Kouachra (, also spelled as Kaweishra or Kavashra)
is a village in
Akkar Governorate,
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 ...
. It is located approximately 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 ...
and north of
Tripoli.
[
]
Location
Kouachra is located in Akkar District, near Al Qoubaiyat about an hour's drive from Tripoli. The village is situated on flat terrain at an altitude of above sea level.[ The village has a small artificial lake.
]
Population
Kouachra has a population of about 2,800 people, mostly of Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
Lebanese Turkmen origin.[ And most of its residents are farmers.][
]
Turkish identity
Owing to its Turkish ethnic identity, the village was visited by the President of Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in 2010 and has received Turkish developmental assistance and funding, including university scholarships in Turkey.[
According to one local resident: "After Ottoman rule ended in Lebanon, we decided to stay on our land. We still maintain our ]Turkish language
Turkish ( , , also known as 'Turkish of Turkey') is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, a member of Oghuz languages, Oghuz branch with around 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and one of two official languag ...
and traditions."[
The village also houses several hundred Syrian Turkmen who have fled the Syrian Civil War.]
See also
* Turks in Lebanon
References
{{Akkar District
Populated places in Akkar District
Sunni Muslim communities in Lebanon