Amioun

Amioun in Arabic: أميون‎ and other scripts of the name, are most probably transliterated from the original Amyūn. It is the capital town of the predominantly Greek Orthodox area Koura District (i.e. χωριά, villages in Greek) in the North of Lebanon.

Name

Amioun’s name is very ancient and can be traced back to the earliest Semitic and Aramean periods. The name was actually cited in the letters of Tell el Amarna, which were sent in the 14 th century B.C. by local governors in Lebanon to their overlords, the pharaohs of Egypt. Those letters provide information on conditions in Lebanon at that time. Cited in those letters is the word “ Amia”, a name that might have been used to refer to the site of present-day Amioun. In his etymological study of the names of Lebanon’s towns and villages, Anis Freiha thinks that Amioun’s name is derived from the Semitic – Aramaic word “ Emun” , which means a fortified and invincible fort.

Demographics

Amioun has a population of around 15,000. They are followers of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. Amioun is the largest entirely Greek Orthodox city in Lebanon and the whole Middle East. The inhabitants of the city are descendants of Phoenicians, Greeks and Ghassanids and they speak Arabic as a first language. The major political party in the city is the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.There also supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement, Marada Movement, Lebanese Communist Party, Kataeb and Lebanese Forces.There is a large population of people from Amioun around the world.^[1][2]

Religion, Education and Health

Amioun has 11 Greek Orthodox churches (St.George el Dahleez, St.John al Sheer,Al Sayydeh, St.Sergios, St.Barbara, St.Domitios, St.Marina, St.Phocas, St.Simon, St. George Al-Kafer and St.Gala). There are three public schools and two private. In Koura there is the only Greek Orthodox university in the world, The University of Balamand. There is a public library and a private hospital.

Location

Located in the heart of Northern Lebanon, Amioun is the administrative center of the el Koura District (the Caza of el Koura). Amioun is about 330 meters above sea level and is approximately 78 kilometers away from Beirut, Lebanon’s capital. It is about 42 kilometers away from the Cedars and 18 kilometers away from Tripoli, the center of the Province of north Lebanon (Muhafazat Ash-Shamal).

Situated between the sea and the mountains, on a chain of beautiful hills that stretch from east to west, Amioun has a distinctive location and a breathtaking view. Surrounding the hills on which Amioun is situated are olive fields in the north and vineyards, almond orchards, and olive trees in the south. Paved roads, including the Beirut-Cedars main highway, run through those hills. Long ago, when the houses that stretched on those hills were few, Amioun was called “the town of beautiful hills”. Amioun can be reached via the highway that passes through Byblos, Batroun, Chekka, and Kfarhazir. It can also be reached from Tripoli by way of Bahsas, Dahr El Ain, Aaba, and Bishmizzine.

Amioun in History

Amioun is a very old town whose history can be traced back to the earliest periods. In the past years, a number of French and German orientalists – foremost of whom was the Frenchman Ernest Renan – visited it, studied its archaeological sites, and wrote a lot about them. Amioun’s history goes back to the middle of the eolithic period. The eolithic groups that had been in this region before the arrival of the ancient Semitic peoples (around 4000 B.C. or even earlier) continued to live there during the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. This is supported by the existence of small caves in the rocky hill of Amioun, that is, in the ancient part of the town. It is in this part of Amioun that we have two of the oldest archaeological sites in the town : the cavities of the “Sheer” (the Arabic word for cliff), above which St John’s church stands, and the Cathedral of St George “ el Dahleez” ( the Arabic word for tunnel). Amioun has been inhabited since the earliest periods. In his book “The Monuments of Lebanon”, Father Lamens mentions a number of towns, one of which is “Amia” (p.76). According to Condor, this town of “Amia” is none other than present-day Amioun. If Condor’s claim is true, Amioun may be considered as the oldest town in the interior of Lebanon. ( See Condor, the Tell el Amarna Tablets, 2nd ed., London, 1894).

Amioun’s past has left its mark on different historical periods, whether ancient, medieval, or modern. Some of its monuments can be traced back to a period when different pagan religions prevailed. With the advent of Christianity, the pagan temples in Amioun were transformed into churches whose bells signalled the triumph of monotheism.

Landmarks

• Saint George Cathedral: erected over a former temple at the highest populated spot of the town, as mentioned in a circular written by instructor of history in the official Lebanese schools Choukrallah Al-Nabbout. (Fig. 1)

• Saint John "al-sheer" church: Elevated on a rocky cliff over a number of vaults in the southeastern facade of the cliff. A Triple scene of a Crusaders church (1099–1100) panoramic over the 28 man-made crypts in the facade whose carbon-dating suggests 15000–24000 years of age.

