Qaouzah (also spelled El Kouzah, Arabic: القوزح)[1] is a Lebanese village located in the Caza of Bint Jbeil in the Nabatiye Governorate in Lebanon.

Qaouzah
القوزح
Village
Map showing the location of Qaouzah within Lebanon
Map showing the location of Qaouzah within Lebanon
Qaouzah
Location within Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°07′17″N 35°20′22″E / 33.12139°N 35.33944°E / 33.12139; 35.33944
Grid position181/280 PAL
Country Lebanon
GovernorateNabatieh Governorate
DistrictBint Jbeil District
Highest elevation
800 m (2,600 ft)
Lowest elevation
700 m (2,300 ft)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Dialing code+961

Geography

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Qaouzah occupies a hill with elevation ranging from 700 to 800 meters above sea level. It is located 110 km south of Beirut.[2]

Vegetation

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The main agricultural products of Qaouzah are olive, carob and tobacco. Qauouzah is celebrated for the quality of its thyme and za'atar production.[3]

The Saint Joseph forest stretches from the village to the border.[4]

Demography

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The people of Qaouzah are Lebanese and are almost exclusive Maronite Christians.[5]

History

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Late 19th Century

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In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it: "A small village, containing about 100 Christians, with a small Christian chapel situated on a hill-top, with figs, olives, and arable land; a few cisterns for the water supply.”[6]

20th Century

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The Saint Joseph church was built in 1927.[7]

21st Century

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In July 2006, Qaouzah, like other villages that string Lebanon's southern border, such as Ain Ebel, Debel, Rmaich, and Yaroun, was caught in the 2006 Lebanon War of Hezbollah and the Israeli army.[8]

In 2019, a monkey owned by Sister Beatrice Mauger, who runs a peace project in the village, breached the border with Israel, and after a week on the loose and media frenzy, was returned to its owner by United Nations peacekeepers.[9]

Qaouzah, like other villages along the border, was caught in the crossfire during the 2023 Israel–Lebanon border conflict.[10][11]

References

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  1. ^ ”The height or top”, according to Palmer 1881, p. 87
  2. ^ Germany, Yara (22 July 2022). "Qaouzah, un village qui fleure bon le thym". L'Orient Le Jour. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Germany, Yara (22 July 2022). "Qaouzah, un village qui fleure bon le thym". L'Orient Le Jour. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  4. ^ Pavec, Priscille (15 June 2018). "Au Liban-Sud, « sur un foyer de guerre, construire un foyer de paix »". L'Orient Le Jour. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  5. ^ Beydoun, Ahmad. Le Liban: itinéraires dans une guerre incivile. Paris, France: Karthala. p. 153.
  6. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 202
  7. ^ "Seize jours dans une cave pendant la guerre: le récit d'un couple libanais". La Libre. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  8. ^ USATODAY.com - Archbishop tells church to stay in Lebanon: 'You'll make it'
  9. ^ "Tachtouch returns to Lebanon after monkeying around in Israel". The Times of Israel. AFP. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Hezbollah's threats to Israel harm Christian Lebanese villages analysis". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  11. ^ "Israeli strike kills Lebanese soldier — Lebanese army". The Jordan Times. AFP. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.

Bibliography

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