Chtaura ( ar, شتورا) is a town in
Lebanon in the fertile
Beqaa 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 important ...
located between the
Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon ( ar, جَبَل لُبْنَان, ''jabal lubnān'', ; syr, ܛܘܪ ܠܒ݂ܢܢ, ', , ''ṭūr lewnōn'' french: Mont Liban) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It averages above in elevation, with its peak at .
Geography
The Mount Le ...
and
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. It is located halfway on the
Beirut -
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
highway. It is located from Beirut.
Chtaura is the valley's hub for banking, transportation, and commerce, with many hotels and restaurants on the main road. From Chtaura, travelers can depart for
Zahlé,
Baalbek
Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In Greek and Roman ...
, or Damascus.
History
On January 29, 1983, the Israeli-run
Front for the Liberation of Lebanon from Foreigners detonated a car bomb close to the
Fatah
Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...
HQ at Chtaura (also named Shtura), and another in West Beirut, close to the HQ of the left-wing
Mourabitoun. Some sixty people were killed and hundreds wounded.
For almost 30 years, during the civil war, the
Syrian Army
" (''Guardians of the Homeland'')
, colors = * Service uniform: Khaki, Olive
* Combat uniform: Green, Black, Khaki
, anniversaries = August 1st
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
, battles = 1948 Arab–Israeli War
Six ...
’s military headquarters for the
Beqaa 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 important ...
was in Chtaura. On 24 November 1989, following the assassination of President
René Moawad, his successor,
Elias Hrawi
Elias Hrawi ( ar, الياس الهراوي, 4 September 1926 – 7 July 2006) was president of Lebanon, whose term of office ran from 1989 to 1998.
Early life and education
Hrawi was born in Hawch Al Umara, Zahlé, to a wealthy landowning Mar ...
, was elected by a hastily gathered assembly of 53 MPs in the Chtaura’s Park Hotel.
[Middle East International No 364, 1 December 1989, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Jim Muir pp.3-5]
Climate
The area east of Lebanon is known for its dryness. It rarely rains in Chtaura in the summer, and there is a lack of humidity. The summers are warm, with temperatures reaching 36 degrees Celsius. In winter there are an average of 3-4 snowstorms yearly.
Population
Chtaura's population has steadily grown since its founding. A century ago, Chtaura had less than two- thousand inhabitants and 70 houses. In the early 20th Century the Ottomans developed Chtaura to be the cultural Hub of the Beqaa Valley due to its strategic location, and the population jumped to about 10,000-15,000 people. The population continued to grow throughout the twentieth century, and today the town is home to about 60–80,000 Lebanese.
References
External links
Chtaura Localiban
Populated places in Zahlé District
{{lebanon-geo-stub