Al-Qaouzah

Contents

Al-Qaouzah (also spelled Al-Qawzah, Arabic: القوزح, romanized: al-Qawzaḥ)[1] is a municipality located in the Caza of Bint Jbeil in the Nabatiye Governorate in Lebanon.

Geography

Al-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

The main agricultural products of Al-Qaouzah are olive, carob and tobacco. Al-Qaouzah 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]

History

Late 19th Century

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.”[5]

20th Century

The Saint Joseph church was built in 1927.[6]

21st Century

In July 2006, Al-Qaouzah, like other villages that string Lebanon's southern border, such as Ain Ebel, Debel, Rmaish, and Yaroun, was caught in the 2006 Lebanon War of Hezbollah and the Israeli army.[7]

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.[8]

Al-Qaouzah, like other villages along the border, was caught in the crossfire during the 2023 Israel–Lebanon border conflict.[9][10]

Demographics

In 2014 Christians made up 97.59% of registered voters in Al-Qaouzah. 92.03% of the voters were Maronite Catholics.[11]

References

  1. 1.Conder, C. R. (Claude Reignier); Palestine Exploration Fund; Kitchener, Horatio Herbert Kitchener; Palmer, Edward Henry (1881). The survey of Western Palestine : Arabic and English name lists collected during the survey. Robarts - University of Toronto. London : Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
  2. 2.Germany, Yara (July 22, 2022). "Qaouzah, un village qui fleure bon le thym". L'Orient Le Jour. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  3. 3.Germany, Yara (July 22, 2022). "Qaouzah, un village qui fleure bon le thym". L'Orient Le Jour. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  4. 4.Pavec, Priscille (June 15, 2018). "Au Liban-Sud, « sur un foyer de guerre, construire un foyer de paix »". L'Orient Le Jour. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  5. 5.Conder, C. R. (Claude Reignier); Kitchener, Horatio Herbert Kitchener; Palmer, Edward Henry; Besant, Walter (1881–1883). The survey of western Palestine : memoirs of the topography, orography, hydrography, and archaeology. Robarts - University of Toronto. London : Committee of the Palestine exploration fund.
  6. 6."Seize jours dans une cave pendant la guerre: le récit d'un couple libanais". La Libre. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  7. 7.Jervis, Rick (20 August 2006). "Archbishop tells church to stay in Lebanon: 'You'll make it'". USA Today. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  8. 8."Tachtouch returns to Lebanon after monkeying around in Israel". The Times of Israel. AFP. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  9. 9."Hezbollah's threats to Israel harm Christian Lebanese villages analysis". The Jerusalem Post. 2023-10-22. ISSN 0792-822X. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  10. 10."Israeli strike kills Lebanese soldier — Lebanese army". The Jordan Times. AFP. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  11. 11."التوزيع حسب المذاهب للناخبين/ناخبات في بلدة القوزح، قضاء بنت جبيل محافظة النبطية في لبنان".