Ras Maska
Encyclopedia
Ras Maska is a village located in the Koura District
in the North Governorate
of Lebanon
.
. It is composed of two parts:
- the Northern Ras Maska, nearest to Tripoli
is the lowest part of the village located at 60 meters (200 ft) above sea level. The northern part population is in majority Muslim (sunni).
Even though it belongs administratively to the Koura district, there are calls to be considered as part of the Greater Tripoli and to be included in the urban Master Plan of Tripoli. It witnessed an important economic development due to its excellent location that hosts many coastal beach resorts.
- the Southern Ras Maska is the highest part of the village at 200 meters (660 ft) above sea level. The southern part population is in majority Christian, and hosts many communities mostly Greek Orthodox, Maronites and evangelicals. Southern Ras Maska is known for its olive agriculture and the high quality of its olive oil industry.
, Ras meaning Top and Maska meaning Drinking stream." The equivalent meaning could be the Top of the Stream. The geography of the village incites us to favor this meaning more than the equivalent Arabic of Top of Irrigation .
Many believe that Ras Maska's name is also derived from the Syriac word meaning "the ascension and progress." In Aramaic, the name means "irrigation." The town maintains an old, 3 km long tunnel called Al-Naqra, which is believed to have been constructed to irrigate the gardens of Tripoli. In the area of Al-Khirbeh are found some sarcophagi carved into rocks, and according to local tradition the towns land is filled with buried gold jars.
census of 1519. It belonged to the Nahiyat Koura / Anfeh and was inhabited by 14 male adults (more than 15 years old), 80% of them being married. If we adopt the estimation of the Historians), the number of inhabitants of Ras Maska in 1519 would have been of 70 persons.
In the Ottoman census of 1571, the number of male adults was of 26. The population of Ras Maska practically doubled over the period, growing on average by 12 per mil per year to be compared to a growth of the number of inhabitants in the Nahiyat of 6.7% per mil per year.
Lycée Franco-Libanais Alphonse De Lamartine
Koura District
Koura or El Koura is a district in the North Governorate, Lebanon.Koura is one of the 36 districts of Lebanon, which is very popular for the olive tree cultivation. It is known by its dark green color....
in the North Governorate
North Governorate
North Governorate is one of the governorates of Lebanon. Its capital is Tripoli.-Districts:The North Governorate is divided into districts, or aqdya...
of Lebanon
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...
.
Geography
This village is located in the koura district on the hills overlooking the Mediterranean to the south of TripoliTripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
. It is composed of two parts:
- the Northern Ras Maska, nearest to Tripoli
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
is the lowest part of the village located at 60 meters (200 ft) above sea level. The northern part population is in majority Muslim (sunni).
Even though it belongs administratively to the Koura district, there are calls to be considered as part of the Greater Tripoli and to be included in the urban Master Plan of Tripoli. It witnessed an important economic development due to its excellent location that hosts many coastal beach resorts.
- the Southern Ras Maska is the highest part of the village at 200 meters (660 ft) above sea level. The southern part population is in majority Christian, and hosts many communities mostly Greek Orthodox, Maronites and evangelicals. Southern Ras Maska is known for its olive agriculture and the high quality of its olive oil industry.
Population
The local population do not exceed two thousand inhabitants. And the main families of Rasmaska are: Abdo, Faraj (فرج), Hajj Youssef, Jalloul ,Sleiman, Antoun, Dayri, Dib, El-Kari, Fahd, Ghajar, Lattouf, Nakhoul, Sarouni and badran.Etymology and names
The name of the village is probably derived from the Aramaic languageAramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
, Ras meaning Top and Maska meaning Drinking stream." The equivalent meaning could be the Top of the Stream. The geography of the village incites us to favor this meaning more than the equivalent Arabic of Top of Irrigation .
Many believe that Ras Maska's name is also derived from the Syriac word meaning "the ascension and progress." In Aramaic, the name means "irrigation." The town maintains an old, 3 km long tunnel called Al-Naqra, which is believed to have been constructed to irrigate the gardens of Tripoli. In the area of Al-Khirbeh are found some sarcophagi carved into rocks, and according to local tradition the towns land is filled with buried gold jars.
History
Ras Maska is an old village. It figures in the first OttomanOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
census of 1519. It belonged to the Nahiyat Koura / Anfeh and was inhabited by 14 male adults (more than 15 years old), 80% of them being married. If we adopt the estimation of the Historians), the number of inhabitants of Ras Maska in 1519 would have been of 70 persons.
In the Ottoman census of 1571, the number of male adults was of 26. The population of Ras Maska practically doubled over the period, growing on average by 12 per mil per year to be compared to a growth of the number of inhabitants in the Nahiyat of 6.7% per mil per year.
Facilities and services
- Centre universitaire du Liban-Nord - Université Saint-Joseph
- Lycée Franco-Libanais Alphonse De Lamartine - A school and high-school of la Mission laïque françaiseMission laïque françaiseThe Mission laïque française , or "French lay mission", is a non-profit organization that works to spread the French language and culture by creating and running schools outside of France.-School network:...
with more than 1,400 students. - HARIRI Canadian University - North Campus
- Albert Haykal Hospital
- Ras Maska Volley Club
External links
http://www.informs.gov.lb/INFORMS-MSIB/Templates/Directory/Details.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID={6878F2AD-72A4-4295-8AE6-B1C7585C1730}&NRORIGINALURL=%2fCultures%2ffr-FR%2fMenu%2fDirectory%2fPublic%2bSector%2f%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25A8%25D9%2584%25D8%25AF%25D9%258A%25D8%25A7%25D8%25AA%2f%25D9%2582%25D8%25B6%25D8%25A7%25D8%25A1%2b%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D9%2583%25D9%2588%25D8%25B1%25D8%25A9%2f%25D8%25A8%25D9%2584%25D8%25AF%25D9%258A%25D8%25A9%2b%25D8%25B1%25D8%25A7%25D8%25B3%25D9%2585%25D8%25B3%25D9%2582%25D8%25A7.htm&NRCACHEHINT=NoModifyGuest/Municipalité de Ras Maska]Lycée Franco-Libanais Alphonse De Lamartine