- Bsharri
Infobox City Lebanon
official_name = Bsharri
native_name = بْشَرِّيْ
image_size = 300px
image_caption = Bsharri as seen from across the Qadisha valley (facing west).
governorate = North Governorate
district = Bsharri District
lat_deg = 34
lat_min = 15
lat_sec = 5
lat_hem = N
lon_deg = 36
lon_min = 5
lon_sec = 50
lon_hem = E
elevation_m = 1650|mapx = 34.251389
mapy = 36.097222Bsharri (also spelled "Becharre", "Bcharre", "Bsharre"; _ar. بْشَرِّيْ), is a Lebanese city at 1,650 m of altitude, near the
Kadisha Valley . It is located at around coord|34|15|5|N|36|5|50|E, in theBsharri District of theNorth Governorate . Bsharri is just under theCedar forest and is the birthplace of the famouspoet , painter andsculptor Khalil Gibran .Bsharri was the site of a
Phoenicia n settlement in ancient times.Maronite Christian s fleeing persecution sought refuge in its mountainous terrain in the 7th Century AD. TheKadisha Valley , below the town, became the spiritual center of the Maronite Church. The town was known as Buissera by theCrusades .In Lebanon, Bsharri natives are characterized as very courageous and fiercely feudal. They are especially known for their distinct accent when they speak Arabic. Unlike other parts of Lebanon, Aramaic was spoken in Bsharri well into the 1800s. As a result, Bsharri natives developed an unmistakably strong accent which lasts to this day and which they are very proud of.
During the
Lebanese civil war (1975–1990), Bsharri was a bastion ofChristian resistance against Syrians. In 1986Samir Geagea , a Bsharri native, became head of the ChristianLebanese Forces (LF) movement. Many LF militiamen were drawn from the town during the civil war.This village is still neglected by the government from after the war, having no hospital, no university, and no projects that provide careers to its youth, forcing them to move to cities and foreign countries.
Today, the village is located in a highly touristic zone including such attractions as the Gibran Tomb and Museum,
Kadisha Valley where Antonios Torbey lived as Hermite in the Hermitage of St. Lichaa down in the valley; the Kadisha Grotto, theCedars of God forest, a ski resort and Bka'kafra (the birthplace ofSt Charbel ).Bsharri is home to a Lebanese
Red Cross First Aid Center. [ [http://www.dm.net.lb/redcross/our_centers.html Our Centers ] ] . Also it is home for the "The Maronite Scouts" that started their activities early 2000.ee also
*
Bsharri District
*Dimane
*Lebanon
*Kadisha Valley
*Khalil Gibran
*Samir Geagea
*Taouk
*MOREP References
External links
* [http://www.lebanonembassyus.org/tourism/bsharri.html Lebanese Embassy (US) Section on Bsharri]
* [http://www.world66.com/asia/middleeast/lebanon/bcharre World66]
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