Bsharri

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Administration
Bsharri (بشري)
Bsharri as seen from the Gibran Museum (facing west).
Country	Lebanon
Governorate	North Governorate
District	Bsharri District
Geography
Bsharri Location of Bsharri, Lebanon
Coordinates	34°15′5″N, 36°5′50″E
Elevation	1400 m

Bsharri (also spelled Becharre, Bcharre, Bsharre; Arabic: بشري‎), is a Lebanese city at 1,400 m of altitude, near the Kadisha Valley. It is located at around 34°15′5″N, 36°5′50″E, in the Bsharri District of the North Governorate. Bsharri is just under the Cedar forest and is the birthplace of the famous poet, painter and sculptor Khalil Gibran.

Bsharri was the site of a Phoenician settlement in ancient times. Maronite Christians fleeing persecution were attracted to its mountainous terrain in the 7th Century AD. The valley of Kadisha, below the town, became the spiritual center of the Maronite Church. The town was known as Buissera by the Crusades.

In Lebanon, Bsharri natives are characterized as valiant and fiercely tribal. They are especially known for their distinct accent when they speak Arabic. Unlike other parts of Lebanon, Aramaic was spoken in Bsharri well into the 1800s. As a result, Bsharri natives developed an unmistakably strong accent which lasts to this day.

During the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990), Bsharri was a bastion of Christian resistance against Leftist and Islamist forces. Samir Geagea, became head of the Christian Lebanese Forces (LF) movement in 1986 and is a Bsharri native. Many LF militiamen were drawn from the town during the civil war.

Today, the village is located in a highly touristic zone (Gibran Tomb and Museum, Kadisha Valley, Cedars of Lebanon forest, Ski resort, Bka'kafra (the birthplace of St Charbel).