
, Debel
Debel
Debel may refer to:* Debel, Lebanon* Debel, Oromo Name, Oromo, Ethiopia, African name for a boy meaning 'in addition to, gift of '* Debel, Ethiopia, a town in the Afar Region...
, Rmaich
Rmaich
Rmeish is located in south Lebanon, Caza Beint Jbeil near the Lebanese-Israeli border occupying an area of 20 km2. The ruins found in the village indicate that the area was occupied by the Romans and the Crusaders at some stage in history...
, Qaouzah
Qaouzah
Qaouzah is a Lebanese village located in the Caza of Bint Jbeil in the Nabatiye Governorate in Lebanon.-Geography:Qaouzah occupies a hill with elevation ranging from 700 to 800 meters above sea level...
, and Alma Chaab) Greek Catholic Christians (Deir Mimas
Deir Mimas
Deir Mimas is a picturesque town 88 km southeast of Beirut in Lebanon. Named in honor of Saint Mamas, the town overlooks the Litani River and the medieval Beaufort Castle to the west and the snow-capped summits of Mount Hermon to the east.-Agriculture:In addition to the cultivation of grapes, and...
, Ibel el Saqui, Kfaroueh, Marjeyoun, Markaba, Qlaia and Jezzine), Greek Orthodox Christians (Marjayoun
Marjayoun
Marjayoun is a Lebanese town and administrative district, Marjeyoun District, in the Nabatieh Governorate in Southern Lebanon...
, Deir Mimas
Deir Mimas
Deir Mimas is a picturesque town 88 km southeast of Beirut in Lebanon. Named in honor of Saint Mamas, the town overlooks the Litani River and the medieval Beaufort Castle to the west and the snow-capped summits of Mount Hermon to the east.-Agriculture:In addition to the cultivation of grapes, and...
, Rachaya Al Foukhar
Rachaya Al Foukhar
Rachaya Al Foukhar is a Lebanese village in the district of Hasbaya in the Nabatiye Governorate in southern Lebanon. It is located on the western slopes of Mount Hermon at an altitude starting at 750 m with the highest summit being at 1,250 m.The population is Greek Orthodox.-External links:*...
and Hasbaya
Hasbaya
Hasbeya or Hasbeiya is a town in Lebanon, situated about 36 miles to the west of Damascus, at the foot of Mount Hermon, overlooking a deep amphitheatre from which a brook flows to the Hasbani. In 1911, the population was about 5000....
areas), and Alawites (Ghajar village). The towns of Baraachit, Khiam, Tebnine
Tebnine
Tebnine is a Mediterranean village spread across several hills located about east of Tyre , in the heart of what is known as "Jabal Amel" or the mountain of "Amel". "Jabal Amel" designates the plateau situated between the western mountain range of Lebanon and the Galilee...
, Safad El Batikh, and Yaroun
Yaroun
Yaroun is a Lebanese village located in the Caza of Bint Jbeil in the Nabatiye Governorate in Lebanon.-Geography:...
have a mixed population of Shi'a and Christians. The predominantly Shi'a town of Nabatieh also has a substantial Christian quarter and known for its annual reenactment of the Karbala tragedy during the Ashoura Holiday.
Cities
The main cities of Jabal Amil are:- SidonSidonSidon or Saïda is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km north of Tyre and 40 km south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah...
(Saida) - Tyre (Sour)
- Nabatieh
- JezzineJezzineJezzine is a town in Lebanon, located from Sidon and south of Beirut. Surrounded by mountain peaks, pine forests, and at an average altitude of 950 m , it is the main summer resort and tourist destination of South Lebanon...
- Bint JbeilBint JbeilBint Jbeil is the second largest town in the Nabatiye Governorate in Southern Lebanon.The town has an estimated population of 30,000. Its exact population is unknown, because Lebanon has not conducted a population census since 1932.-History:...
- Tibnine
Notable inhabitants
- Scientist: Hassan Kamel Al-SabbahHassan Kamel Al-SabbahHasan Kamel Al-Sabbah, sometimes referred to as Camil A. Sabbah, was an electrical and electronics research engineer, mathematician and inventor. He was born in Nabatieh, Lebanon. He studied at the American University of Beirut. He taught mathematics at Imperial College of Damascus, Syria, and at...
- American journalist: Mohamad BazziMohamad BazziMohamad Bazzi , is a Lebanese-American award-winning journalist. He is the former Middle East bureau chief at Newsday and a current faculty member of New York University. Bazzi was the 2007-2008 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations...
- Scholar: Hassan Al Amin (1908- 2002) حسن الأمين - رحالةً وأديباً ومؤرخاً, to PDF Book (17 MB).
Furthermore, Shi'a scholars from Jabal Amel have always had a strong intellectual presence in the religious seminaries of Iraq, Iran, and Egypt.