Chouf District

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Chouf (also spelled Shouf, Shuf or Chuf; Template:Langx) is a historic region of Lebanon, as well as an administrative district in the governorate (muhafazat) of Mount Lebanon.

Geography

Located south-east of Beirut, the region comprises a narrow coastal strip notable for the Christian town of Damour, and the valleys and mountains of the western slopes of Jabal Barouk, the name of the local Mount Lebanon massif, on which the largest forest of Cedars of Lebanon is found. The mountains are high enough to receive snow.

History

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File:Baadarane.png
Remains of a palace in Baadarâne, Chouf, Lebanon
File:Prophet Job Shrine.jpg
Prophet Job shrine in Niha village, Chouf, Lebanon[1]
File:Christian Church and Druze khalwa in Maaser el Chouf.jpg
Christian Church and Druze shrine in Maaser el Chouf: Historically, the Druze and the Christians in the Shuf Mountains have lived in complete harmony.[2]

The Emirs of Mount Lebanon resided in Chouf, most notably Druze Emir Fakhr al-Din II, who attained considerable power and autonomy from the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century. He is often referred to as the founder of modern Lebanon although his area of influence and control included parts of Palestine and Syria. Another emir is Bachir Chehab II, who built the palace of Beiteddine during the first half of the 19th century. Deir al Qamar (the monastery of the Moon) is also in the Chouf region.

The relationship between the Druze and Christians in Chouf was characterized by peaceful coexistence.[2] In the early eighteenth century, the communities lived side by side in relative harmony.[3]

However, in 1848, 1860, and again in 1983-1984, during the Lebanese Civil War (Mountain War, Arabic: Harb el-Jabal), fighting broke out between the Christian and Druze communities in the Chouf.

At the end of January 1989, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who lived at the Jumblatt palace in the town of Moukhtara, came up with a plan to help Christians return to their homes after an estimated 300,000 had fled during the fighting. The initiative was supported by Dany Chamoun. In March the plan was shelved following General Michel Aoun’s blockade of the Druze port at Jieh, his shelling of Souq El Gharb and the assassination of one of Jumblatt’s top aides.[4][5] Reconciliation between the Druze and Christian communities was achieved on August 8, 2001, when the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, Cardinal Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir made a historic visit to the Chouf and met with Jumblatt.

In 1989, Israel carried out air-strikes on the Chouf a few yards from a school. Two militants were killed and several schoolchildren were wounded in the attack.[6]

Demographics

According to voter registration in 2014:

Year Christians Muslims Druze
Total Maronites Greek Catholics Greek Orthodox Other Christians Total Sunnis Shias Druze
2014[7] Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar

See also

References

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  4. Middle East International No 343, 3 February 1989, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Jim Muir pp.3,4
  5. Middle East International No 346, 17 March 1989, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Jim Muir pp.6,7
  6. jets hit Beirut schoolyard
  7. https://lub-anan.com/المحافظات/جبل-لبنان/الشوف/المذاهب/

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