Damour

Damour () is a Lebanese Christian town that is south of Beirut. It is located in the Chouf District in the Mount Lebanon Governorate.

Geography

The city is located in one of the few flat areas of the Lebanese coast. It is built to the north of the river, the ancient Tamyrus, which bears its name on a dune overlooking the Mediterranean. It is surrounded by plantations of bananas and vegetable crops. It has an area of . The Beirut- Tyre Highway separates the plantations. Now dismantled, the track is a stopover.

Climate

Damour has a mild mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: ''Csa'').

Religion

In 2014, Christians made up 95.98% of registered voters in Damour. 84.87% of the voters were Maronite Catholics.

There are six churches in Damour, of which Notre-Dame de Damour and St Élias are the biggest. There are also three other chapels, including Sainte Thècle, St Michel, which was the first church in Damour, St Maroun and St Joseph. These six churches are all Maronite Churches. Before the Lebanese Civil War, Damour had another Catholic church, Savior's Church.

Tourism

Damour, one of the few coastal cities in Lebanon with a sandy beach, is just ten minutes from Beirut. This proximity makes it a popular destination for tourists, particularly water sports enthusiasts. As a result there are several restaurants and cafés located along the beach. There are also a few restaurants along the banks of the Damour river.

History

In 1302, after the Mamluks took Arwad Island, on 8 June the same year, the Cypriots landed on the Damour River. A battle took place between the Emir Fakhr al-Din Abdel-Hamid bin Jamaluddin Altnokhi, his brother the Emir Shams al-Din Abdullah accompanied by an army of Muslims against the Cypriot. The battle was won by Crusaders. Fakhr al-Din Emir was killed, while his brother Shams al-Din fell hostage. He was released after five days for a ransom of three thousand dinars tyriens.

19th to 21st centuries

In the 19th century, Damour was a flourishing center of the Chouf region. Its plain was then planted with mulberry and had twelve large manufacturing companies. Ten thousand workers and technicians worked in the natural silk industry. The city has a real fascination for the Lebanese worker and attracts the largest majority of the natives in the Sahel region.

During the last centuries, Damour was located on the central axis of fighting and successive wars.

During the civil war that started in 1858, Maronites stood up to the power of the Druze. In April 1860, this resulted in violence carried out by Druze forces, leading to the massacre of several thousand Christians, with estimates ranging from 10,000 to 15,000. In addition, churches and monasteries were plundered.

During the nights of the first world war, inhabitants met the armoured French cruiser Jeanne d'Arc sailors and received medicines, food and other needed supplies.

In 1941, Damour was the French administrative capital. The city being a strategic crossing point on the road to Beirut, 21 July 1941, was the place of one of the battles that affected Lebanon during World War II Syria-Lebanon Campaign. Australian troops, progressing towards the North along the coast, took Damour, held by the French Foreign Legion, faithful to the Vichy Government. A cease-fire was concluded at the end of the battle. There were no more obstacles in the direction of Beirut.

In 1942, South African army engineers built a railway line from Haifa to Beirut along the coast and Australian engineers continued the line to Tripoli. The line is no longer in use.

On January 9, 1976, during the Lebanese Civil War, Lebanese National Movement and the Palestine Liberation Organization laid siege to Damour. On January 20, 1976, thousands of militants from the PLO committed a massacre of the inhabitants in revenge for a massacre of Palestinians in Karantina.

During 1982 Lebanon War, the Israeli Air Force bombed Beirut and other several cities in the south, including Damour.

During the 2006 Lebanon War, the Israeli Air Force destroyed several bridges on Highway Beirut- Tyre and on the Damour River.

The Historical Bridge

The history of the archeological bridge dates back to the era of prince-Béchir Shehab, who ordered its construction in 1815. It was considered a strategic and important transit point between Mt Lebanon and the South.

Heritage

Archaeological remains from the Phoenician, Greek, and Roman periods can be found in Damour, such as mansions and farm houses. There are also apartment houses dating back to the Lebanon civil war. The silk factories, for which Damour is known, are an important part of its heritage. It helps preserve the industrial heritage and ensures that people will be reminded of its history.

Neighborhoods

* Mar Thecla El Naame
* Mar Mikhael Al Damour
* Khiyam Al Damour
* Saadiyat
* Ghandouriyeh
* Missiar

Notable people

* Ghada Georges Aoun
* Elie Saab
* Michel Aoun
* Georges Akl
* Rose Ghorayeb – Lebanese author and literary critic
* Mario Aoun (Minister)

Gallery

Janna Sur Mer Resort in Damour, Lebanon.jpg
Jisr el Qadi - bridge over the River Damour.jpg

See also

* Damour river
* Battle of Damour (1941)
* Damour massacre

References

Bibliography

*Robert Fisk, '' Pity the Nation'', André Deutsch Ltd. 1990,

External links

Damour
, Localiban

{{Authority control

Populated places in Chouf District
Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon