Amsheet (, '; also spelled Amchit) is a seaside town and municipality in the

Byblos District Byblos District (; transliteration: ''Qadaa' Jbeil''), also called the Jbeil District (''Jbeil'' is Lebanese Arabic for "Byblos"; standard Arabic ''Jubail''), is a district ('' qadaa'') of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is located ...

Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate Keserwan-Jbeil () is the most recently created governorate of Lebanon. It consists of the districts of Jbeil and Keserwan. Keserwan-Jbeil covers an area of and is bounded by the North Governorate to the north, the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate to ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, about 40 km north of

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

. The town's average elevation is 140 meters above sea level and its total land area is 595

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

s. Its inhabitants are predominantly

Maronites Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally resided near Mount ...

, although there is a

Shia Muslim Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

minority. There are many old churches in Amsheet (more than a hundred and some old synagogues.).

Demographics

Amsheet's population is around 25,000. The majority of the inhabitants are

Maronite Christians Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally resided near Mount ...

. However, there is a significant

minority, who largely moved to Amsheet from predominantly Shia villages in the nearby mountains. Most Shia in Amsheet live in the Kfar Saleh neighborhood.

Economy

There are 29 companies in Amsheet that employ at least five people. With the largest one being IPT Group. Amsheet is known for its baskets and mats woven from palm leaves. Olive and citrus fruits are the main agricultural products of the town.

Education

There are two public schools with a total of 966 students in 2006 and three private schools with a total of 1,099 students in Amsheet. Schools in the town include: * Lycee Amchit, a private school that provides kindergarten through to secondary education, that was established in 1977.

Landmarks

The house of Zakhia family where

Ernest Renan Joseph Ernest Renan (; ; 27 February 18232 October 1892) was a French Orientalist and Semitic scholar, writing on Semitic languages and civilizations, historian of religion, philologist, philosopher, biblical scholar, and critic. He wrote wo ...

stayed, the French philosopher who lived in Amsheet for a long period in the 19th century, can be visited, as can the tomb of his sister who was buried at St. Marie Church in the Zakhia family Cemetery.Also the house of Raphael Lahoud built in 1838, Gabriel Lahoud and Michel Lahoud.The oldest school in Lebanon of Adib Lahoud. The Church of Saint George was built on an ancient temple and the altar has both Greek and Arabic inscriptions.Tourism @ Lebanon.com
/ref> The adjoining churches of Saint Sophie and Saint Stephen retain their ancient vaulted porches and wall paintings. The churches were built on the remains of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

temple.

The Church of Saint Nicholas (Mar Zakhia) has medieval wall paintings and was built in the 5th century.

Tourism

The town is home to Lebanon's only organized coastal campsite, "Camping Les Colombes", a place with a history since its beginning in the 1950s.

Environmental issues

See Oil pollution from ships in Amchit.

Notable residents

Michel Suleiman Michel Suleiman ( ; born 21 November 1948) is a Lebanese politician who served as the 12th president of Lebanon from 2008 to 2014. Before becoming president, he served as commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces from 1998 to 2008. After Lebanese A ...

- Former President of the Lebanese Republic *

Charbel Rouhana Charbel Rouhana () is a Lebanese oud player. Born in 1965 in Amsheet, a town north of Beirut, Charbel pursued his music education at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, obtaining his diploma in oud instrumentation in 1986 and his M.A. in Musico ...

- singer, composer *

Marcel Khalife Marcel Khalife (; born 10 June 1950 in Amchit) is a Lebanese musical composer, singer, and oud player. Khalife is considered a folk hero in the Arab world, and he has been described as the "Bob Dylan of the Middle East." Biography In 1983 ...

- singer, composer *

Aline Lahoud Aline Lahoud (; born 2 March 1981) is a Lebanese singer. Life Lahoud's parents are Salwa Al Katrib and producer Nahi Lahoud. She studied singing and dramatic art from 2002 until 2006. In 2006, she received a BA degree in Communication Arts, ...

- singer and actress * Elsa Zgheib - Actress * Salwa Al Katrib - stage actress and singer *

Marwan Khoury Marwan Khoury (; born February 3, 1968) is a Lebanese singer, writer, composer and music arranger. He has composed hits for artists such as Majida El Roumi, Saber Rebaï, Nawal Al Zoghbi, Assala Nasri, Najwa Karam, Fadl Shaker, Elissa (Lebanese ...

- Singer and composer * 'Afifa Karam - Novelist and journalist *

Sabah Khoury Sabah Khoury (born November 10, 1982) is a former Lebanese basketball player. He coaches Champville SC now in the Lebanese basketball league . He formerly played for Sagesse Club, Amchit Club and Al Mouttahed Tripoli and Champville Club in the ...

- Basketball player * Tony Issa - Actor

References

{{Byblos District Populated places in Byblos District Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon Shia Muslim communities in Lebanon Christian cities in Lebanon Tourist attractions in Lebanon