Zgharta

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Zgharta, or Zghorta (زغرتا Arabic) is a large town in North Lebanon, with an estimated population of around 70,000. It is the seat of Zgharta District (Qadaa' Zgharta). Zgharta is closely related to the mountain town of Ehden, essentially sharing the same population. Each summer, most Zghartawis move to their summer dwelling in Ehden; this is reversed in winter when Ehden is practically deserted. Zghartawis speak the Lebanese dialect with a distinctive accent, the original Syriac accent applied on Arabic language. Syriac was taught in local schools till the mid 1900s.

Zgharta's political influence in Lebanon has been disproportionately larger than its size. It produced two Presidents of Lebanon: Suleiman Frangieh and Rene Moawad, and many prominent politicians: Hamid Frangieh, Suleiman Frangieh, Jr( former PM), Simon El Douaihy, Nayla Moawad(actual PM), Estephan El Douaihy( former PM), Tony Frangieh, Samir Frangieh(actual PM),Jawad Makary(actual PM) and many others. Ehden also produced at least two patriarchs of the Maronite church (Stephen El Douaihy and Hanna (John) Makhlouf El Douaihy), and an Ottoman era nationalist leader (Youssef Karam) who led a rebellion against Turkish rule. Political power in Zgharta district is dominated by a few rival families from the town: the El Douaihy, Karam, Frangieh and Mouawad. The surrounding villages and towns, though populous and prosperous, have little political power. The population is predominantly Christian, with Maronites being a majority.

During the Lebanese Civil War, Zgharta (being the Christian stronghold of the north) was the frontline in the war for northern Lebanon as the Zgharta-based Marada Brigade militia successfully repulsed and responded with the attacks on Muslim and PLO militias from neighboring Tripoli.

Many historians agree that the name Zgharta has been derived from the Aramaic term "zaghar" meaning fortress and in Syriac, the term "Zegharteh" means barricades.

Traditionally, agriculture was a large portion of the local economy, with olives grown for olive-oil around Zgharta and apple orchards around Ehden. Recently, the service and manufacturing sectors have seen significant growth.

Many people from the Zgharta District have emigrated all over the world and many have been success stories in business, science and politics etc.