Rmeileh is a Lebanese municipality in

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 ...

Mount Lebanon Governorate Mount Lebanon Governorate () is one of the nine governorates of Lebanon, of which it is the most populous. Its capital is Baabda. Other notable towns and cities include Aley, Bikfaya, and Beit Mery. This governorate is named after the mount ...

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 ...

. The town belongs to the Federation of North Iqlim El Kharroub Municipalities.

Geography

Rmeileh is located approximately north of

Sidon Sidon ( ) or better known as Saida ( ; ) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the South Governorate, Lebanon, South Governorate, of which it is the capital. Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre, t ...

and south of Lebanon's capital city,

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 above sea level and covers an area of . Rmeileh sits on hills close to the sea, by the

Awali River The Awali ( / ALA-LC: ''Nahr al-Awalī'', ancient Bostrenus / Bostrenos) is a perennial river flowing in Southern Lebanon. In ancient times it was known as Asclepius River. The long Awali originates from the Barouk mountain at a height of and ...

. It is bordered to the south by the towns of Elman and Jamilla, to the east by Wardaniyeh town, and to the north by the town of Siblin.

Etymology

Rmeileh most likely got its name from the nature and location of its sandy beach. In Greek, it is known as ''Polatamos'', but in the

Syriac language The Syriac language ( ; ), also known natively in its spoken form in early Syriac literature as Edessan (), the Mesopotamian language () and Aramaic (), is an Aramaic#Eastern Middle Aramaic, Eastern Middle Aramaic dialect. Classical Syriac is ...

, the name is derived from the word ''Armela'' meaning "beach".

History

Hill caves suggest a settlement on this site since earliest times. The ancient town of Rmeileh was located near the modern church. Rmeileh has been important because of its proximity to

. The town has been mentioned, as Palatamos, in conflicts between

Antiochus III the Great Antiochus III the Great (; , ; 3 July 187 BC) was the sixth ruler of the Seleucid Empire, reigning from 223 to 187 BC. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the rest of West Asia towards the end of the 3rd century BC. Rising to th ...

and the

Ptolemaic Kingdom The Ptolemaic Kingdom (; , ) or Ptolemaic Empire was an ancient Greek polity based in Ancient Egypt, Egypt during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 305 BC by the Ancient Macedonians, Macedonian Greek general Ptolemy I Soter, a Diadochi, ...

. In 1863,

Ernest Renan Joseph Ernest Renan (; ; 27 February 18232 October 1892) was a French Orientalist and Semitic scholar, writing on Semitic languages and civilizations, historian of religion, philologist, philosopher, biblical scholar, and critic. He wrote wo ...

found ruins of the ancient city. He found a "unique" stone cut in the Egyptian style and stones spread throughout the town cut from sarcophagi from different eras. In a number of caves, excavators found pieces of pottery and tools. Glass and various currencies were found on the sandy beach by the town. The ancient walls were built of sandstone, and inside were broken mosaics. The discoveries at Rmeileh were similar to those in Jiyeh and Khaldeh, Sidon and Chehim.

Demographics

The population of Rmeileh is about 3,300.

Agriculture

Fruits and vegetables are grown, including almkhovh,

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 ...

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

, citrus fruits,

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

guava Guava ( ), also known as the 'guava-pear', is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava '' Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), nativ ...

Tourism of Rmeileh

Archaeological sites

* The remains of the old town: the old town was located on a nearby hill, by the old church. Spread throughout the modern town are many sandy and rocky stones that were used in its construction, evidence of the ancient settlement existing on this hill and underneath modern buildings. * Cemeteries: spread throughout the town and its environs is a large number of tombs carved in the rock, notably those near the modern church.

Religious sites

* Church of the Old City: Located to the east of the new church, this is a rectangular building in length, wide, and high. In front of a small courtyard to the north is a small bell tower. * Modern church: the Church of Saint Anthony the Great was built about fifty years ago. It is located in the center of town and is characterized by its large size and the beautiful icons that adorn it. * Mar Elias shrine: Located in the southernmost part of the town, on the north bank of the river amid lemon groves and land cultivated with vegetables, it is a small room near a courtyard.

Natural features

* Beaufort cave: located near Gemmaiza spring, it is a large cave consisting of calcareous rocks. * Gemmaiza spring: Located at the bottom of the valley, to the south of the town, near Nabah engraved rock, it is currently being restored as a tourist attraction.

Notable People

*Georges Chaaya, Singer and Conductor of "Voice of Heaven Choir". *Judge Tanios El-Khoury, Former president of the Supreme Judicial Council

References

{{Chouf District, state=autocollapse Populated places in Chouf District Archaeological sites in Lebanon