Kobayat at a Glance

The name

It is Aramaic name, that means the big pools of water for being very rich in water.

The position

Kobayat is located at the northeast of the Lebanese Republic, 140km away from Beirut, the capital. It is limited at the west by the village "Akkar el Attika", at the East by the line which separates the two districts of Akkar (North) and the Hermel (Bekaa).

It spreads along 70 km2 almost. Its limits are:

At the west: Kobayat - Akkar Attika - Halba.
At the East: Kobayat - Andaket - Chadra - the Syrian borders.

At the north-West: Kobayat - Halba - Tripoli.

At the south: Kobayat - Hermel - Baalbeck..

The Population

Kobayat had known many populations since a long time. And the populations of the historical periods had left their traces and signs indicating their passage. From the Phoenician to the Roman, to the Byzantine, to the Arabic, to the soldiers of the crusades, to the Ottoman until French.

All its population are all Maronites and they are the 12000 persons according to the civil state registers. (among them 8300 voters in 1992). It is usually full with people during summer but a few stay during the winter.

 
The emigration started since the last decade of the 19th century in direction of Brazil and Venezuela, it continues until our days toward all corners of the world.

The inhabited places vary in altitude of 550 meters height in altitude (Zouk district) to 900 meters (Katlabeh district). The inhabitants are distributed among seven districts, seven parishes and seven mayoralties. The districts-parishes are: Gharbiyeh, Martmoura, South-Zouk (Saydet), Zouk, Dahr, Ghowaya, Katlabeh.

Its History

Kobayat is a young city, fruit of the determination and the ambition. It is an authentic page of the history of ancient and modern Lebanon, a cultural stage in the depths of Akkar where one can find the nobility of history and the first fruits of modernity.

Its History is that of the "fertile valley" at very time and place; in other words, it has been a center of attraction for the peopleswho desired a stability based upon agriculture, and according to this principle was born the civilization.

One of the French consuls in Lebanon "Ducousso" described it in 1912 by the following words: "These valleys are foscinating by their surprising fertility". This is how Kobayat has been for a long time the residence of several peoples. Its ruins are the witness of its ancient people: cemeteries from the age of iron and copper (3000 years BC).

It is located on the silk road, between East and West Asia through the Mediterranean, towards Rome, the capital of the ancient world.

A phoenician and pagan altar in front of "St.Chahlo" church, Phoenician, Greek and Roman pieces of currency at "Ghassalet" church and "Chahlo", Roman tombs in every parts, as well as two luxurious Roman ruins are all witnesses of the great prosperity in the Roman age during the first centuries of Christianity: The first is the temple of the God "Ban", in Helsban Saint Valley, transformed in a church baptized under the name of st. Artimos-Challita. The second is one majestic castles to chouita, witness of the events of the omeyade-Byzantine duel in Orient. Be added to it, a third witness, the hill where is constructed the convent currently Mar Doumit of the Carmelite Fathers; considerable thanks to its vast place, to its subsisting bases and to the found jars.

Some Historic Stages

In 1557, a poet of "zajal" appeared from Kobayat, He is Sema'an Ibn Chama'a el Kobayati.

In 1589, two priests from Kobayat Simon and Sarkis participated to the aggregation of Kannoubine with the emissary of Pope Eliano.

In 1614, the brother Daniel el Akkari from the farm Chouita-Kobayat constructed the convent of St.Thomas in Hasroune.

The 17th Century: during this century the name of Kobayat began to appear in the documents of the legislative court in Tripoli as being the biggest village in Akkar paying the taxes of engagement.

The Administration
Kobayat has been the biggest agglomeration of inhabitants in Akkar since the Ottoman age and it continues to be nowadays. That's why it had one of the first municipalities of Akkar in 1912. In 1922, in the beginning of the French mandate, Kobayat became a center of "Caïm-macamiya". However, after the reunification of Akkar into one "Caïm-macamiya", Kobayat became again a municipal administration and became an official administrative center of attraction.

