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Cities
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South Lebanon:
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Bint Jbeil |
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| Bint Jbeil |
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The roads leading to
Bint Jbeil are: the sidon-Tyre-Cana-Bint Jbeil road; the Sidon-
Tyre-Naqura-Rmaysh-Ayn Ibl-Bint Jbeil road; or the Marjeyun-Mays
al Jabal-Aytarun-Bint Jbeil road.
Bint Jbayl, the chief town of the Caza, is located on a hill overlooking
the valley of Rmaysh, near the southern Lebanese border. Under the
rule of the al Saghir family, it was the center of the whole area.
From this period, remains of an old serail and of a 19th century
mosque survive. One of the main features of this locality is its
weekly market held each Thursday and visited by traders from the
region.
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Leave Bint Jbeil and continue
to the north-west in the direction of Tibnin. After six kilometers,
you come to the village of Tiri where you can visit the caves,
the stone water cistern and a rock-hewn seat known by the locals
as the “king’s throne.”
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Continue to Baraashit,
which lies in the midst of tobacco plantations and where you can
visit caves and wells. The site known as al Hara hides under its
ruins a very important ancient settlement.
Continue to the north-east, across the tobacco plantations to the
village of Shaqra (11 km), famous for its modern mansions and buildings.
In the old South Lebanon, the visitor can see rock-cut tombs from
different historical periods. Next to the village, on a hill overlooking
the whole area, stands a small fort known as the fort of Dubiyye,
a distorted form of the French name “Dubois.”
Crusader building erected on the remains of a Roman temple, as attested
by the large stone blocks and the rock-cut tombs next to it. A rectangular
monument with three floors, its southern part and its upper third
floor have been totally destroyed by continuous Israeli bombardments.
The remaining first and second floors consist of some thirty rooms
with several wells.
Leave Shaqra and go west to the villages of Safad al Battikh, al
Jumayjme and Ayn al Mizrab. Turn right to go to the villages of
Sultaniye and Dayr Antar (17 km). In the latter, several archeological
finds have been discovered. Many old cisterns hewn in the rock are
still in use to this day.
High up on the village summit lies a rocky platform known among
the locals as the “Crypt of the Prophet.” On it are printed
the feet, the hands and the forehand of a human being.
These have been interpreted as the traces left by a person in an
attitude of prayer. The inhabitants of the village built a mosque
next to the platform, which has become a holy place sought by people
for blessing. South-west of the village is a famous natural grotto
known as Mgharet al Bzez. Similar to the Jeita Grotto, the visitor
can walk inside a long distance to admire its stalactites.
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