Darbechtar (), also known as Darb Ishtar, is a village located on the South-Eastern periphery of the

Koura District Koura District (, from ) is a district in the North Governorate, Lebanon. Koura is one of the 26 districts of Lebanon, particularly known for its olive tree cultivation and olive oil production. It comprises a total of 52 villages, and its ca ...

in the

North Governorate North Governorate (, ') is one of the governorates of Lebanon and one of the two governorates of North Lebanon. Its capital is Tripoli, Lebanon, Tripoli. Ramzi Nohra has been its governor since May 2, 2014. The population of North Governorate is ...

of the Republic of Lebanon. Darbechtar borders the villages of

Amioun Amioun (; ) is the capital of the predominantly Greek Orthodox Christianity in Lebanon, Greek Orthodox Koura District (i.e. χώρα, "country" in Greek) in North Lebanon. Etymology The town of Amioun derives its name from the Aramaic language, ...

, Bziza, Mijdel,

Kaftoun Kaftoun () is a small Lebanese village located along the north bank of the Walnut River, in the Koura District of the North Governorate of Lebanon. The population of the village is approximately three-hundred, spread around seventy-four houses. Th ...

, and Darchmezzine. The Village is particularly famous for the Chalouhi, Bou Ghosn, Zoughbi, and other families. The Lebanese hailing from ''Darbechtar'' number 10,000 worldwide. 85% of them live outside Lebanon, mainly in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The population of Darbechtar is

Maronite Christian Lebanese Maronite Christians (; ) refers to Lebanese people who are members of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, the largest Christian body in the country. The Lebanese Maronite population is concentrated mainly in Mount Lebanon and East Beir ...

Etymology

The name of the village is derivative of the Aramaic words, ''Dar'' and ''Ishtar'', meaning the ''House of

Astarte Astarte (; , ) is the Greek language, Hellenized form of the Religions of the ancient Near East, Ancient Near Eastern goddess ʿAṯtart. ʿAṯtart was the Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic equivalent of the East Semitic language ...

''. It is believed that the village was the site of an ancient Phoenician shrine for the Goddess of Fertility.)

Demographics

In 2014,

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

made up 99.57% of registered voters in Darbechtar. 92.25% of the voters were

Maronite Catholics The Maronite Church (; ) is an Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The head of the Maronite ...

.https://lub-anan.com/المحافظات/الشمال/الكورة/دار-بعشتار/المذاهب/

Climate

''Darbechtar'' :

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

plain village with heavy rains, mild winters and hot dry arid summers. Min / Max average temperatures in Celsius Degree
Jan (8/16) Feb (9/16) Mar (10/19) Apr (13/22) May (16/25) Jun (19/27) Jul (22/29) Aug (23/30) Sep (20/29) Oct (17/27) Nov (13/22) Dec (10/18)

Environment

The village is the home of

Olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

oil production. Therefore, most of the village is planted with the ever green

Trees along with Grapes, Figs, variety of bushes, plants, and flowers.)

Olive oil extraction

Traditionally, olive oil was produced by crushing olives in stone or wooden mortars or beam presses. Nowadays, olives are ground to tiny bits, obtaining a paste that is mixed with water and processed by a

centrifuge A centrifuge is a device that uses centrifugal force to subject a specimen to a specified constant force - for example, to separate various components of a fluid. This is achieved by spinning the fluid at high speed within a container, thereby ...

, which extracts the oil from the paste, leaving behind

pomace Pomace ( ), or marc (; from French ''marc'' ), is the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruit after pressing (wine), pressing for juice or Vegetable oil, oil. It contains the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of the fruit. Grape pomace has ...

Uses of the Olive Fruit

Olive Oil is used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps, and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps. Olive oil is a healthful oil because of its high content of monounsaturated fat (mainly oleic acid) and polyphenols.)

Places of worship

There are 4 places of Christian worship in ''Darbechtar'' mainly Churches: *Church of

Saint George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

*Church of Saint Elias *Church of Saint Chalita *Church of our Lady of Saydeh *Church of St Joseph

Photo gallery

Image: Darbechtar.jpg, View of Darbechtar. Image:Church_Darbechtar.jpg, This is the Church of St. Georges. Image:The Church of St. George.jpg, This is the interior of the Church of St. Georges. Image:The Church of Saydeh.jpg, This is the Church of Saydeh. Image:The Church of Saydeh1.jpg, This is the interior of the Church of Saydeh. Image:Mar Elias Darb.jpg, This is the way leading to the Cave of St. Elias. Image:Mar Elias Darb1.jpg, This is the Cave of St. Elias. Image:Wadi Mar Elias.jpg, This is the Valley of St. Elias. The Cave of St. Elias is located in this Valley. Image:Mar Chalita1.jpg, This is the Church of Mar Chalita. Image:Naher El Asfour.jpg, Naher el Asfour. Image:Naher El Asfour1.jpg, Naher el Asfour. Image:Ain Darbechtar.jpg, You can find a spring water outlet below ground level. Image:Grapes darb.JPG, Delicious Grapes. Image:Olive_fruits_in_Darbechtar.jpg, The Olive Fruit. Image:Olea europaea (Olive orchard) in Lebanon.jpg, Green Olive Tree Field. Image:Olives Darb1.jpg, The Olive Fruit. Image:Olives Darb.jpg, The Olive Fruit Harvest.

References

External links

Dar Baaechtar
Localiban {{Koura District Populated places in Koura District Archaeological sites in Lebanon