• The town of Amioun, is known being a site for the Battle of Amioun, a historical clash in 694 A.D. between the Byzantine troops, under the leadership of Murik and Murikian, and some followers of the Monothelite doctrine, as mentioned in the article below by Chedid Al-Azar.

During the 20-th century, major changes touched local population, which was based on agriculture, mainly olive, olive oil and soap production, and modify it into the highest educated society in Lebanon. This resulted in a huge percentage, almost 30%, of highly educated people, mainly in the medical domain. Now hundreds of physicians display vital positions in the motherland and abroad.

Notable residents

• Jacobo Majluta Azar, former President of the Dominican Republic
• Abdallah Saadeh, former leader of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party
• Salim Saade, member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and former member of the Lebanese Parliament
• Jacques Nasser
• Nassim Taleb, New York author of "The Black Swan"
• Dr. George N. Atiyeh
• Nadim Beik Chammas, prominent politician and benefactor.

Lebanese philosopher Nassim Nicholas Taleb describes his attachment to his hometown in the following verses:

The Taleb Palazzo in Amioun was built in 1860 for the great-great-great-great-great-grandfather of Nassim Nicholas Taleb, that being Ibrahim Taleb Nabbout by Florentine architects and completed in 1860, financed by his brothers who were silk traders. Occupied by Ibrahim, then his son Assaad Beik Taleb (there is a frame of the "firman", the "Beik" title granted by the Ottoman), then by Assaad's son Nassim Beik Taleb, then Chafic, then daughters Laure and Evelynne Taleb, then by Yvonne, Laure's only child. The residence is currently occupied by Edgar Taleb Khoury, son of Yvonne Taleb, great-grandson of Nassim Taleb.^[4]

Location

Known as Ammiya in the second millennium B.C., the modern town of Amyoun lies on an important archaeological tell. Of major interest are the churches of Mar Jurius (St. George), built on the cellar of a Roman temple, and Mar Fauqa, or St. Phocas, built by local architects during the Crusader period. The entire interior of St.Phocas is covered with Byzantine-style wall paintings of the 12th and 13th centuries. A third church is the modern red-roofed Mar Youhanna (St. John) perched on a rocky cliff with tomb openings on its southeastern facade.^[5] Near the old town government building, or "Serail," is the Chapel of Marina, an ancient burial vault converted into a chapel.^[5]

Families

• Alzuguir/EL Saghir
• Andraos
• Azar
• Atiyeh
• Barakat
• Borgi
• Darzi
• ELIAS
• Ghantous
• Hawi
• Jabbour
• Kakos
• Karam
• Khoury
• Makhlouta
• Mansur
• Nabbout
• Nassar
• Nassif
• Rizk
• Saade
• Shammas
• Taleb
• Younes
• Salem

Images

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Churches and Monasteries

There are 11 places of Christian worship in Amioun, including churches and monasteries.

Cathedrals

• Cathedral of Saint George el Dahleez (Greek Orthodox)

Churches

• Church of Saint John al Sheer (Greek Orthodox)
• Church of Al Sayydeh(Our Lady) (Greek Orthodox)
• Church of Saint Sergios (Greek Orthodox)
• Church of Saint Barbara (Greek Orthodox)
• Church of Saint Domitios (Greek Orthodox)
• Church of Saint Marina (Greek Orthodox)
• Church of Saint Phocas (Greek Orthodox)
• Church of Saint Gala(Our Lady) (Greek Orthodox)
• Church of Saint Simon (Greek Orthodox)

Monasteries

• Monastery of Saint George Al-Kafer (Greek Orthodox)

Trivia

• Politically, the inhabitants of Amioun are mostly aligned with the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.
• Amioun is the biggest Greek Orthodox settlement in the entire Lebanon.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Amioun is twinned with:

Additional information

External links

Additional pictures:

• http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/amioun.htm

Additional references:

• http://www.amioun.org/ Official site

Additional geographical information:

• http://www.fallingrain.com/world/LE/3/Amioun.html

• http://www.lebweb.com/site/lebanon-amioun-42222
• http://www.lebanonatlas.com/lebanonmajorcities/North/Amioun/index.htm

See also

• List of cities in Lebanon
• Greek Orthodox Christians in Greater Syria
• University of Balamand
• Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch

References

1. ^ http://www.localiban.org/spip.php?article734
2. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=t9LHVdWLc7gC&pg=PA510&dq=Amioun+Greek+Orthodox&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Amioun%20Greek%20Orthodox&f=false
3. ^ http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/
4. ^ http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/ancestral.htmhttp://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/ancestral.htm
5. ^ ^{a b} http://www.ikamalebanon.com/national_heritage/north_nh/north_cities_nh/amyoun.htm