The Official Centers
The official centers are: a court, a civil states register, a state police, a center of General Safety, a center of social welfare, a public polyclinic, a post office and a telephonic center, a public laboratory of analysis, a center of civil Defense, a notary, an electrical station, water service of Kobayat, a center subordinated to the state control of tobacco and tombac.

Educational institutions
Public: kindergarten, primary, complementary and secondary classes, teachers college.
Private: kindergarten, primary, complementary, of the Carmelite fathers.
The kindergarten, primary classes, complementary of the Charity's sisters.
private technical School.
Nursery School belonging to the hospital Saydet el Salam.

Civil institutions
Agricultural cooperative, several groups Scouts of Lebanon, the guides, an environment council, a Caritas center, public Library…

Private medical institution
Hospital Saydet el Salam (Our Lady of the Peace) for the sisters Antonines.
Malta's knights polyclinic.
Pharmacies, many clinics covering all medical fields.

The Economy
It is particulary based nowadays on the employment, the trade, the agriculture then the industry.

The public Employment
Most of the employees are part of the military service (army, police state, general security, customs, civil defense). Others occupy administrative functions from the lower ranks until the rank of ambassador and general director; in the educational field from the academic professors, to elemetary teachers.

Free professions
Every field is occupied by many of: physicians, engineers, lawyers, business mans. Kobayat occupied some ministries of some governments whereas it is nearly represented continually at the parliament by a deputy.

The Trade
Very active since it is located at a crossing of roads and that it is a center for governmental departments.

The Agriculture
It prospered there the culture of the blackberries that disappeared today to be replaced by fruitful trees: grapevines, apple trees, pear trees, cherry trees and especially olive trees. Then the tobacco, the vegetables and the seeds.

There are also some farms of poultries, some herds of goats and sheep and some fishponds of fish. It was one of the richest regions of Lebanon in forests, but during the civil war, the fire has consumed a big part of it. Some forests of pines and oaks remain only which crown its hills and place Kobayat in a setting of greenery and brightness.

The Industry
Kobayat knew a big prosperity in the manufacture of silk son, and since the beginning of the 20th century, she included six closed factories in the middle of the century. The witness of this former prosperity is the big renovated factory (modern) of which the chimney, similar to an exclamation point of thirty meters of height in the middle of the city, rise the big buildings that can include more than hundred workers above.

Among the extinct industries and that returned good incomes for the city: Tar and wood. While its factories produce the housekeeping products, milk and its derivatives, currently, of the pastries. As well as of the yards of iron and aluminum.

The Factories
We speak below about silk factories (spinning-mill).

The industry of undoing the threads of cocoon has raised in the beginning on one wheel placed a in any place the only condition is a spring water and a shadow of a tree. Later on with the development of this craft the edifice has transformed into a wide hall surrounded by offices and stores, above it raises a high chimney. The hall has been widened more and more, its interior coincides with the modern criteria where it contains big caldrons wheels and corridors to allow more than a hundred of workers to work. From this new style, the factory of al Cazini remains whose tower raises up to 30m.

The industry of undoing the threads of cocoon has raised in the beginning on one simple wheel, placed at any place: Only were sufficient a deaf of water and the shade of a tree. Thereafter, and with the development of this profession, the building changed a large room surrounded with offices and stores, above it rises a high chimney. The room enlarged more and more, its inside answers the modern criteria where it contains big caldrons wheels and corridors to allow more than a hundred of workers to work.

From this new style, the factory of "al Cazini" remains whose tower raises up to 30 meters.

Other Services
Superior level restaurants: Morgan, Monte verde, Challal Essamaq (Torrent of fish), Due mila, Al-Jandoul (Gondola), other restaurants inside the city, Snack bar and pastries.

Cultural situation
The percentage of education is very high: it is very rare to find someone illiterate. The academic students are by hundreds and many of them have their Doctorate, among them people of letters and writers. The education constituted an important lever for the development that took place in the 20th century.

