Bdadoun () (also Bdadun, Bde‘doun, Bdādūn), is a town in

Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon (, ; , ; ) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It is about long and averages above in elevation, with its peak at . The range provides a typical alpine climate year-round. Mount Lebanon is well-known for its snow-covered mountains, ...

which makes up one of the 70 towns and villages in the Lebanese district of

Aley Aley () is a major city in Lebanon. It is the capital of the Aley District and fourth largest city in Lebanon. The city is located on Mount Lebanon, 15km uphill from Beirut on the freeway to Damascus. Aley has the nickname "Bride of the Summ ...

. It has an estimated population of 3,000. It is 499 meters above sea level and 15 kilometres from the capital

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 ...

. It is known as a summer holiday location.

Etymology

The name Bdadoun derives from the Phoenician noun ''Bd-Adoun'' (بِد-اَدون ) or "House of Adoun", the Canaanite god of the sun Adoun or

Adonis In Greek mythology, Adonis (; ) was the mortal lover of the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone. He was considered to be the ideal of male beauty in classical antiquity. The myth goes that Adonis was gored by a wild boar during a hunting trip ...

, also known as Tammuz.

History

In the year 1144, fighting erupted between the Christians in the North

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 ...

regions of Jbeil and

Keserwan Keserwan may refer to the following: *Kisrawan, a historical region in Mount Lebanon *Keserwan District, the administrative district in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of modern Lebanon *Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate Keserwan-Jbeil () is the most re ...

districts. The king

Barquq Al-Malik Az-Zahir Sayf ad-Din Barquq (; born ) was the first Sultan of the Circassians, Circassian Mamluk Burji dynasty of Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo), Egypt ruling from 1382 to 1389 and 1390 to 1399. Born to a Christianity, Christian father in Cir ...

(الملك الظاهر برقوق) took the opportunity and ordered an invasion of that Christian dominated area. The result was an outflow of people that settled in the

Chouf District Chouf (also spelled Shouf, Shuf or Chuf; ) is a historic region of Lebanon, as well as an administrative district in the governorate ( muhafazat) of Mount Lebanon. Geography Located south-east of Beirut, the region comprises a narrow coastal stri ...

. This region (especially the areas surrounding Beirut) was ruled by the

Tanukhids The Tanukh (, sometimes referred to as the Tanukhids (, ), was an Arab tribal group whose history in the Arabian Peninsula and the Fertile Crescent spanned the 2nd century CE to the 17th century. The group began as a confederation of Arab tribes ...

(التنوخيّون). The Tanukhs (also called Buhturs) where the

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

hereditary lords of the Gharb (area surrounding Beirut). The Buhturs were replaced by the Ma'ans when the Ottomans conquered in the early 16th century. The area surrounding Bdadoun remained under autonomous Ottoman rule until the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Agriculture

The first settlers of Bdadoun came from the North Lebanon Maronite families as peasants. They found an uninviting land made of mostly rocky landscape strewn with oaks, wild figs, vines and some olive trees. Local dwellers built stone terraces planted fruit trees such as apricot, almonds, pear, apple, pomegranates, and plum trees. It is the latter, that Bdadoun is mostly known for

plums A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century. Plums are likely to have been ...

( or ; ) and holds an annual harvest festival in May. This plum is believed to be a close relative of the

Greengage The greengages are a group of cultivars of the common Middle Eastern plum. The first true greengage came from a green-fruited wild plum which originated in Iran. Greengages are grown in temperate areas and are known for the rich, confectionery f ...

. This is not to be mistaken with the Chinese Plum or

Loquat The loquat (''Eriobotrya japonica'', Chinese: 枇杷; Pinyin: pípá) is a large evergreen shrub or tree grown commercially for its orange fruit. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant. The loquat is in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Spi ...

which is also grown in Bdadoun and called Akkidinya or Akkadeneh. (Arabic: اككي دني. Turkish: yeni dunya, yedi dunya)

Religion

The Christian Maronite parish of Bdadoun is part of the

diocese and has four churches: * St. Georges (مار جريس). Built on 25 March 1899 with support of the Feghali family. Was renovated in 1988 by Mr John Ibrahim Hanna al-Feghaly. * Notre Dame de Bdadoun (السيدة). Our Lady of Bdadoun church is known to have been built as a dwelling first in the 17th century. It has been rebuilt many times since, last time being in 1870 after the 1860s civil strife in

. * St. Antoine (مار انطونيوس). Current belief is that it was established as a church in 1903 and was supported by the Abi Roufayel family. The church steeple was erected in 1938. * St. Elie (مار الياس الحي). First mass is known to have been held there on 26 December 1909 with support of the Howayek family. It was renovated in 1923.

Educational institutions

* Bdadoun Public School, founded in 1921 by Selim Nouhra. It later became a public school. * Ecole Saint Elie, founded in 1941 by Elias Tannous who donated the land to Saint Famille Maronite nuns.

Geography

Bdadoun has an area of 143 hectares. It is 352 meters to 550 meters above sea level and 15 km from

.
Latitude 33.8100 Longitude 35.5611
Lat (DMS) 33° 48' 36N Long (DMS) 35° 33' 40E
Time zone (est) UTC+2(+3DT) Bdadoun's bordering towns are Blaybel, Houmal, Wadi Chahrour, Aaytat,

Bsous Bsous is a village in the Aley District of Mount Lebanon with an estimated population of 6,000. It is located 200 to 730 meters above sea level and 14 kilometres from the capital, Beirut. It is both a summer resort as well as being inhabited durin ...

and Qmatiyeh. Kahale and

Kfarshima Kfarshima (), also spelled Kfarchima, is a town in the Baabda District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut and is part of Greater Beirut. The town is populated by Lebanese Christianity in Lebanon, Christians: mainly Melkite C ...

are close by.

Arts and Entertainment

* Folklore singer Zaghloul, known mostly for his Zajal style of songs recorded in "Haflit Bdadoun" made by al-Feghaly Family. * Bdadoun Festival for the Plum Harvest (Mahrajaen el Ganaerik) made by al cha3li. A parade day followed by a night of singing and dancing. Major Lebanese folklore singers have been guests to this festival every year.

Notable Persons

* Asaad el Feghali, a poet also known with the moniker "Blackbird of the Valley". There is a sculpture of him at the entrance of the village. * Janet Gerges Feghali, better known as

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

, Lebanese singer and actress, nicknamed ''Shahruret-el Wadi'' * Halim (Bill) Chibli Feghali, a relevant figure of Democratic party in the state of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, USA. * Dr. Pauline Merheb, PhD in nursing and professor at

Saint Joseph University Saint Joseph University of Beirut (; French: ''Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth'', commonly known as USJ) is a private Catholic research university in Beirut, Lebanon, founded in 1875 by French Jesuit missionaries and subsidized by the Go ...

References

External links

* * {{Aley District Populated places in Aley District Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon