Damour
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Damour
الدامور | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Janna Sur Mer Resort in Damour | |
  Damour Location within Lebanon | |
| Coordinates: 33°44′N 35°27′E / 33.733°N 35.450°E | |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | Mount Lebanon Governorate |
| District | Chouf District |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.1 km2 (3.9 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 200 m (700 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 10,000 |
| • Density | 990/km2 (2,600/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Dialing code | +961 |
Damour (Arabic: الدامور) is a Lebanese Christian town that is 20 km (12 mi) south of Beirut.[1] It is located in the Chouf District in the Mount Lebanon Governorate.
Geography
[edit]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,[2] which bears its name on a dune overlooking the Mediterranean. It is surrounded by plantations of bananas and vegetable crops.[3] It has an area of 10.1 km2 (3.9 sq mi). The Beirut-Tyre Highway separates the plantations. Now dismantled, the track is a stopover.
Climate
[edit]Damour has a mild mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa).
| Climate data for Damour | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 13.2 (55.8) |
14.3 (57.7) |
16.9 (62.4) |
20.1 (68.2) |
24.1 (75.4) |
27.3 (81.1) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.7 (85.5) |
28.0 (82.4) |
24.8 (76.6) |
19.8 (67.6) |
15.3 (59.5) |
21.9 (71.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 9.1 (48.4) |
9.9 (49.8) |
12.4 (54.3) |
15.5 (59.9) |
19.5 (67.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
25.0 (77.0) |
25.2 (77.4) |
23.5 (74.3) |
20.2 (68.4) |
15.1 (59.2) |
11.0 (51.8) |
17.4 (63.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.3 (41.5) |
5.8 (42.4) |
7.8 (46.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
14.2 (57.6) |
17.9 (64.2) |
20.3 (68.5) |
20.8 (69.4) |
19.2 (66.6) |
15.9 (60.6) |
10.9 (51.6) |
7.3 (45.1) |
13.0 (55.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 125 (4.9) |
125 (4.9) |
96 (3.8) |
48 (1.9) |
20 (0.8) |
3 (0.1) |
1 (0.0) |
1 (0.0) |
7 (0.3) |
28 (1.1) |
66 (2.6) |
109 (4.3) |
629 (24.7) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org (1991-2021)[4] | |||||||||||||
Religion
[edit]In 2014, Christians made up 95.98% of registered voters in Damour. 84.87% of the voters were Maronite Catholics.[5]
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
[edit]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
[edit]
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
[edit]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.[6][7] 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.[8]
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.[9] 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.[10] 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. <Orpen N & Martin H J. Salute the Sappers, part 1. 1981 Johannesburg. ISBN 0 620 05376 3> 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.[11]
During 1982 Lebanon War, the Israeli Air Force bombed Beirut and other several cities in the south, including Damour.[12]
During the 2006 Lebanon War, the Israeli Air Force destroyed several bridges on Highway Beirut-Tyre and on the Damour River.[13]
The Historical Bridge
[edit]The history of the archeological bridge dates back to the era of prince-Béchir Shehab, who ordered its construction in 1815.[14] It was considered a strategic and important transit point between Mt Lebanon and the South.[citation needed]
Heritage
[edit]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.[3] 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.[15]
Neighborhoods
[edit]- Mar Thecla El Naame
- Mar Mikhael Al Damour
- Khiyam Al Damour
- Saadiyat
- Ghandouriyeh
- Missiar
Notable people
[edit]- Ghada Georges Aoun
- Elie Saab
- Michel Aoun
- Georges Akl
- Rose Ghorayeb – Lebanese author and literary critic
- Mario Aoun (Minister)
Gallery
[edit]- Damour views
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See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Journal of Marine and Island Cultures — v1n1". jmic.online. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
- ^ Travels in Palestine and Syria, Volume 1, page 286 By George Robinson
- ^ a b Makhzoumi, Jala; Chmaitelly, Hala; Lteif, Carine (2012-06-01). "Holistic conservation of bio-cultural diversity in coastal Lebanon: A landscape approach". Journal of Marine and Island Cultures. 1 (1): 31. doi:10.1016/j.imic.2012.04.003.
- ^ "Climate: Damour". Retrieved May 8, 2025.
- ^ https://lub-anan.com/المحافظات/جبل-لبنان/الشوف/الدامور/المذاهب/
- ^ Lee, Jessica (2014). Beirut, 2nd edition: Includes Baalbek, Byblos, Chouf Mountains, Mount Lebanon. Footprint Focus (2nd ed.). Bath: Bradt Travel Guides Ltd. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-910120-13-2.
- ^ Anderson, Betty S. (2015). A history of the modern Middle East: rulers, rebels, and rogues. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-8047-8324-8.
- ^ Heraclides, Alexis; Dialla, Ada (2015), "Intervention in Lebanon and Syria, 1860–61", Humanitarian Intervention in the Long Nineteenth Century, Setting the Precedent, Manchester University Press, p. 137, retrieved 2025-05-21
- ^ "Battle of Damour". www.awm.gov.au. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
- ^ "Syrian Campaign". www.awm.gov.au. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ Traboulsi, Fawwaz (2012), "Reform by Arms (1975–1976)", A History of Modern Lebanon, Pluto Press, pp. 193–210, ISBN 978-0-7453-3274-1, retrieved 2025-05-15
- ^ Sayigh, Yezid (1983). "Israel's Military Performance in Lebanon, June 1982". Journal of Palestine Studies. 13 (1): 33. JSTOR 2536925.
- ^ AP Archive (2015-07-28). Aftermath of airstrike on Damour bridge. Retrieved 2025-05-22 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Iczm-platform". iczmplatform.org. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
- ^ "Iczm-platform". iczmplatform.org. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
Bibliography
[edit]External links
[edit]- Damour Archived 2017-03-28 at the Wayback Machine, Localiban
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