The institution of the organized education is due to the Italian religious mission of the Carmelite fathers who arrived to Kobayat in the middle of the 19th century undertaking a cultural and social activity beside the spiritual one. Since they established a free school for the poor in order to assure for them books, with some meals and clothes, especially for the orphans. This school activity propagated itself in the beginning of the 20th century when the main school has been divided into several branches in the districts moved away of the center. The fruits of which inhabitants of Kobayat has gathered later economically and socially: When the French mandate instituted a military barrack at the neighborhood, several young people joined it and they are educated in such a way they quickly progressed in ranks, and their incomes contributed to the development of their city whereas their propagation in the cities during the independence facilitated to their sons to join the universities to acquire a high education that allowed them to occupy the functions and the important jobs.

The Churches
From its beginning, the church started with looking like houses of dwelling. Then the art of construction of the churches developed itself with the development of the liturgy and according to the economic situations. It generated several changes as for example, in the beginning of the 20th century, the East wall was engraved vertically to put there, above the altar, a big picture for the Saint of the church, imported from Europe. So the church is itself transformed from a simple cubic room to a luxurious church with a complex architectural style like the church of the Carmelite Fathers in Kobayat: an example of wideness, splendor of the sculpture and ornamentation.

As for the pastoral churches, they are the following:

The church of the miraculous Saydet el Ghassalet (an old and a new building), Saydet el Habal (Zouk), Saydet el Intisar (Our Lady of the Victories in Katlabeh), Mar Charbel (Katlabeh), Saydet Moura (Martmoura), Saydet el Intikal (Dahr), Mar Gerges (Ghowaya), Mar Doumit (the convent of the Carmelite Fathers), Saydet el Chambouk, The 40 martyrs (Gharbieh).

In Andaket, the pastoral churches are: Mar Challita, Mar Maroun (new), Our Lady.

The monumental sanctuaries are: Mar elias (Oudine), Mar Elian, Mar saba, Mar Challita, Mar Sarkis and Bakhos, Saydet Kammah, Mar Gerges in Chouita, Saydet Ghazrata, Saydet Chahlo, convent of Saint Georges in Martmoura.

It is not necessary to forget the ancient ruins in Akroum most of which are churches and convents as well as the church Mar Challita and Saydat el Qalaa, in Menjez.

The Houses of dwelling
The Lebanese village home is known by its function: a chimney around which meets the family to warm themselves, to cook, to eat and to sleep next to a stall where regroup the beasts. In front of the house a big terrace extends where one can lay and can spend the summer season. The animal was precious, being a daily livelihood as for example, the dairy cow, the slipper of the builders and the camel who shared the home with its owner and specified the architecture of the house: the door of the cows was low and narrow whereas the one of the camels is large and high to permit their passage. A screen of rosebushes or sticks of oleanders with the mud separated the man from the beasts.

The house of the sheikh and the priest differentiated itself by the high room: a room of stones crammed with a door engraved with openings in the two sides to place some oil lamps there in order to illuminate the visitor's way. Under the high room, a cellar represented a garage for the notable's setting being a mare or a champion.

With the blooming of the commercial market and the arrival of the pecuniary capitals to Kobayat at the end of the 19th century, it came back to the sheikh of the parts the money of the silk production, more particularly: the administrators, mediators, and tradesmen. They benefited from this to invest in the construction of very luxurious houses with the help of the constructors the most clever and most famous in Orient from Aleppo and Dhour el Choueir. So they have decorated and sculpted the statuaries, especially the lions, the fruits, the flowers and all object of the nature, mingling the arts of local construction to those European.

Then the money of the emigrants contributed to bloom the elegant districts of tile while being inspired at the same time by the western and local style.

As for the incomes of the volunteers of the army and the police state, they added to the history of the construction in Kobayat, the wide houses, in stone, with facades of the Lebanese style of three or two arches and stairs of stone and ravens holding the balconies and the wide arches opening on big halls.

Conclusion
Kobayat is a beautiful rural city that springs toward the glory in full quietude. Embraced by the mountains, it looks toward its noble at past in all conscience and maturity but advances toward the future with confidence and ambition. It dreams for modernization under the care of its sons that cherishes it a lot and fights for its rebirth.

to be continued