Al-Qoubaiyat
ٱلْقُبَيَّات
Village
Map showing the location of Kobayat within Lebanon
Map showing the location of Kobayat within Lebanon
Al-Qoubaiyat
Location within Lebanon
Coordinates: 34°34′6″N 36°16′35″E / 34.56833°N 36.27639°E / 34.56833; 36.27639
Country Lebanon
GovernorateAkkar Governorate
DistrictAkkar District
Area
 • Total70 km2 (30 sq mi)
Elevation
700 m (2,300 ft)
Highest elevation
1,900 m (6,200 ft)
Lowest elevation
550 m (1,800 ft)
Population
 • Total12,000
 • Density170/km2 (440/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Dialing code+961
Websitehttp://www.kobayat.org/

Al Qoubaiyat, Koubeiyat, Kobayat or Qoubayat (Arabic: ٱلْقُبَيَّات) is the biggest Christian village in the Akkar Governorate, Lebanon. Its population is mostly composed of Maronites[1] numbering around 12,000 persons according to the civil state registers. It is usually full with people during summer but a few stay during the winter. The village's mountainous terrain and snowy winters harbour many leisure activities including hiking, camping, mountain biking, offroading and sightseeing. During the winter, many locals and tourists head towards its high peaks for skiing.

Etymology

The origin of the name "Al Qoubaiyat" is Aramaic. The word "Qbayya" means the big pool of water, and "Qbayyat" is the plural of it. That region was called "Qbayyat" for being rich in water sources.

Geography

Al Qoubaiyat is located at the northeast of the Lebanese republic. 140 km (86.99 mi) to the North of the Lebanese capital Beirut. It covers around 70 sqm.

It is bordered at the west by Akkar al-Atika and Bireh, at the East by Hermel, and the north by Andaket and Aydamoun.

History

During the 17th century the name of Al Qoubaiyat began to appear in the documents of the legislative court in Tripoli as being the biggest village in Akkar paying the taxes of engagement. It was known as the "fertile valley" throughout its history; it has been a center of attraction for people desiring stability based on agriculture, and accordingly, civilization took shape. In 1838, Eli Smith noted 'el-Kubeiyat as a Maronite village, located east of esh-Sheikh Muhammed.[2]

One of the French delegates in Lebanon "Ducousso" depicted it in 1912 by the taking after words: "These valleys are interesting by their shocking richness". Usually how Qoubaiyat has been for a long time the home of a few people groups. Its ruins are the witness of its local individuals, with cemeteries from the age of press and copper dating back to 3000 a long time BC It is located on the silk road, between East and West Asia through the Mediterranean, towards Rome, the capital of the ancient world. There is a Phoenician and pagan altar in front of St. Chahlo church. Phoenician, Greek and Roman pieces of currency were found at Saydet al Ghassalet church and St. Chahlo, in addition to Roman tombs spread across the town, as well as two notable Roman ruins that are all witnesses of the great prosperity in the Roman age during the first centuries of Christianity: The first was the temple of the God Ban, in the Helsban Valley, which its ruins were rebuilt into a monastery under the name of St. Artimos-Challita. The second ruin is located to the south-west, currently known as Saint Georges chapel, which witnessed the events of the Umayyad-Byzantine duel in the Middle East. A third witness, is the convent of Mar Doumit of the Carmelite Fathers on the hill; considerable thanks to its vast place, to its subsisting bases and to the found jars.

Economy and services

Al Saydé church in Kobayat

Educational Institutions: Public A kindergarten, an elementary and intermediate, a high school, a teachers college and a public training school which is still under construction. Private A kindergarten, an elementary and intermediate school for the Carmelite Fathers (Ecole Mar Doumit des Pères Carmes), a kindergarten and an elementary school for the Sisters of Charity (ND Paix), a private training school and a nursery school belonging to the hospital of Sayidat Al Salam of the antonine Maronite sisters. Civil Institutions: An agricultural cooperative, three groups of the Scouts Of Lebanon, two groups of the Guides Of Lebanon, an environment council, Caritas center and a public library established by the municipality. Private medical institutions: The hospital of Sayidat Al Salam, for the Sisters of Saint Anthony, the dispensary of Malta's knights, many Pharmacies and various clinics specialized in all medical fields. Agriculture: The cultivation of mulberry was prosperous in Kobayat. But it disappeared and the mulberry was replaced by fruitful trees (vine, apple, pear, cherry and especially olive trees.). Then appeared the cultivation of tobacco, vegetables and grains. There are also several poultry farms, few flocks of sheep and goats and some fisheries.

References

  1. ↑ "Municipal and ikhtiyariah elections in Northern Lebanon" (PDF). The Monthly. March 2010. p. 21. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ↑ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 185

Bibliography

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