__NOTOC__
Duris (also Dūris, or Dûris ( ar, دورس), formally Doris and also known by its
French spelling Douris
[) is a village located approximately . southwest of Baalbek in the ]Bekaa Valley
The Beqaa Valley ( ar, links=no, وادي البقاع, ', Lebanese ), also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ, and Becaa and known in classical antiquity as Coele-Syria, is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon. It is Lebanon's most importan ...
, Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
. It is the site of a 13th-century Muslim shrine and a necropolis from the late Roman Imperial
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
period that is currently undergoing archaeological investigation.[.]
History
An archaeological site which is not on the tell near the village exists southwest of Duris at the north of a vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineya ...
that can be reached via a track from the road to Baalbek. This site was found to contain both Shepherd Neolithic and Heavy Neolithic
Heavy Neolithic (alternatively, Gigantolithic) is a style of large stone and flint tools (or industry) associated primarily with the Qaraoun culture in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon, dating to the Epipaleolithic or early Pre-Pottery Neolithic at t ...
material together, being unusual in this respect. It was found by M. Billaux in 1957 who showed it to two archaeologists who were also members of the Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
, Henri Fleisch
Reverend Father Henri Fleisch (1 January 1904 – 10 February 1985) was a French archaeologist, missionary and Orientalist, known for his work on classical Arabic language and Lebanese dialect and prehistory in Lebanon. Fleisch spent years rec ...
and Maurice Tallon
Reverend Father Maurice Edouard Tallon (22 October 1906 – 21 July 1982) was a French Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbrevia ...
. The Shepherd Neolithic material was unpatinated and appeared similar to that of Maakne
Maqne or Maakne ( ar, مقنة) is a town and municipality in Baalbek District, Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon.
Maqne I
Along with Qaa, Maqne I or Maakne I is a type site of the Shepherd Neolithic industry. The surface site was discove ...
. The larger pieces were patinated to white, appearing to represent different periods. Three Levallois flakes were found in 1966 by Lorraine Copeland
Lorraine Copeland (born Elizabeth Lorraine Adie, 1921April 2013) was a British archaeologist specialising in the Palaeolithic period of the Near East. She was a secret agent with the Special Operations Executive during World War II.
Early life
...
.[ Its sarcophagus was raised or left standing to serve as a mihrab, helping to direct ]prayer
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified ...
towards Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...
. Its columns were probably removed from the ruins of nearby Baalbek and are assembled haphazardly, one being upside-down.
In 1838, Eli Smith noted ''Duris'' as a Sunni Muslim and Maronite village in the Baalbek District
Baalbek District ( ar, قضاء بعلبك) is an administrative district in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate of the Republic of Lebanon, having the city Baalbek as its capital. It is by far the largest district in the country comprising a total of ...
.[Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p]
145
/ref>
Gallery
File:Kubbet Duris.png, An engraving of the qubbat with Duris in the background ()
See also
* Baalbek
* Temples of the Beqaa Valley
References
Bibliography
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External links
Douris
Localiban
Populated places in Baalbek District
Heavy Neolithic sites
Shepherd Neolithic sites
Neolithic settlements
Archaeological sites in Lebanon
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