Bsharri District

Bsharri District
District
Kadisha valley, Bsharri District
Location in Lebanon
Country	Lebanon
Governorate	North Governorate
Capital	Bsharri
Area
• Total	60 sq mi (156 km2)
Population
• Estimate  (31 December 2017)	28,231
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Bsharri District (often spelled Bsharre, Bcharre or Bcharreh) is one of the seven districts (qadaa, قضاء) of the North Governorate, Lebanon.

Surrounded by mountains, the Bsharri District sits on cliffs. The district is bordered by the Zgharta and Miniyeh-Danniyeh Districts to the north, the Koura District to the west, the Baalbek District to the east, and the Batroun District to the south.

This district is a cluster of 26 villages. most of them are 1,000 meters above sea level and higher. Within the district is one of the most important landmarks to Eastern Christianity and Maronite history - Qannubin Monastery. The major part of the Kadisha Valley, known as Qannoubine Valley is where Hermits have resided since around the year 600 CE, the last being Father Antonios Tarabay (fr), whose file at the Vatican is progressing toward beatification. He lived most of his life in the ancient Monastery of Saint Elisha located in a grotto deep in the Qannoubine Valley. In this valley, there are more than 26 monasteries all more than 1,000 years old. The top part of the valley is the location of the legendary cedar forest, the Cedars of God.

The population of the district was estimated to be 76,831 by the Ministry of Social Affairs.[1] The capital of the district is Bsharri.

The Bsharri district is populated by more than 94% Maronite Christian. Having some 37 churches, Bsharri is sometimes called the "City of Churches."[2] Five saints recognized by the Catholic Church hailed from Lebanon. The most prominent is Saint Charbel from Bekaa Kafra, the town with the highest elevation in the district.[3] Many people from Lebanon and other countries in the world greatly honor Saint Charbel, known for his miracles of healing for Christians, Muslims, and those from all religious backgrounds who visit his hometown, seeking his intercession.[4]

Bsharri has deep religious roots for Christianity, as Maronites used the caves within the cliffs to hide and escape religious persecution. These caves could not be reached by horses or heavily armed soldiers. The area survived several invasions including the Mamluk Sultanate invasion that was known for its brutality. This Maronite stronghold became a refuge for persecuted Christians in the area, due to its geographic characteristics with protective mountains for all the towns around the valley. During winter, the snow covers the mountains, and this further isolates the area as it becomes accessible only from two entrances at the beginning of Kadisha valley, which translates to the "Holy Valley."[5] This location played a crucial and historical role through the years for the persecuted Maronites who fled to Bsharri.[6][7]

The Cedars of Lebanon are also known as the Cedars of God, and are mentioned 103[8] times in the Bible. Historically, the timber of these trees was exploited by numerous empires that crossed Lebanon, including the Phoenicians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Turks, Romans, Arabs, Israelites, Persians, and Babylonians.[9] The trees were used by King Solomon to build the Temple in Jerusalem and by the Phoenicians to build merchant ships; the resin was used by the Egyptians for mummification.[10] The cedars forest used to grow and thrive across Mount Lebanon but today they are endangered as only 375 trees remain.[11] The cedar tree on the Lebanese flag represents a national symbol, as Lebanon is referred to as the Land of the Cedars[12] and symbolizes eternity, prosperity, and steadiness.[13]

Charbel Makhlouf, Maronite monk and priest known as the Miracle Monk of Lebanon, was born in Bekaa Kafra.

Khalil Gibran, a writer, painter, sculptor, and philosopher, was born and raised in Bsharri prior to immigrating to the United States.

Anthony Peter Arida, bishop of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tripoli and 73rd Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, was born in Bqarqacha.

According to registered voters in 2014:

Number of registered voters (21+ years old) over the years.

Years	Men	Women	Total	Growth (%)
2009	23,173	23,236	46,409	—N/a
2010	23,355	23,352	46,707	+0.64%
2011	22,956	23,238	46,194	-1.11%
2012	23,213	23,478	46,691	+1.06%
2013	23,662	23,846	47,508	+1.72%
2014	23,893	24,067	47,960	+0.94%
2015	24,129	24,298	48,427	+0.96%
2016	24,263	24,537	48,800	+0.76%
2017	24,400	24,684	49,084	+0.58%
2018	24,708	24,897	49,605	+1.05%
2019	25,018	25,129	50,147	+1.08%
2020	25,182	25,302	50,484	+0.67%
2021	25,295	25,382	50,677	+0.38%
2022	25,409	25,485	50,894	+0.43%
2023	25,462	25,489	50,951	+0.11%
2024	25,559	25,627	51,186	+0.46%
2025	25,653	25,668	51,321	+0.26%
2026	—N/a	—N/a	51,487	+0.32%
Source: DGCS [1]

• Hadath el Jebbeh#Jebbeh for the meaning of Jebbeh, Jebbet

34°15′04″N 36°00′40″E / 34.251062°N 36.010973°E / 34.251062; 36.010973