Sahel Alma () is a village located in the

Keserwan District Keserwan District (, transliteration: ''Qaḍā' Kisrawān'') is a district (''qadaa'') in Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon, to the northeast of Lebanon's capital Beirut. The capital, Jounieh, is overwhelmingly Maronite Christian. The area ...

of the

Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate Keserwan-Jbeil () is the most recently created governorate of Lebanon. It consists of the districts of Jbeil and Keserwan. Keserwan-Jbeil covers an area of and is bounded by the North Governorate to the north, the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate to ...

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 constitutes along with three other villages (Sarba, Haret Sakher and Ghadir) the area known as Jounieh. Sahel Alma is situated between the coast of Jounieh bay and the mountain of Harissa. It is one of the few villages on the Lebanese coast that still offers oId Lebanese houses, landscapes as well as traditions and family/neighbors relationships. The village is a known destination for hiking along the "Darb el Sama" trail that leads to Our Lady of Lebanon sanctuary.

Etymology

Sahel Alma consists of two words in Arabic that mean, Sahel: Coast ساحل and Alma: On the water علماء. Some people also explain that Alma means العلماء - the scientists who used to visit the village to find fish fossils at the nearby

fossil site This list of Paleontological site, fossil sites is a worldwide list of localities known well for the presence of fossils. Some entries in this list are notable for a single, unique find, while others are notable for the large number of fossils ...

of the same name.

Nature

Sahel Alma is famous for lemon fruit and its gardens are filled with lemon trees. Greengage, loquat and plums are also typically found there. During spring the scent of orange blossom is noticeable and orange blossom water as well as rose water are traditionally produced by the villagers. The water coming from the spring above the village (نبع رأس ألماء) irrigates all the planted terraces through canals that cater all the houses.

Religion

The village has a

Maronite Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...

population following two parishes (St Nohra and St Doumit) under the Maronite diocese of Jounieh. The parish of St Nohra holds masses in the main church of St Nohra, and occasionally in the monastery of St Georges and the monastery of Baklouch.

References

Populated places in Keserwan District {{lebanon-geo-stub