Byblos District

Byblos District (transliteration: Qadaa' Jbeil), also called the Jbeil District (Jbeil is Lebanese Arabic for "Byblos"; standard Arabic Jubail), is a district (qadaa) of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is located to the northeast of Lebanon's capital Beirut. The capital is Byblos. The rivers of al-Madfoun and Nahr Ibrahim form the district's natural northern and southern borders respectively, with the Mediterranean Sea bordering it from the west and Mount Lebanon from the east, separating it from the adjacent district of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley.
Demographics
The district's population is predominantly Maronite Catholic, followed by a Shia Muslim minority community. The largest towns of the district are predominantly inhabited by Maronites; notably Byblos, Qartaba, Aqoura and Amsheet. Most Shia Muslims live in the villages of Almat, Ras Osta, Hjoula and Bichtlida, and in the jurd highlands of Lassa, Afqa and Mazraat es-Siyad. A Greek Orthodox minority forms part of the population and is spread among several villages know locally as qornet el-roum (the corner of the Greek Orthodox). The villages that make up qournet el-roum are Mounsef, Jeddayel, Helwe, Berbara, Gharzouz, Rihanneh and Chikhane.
Byblos District has three seats allocated to it in the Lebanese Parliament. Two of these seats are allocated to Maronite Catholics, while the other seat is allocated to Shia Muslims. As of 2009, the religious make-up of the Byblos District's 75,584 voters were roughly 80% Maronite Catholic, 5% Shia Muslim and 5% Greek Orthodox.
Landmarks and sights
The Byblos District rises from 0 to 2,300 meters above sea level in the north. "Jabal el-Mnaitra" is also in the district, and said to have an altitude of 2,911/2,807 meters above sea level, but this isn't confirmed.
Moreover, The District hosts a number of significant sites. The capital Byblos is an important historical and archaeological site boasting Phoenician, Roman, and Crusader ruins. The mountain village of Aannaya hosts the Saint Maroun-Aannaya monastery and the Catholic shrine of Saint Charbel (1828-1898), the first Lebanese saint (officially canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1977), both significant religious Maronite Christian holy sites. The village of Laqlouq, which has an altitude of 1,750 meters to 2,000 meters, is a ski resort. The village of Afqa contains the Afqa grotto, which is the source of the Nahr Ibrahim, also known as the Adonis River. The village of Bentaël (also spelled Bintaael) contains the first protected area in Lebanon, established in 1981. The village of Jaj hosts surviving cedar trees from the ancient cedar forests from which cedar wood was exported to Egypt and later to Jerusalem. The village Chikhane is considered the birthplace of the first Russian school in the Middle East, believed to have been established during World War I. The village of Hjoula is among the very rare villages in Lebanon to contain fossilized sea animals in it, along the village of Haqel. Byblos District also has a notable beach life with many public and private resorts existing along the seaside.
Towns and villages
Aabaydat
Almat el-Chmaliyeh
Almat el-Jnoubiyeh
Amsheet
Annaya
Aqoura
Adonis
Afqa
Ain ed-Delbeh
Ain el-Ghouaybeh
Ain Jrain
Ain Kfaa
Bazyoun
Bchilleh
Beer el-Hit
Behdidat
Bejjeh
Bekhaaz
Berbara
Beithabbak
Bichtlida
Bentaël
Birket Hjoula
Blat
Boulhos
Brayj
Byblos
Chatine
Chikhane
Chmout
Edde
Ehmej
Fatreh
Ferhet
Fghal
Fidar
Ghabat
Ghalboun
Gharzouz
Ghorfine
Habil
Halat
Haqel
Hay el-Arabeh
Hbaline
Hboub
Hdayneh
Hjoula
Hosrayel
Hsarat
Hsoun
Jaj
Janneh
Jeddayel
Jenjol
Jlisseh
Jouret El Qattine
Kafr
Kfar Baal
Kfar Hitta
Kfar Kiddeh
Kfar Masshoun
Kfar Qouas
Kfoun
Laqlouq
Lassa
Lehfed
Maad
Majdel
Marj
Mastita
Mayfouq
Mazarib
Mazraat es-Siyad
Mechane
Mghayreh
Mish Mish
Mounsef
Nahr Ibrahim
Qahmez
Qartaba
Qartaboun
Qorqraiya
Ram
Ramout
Ras Osta
Rihaneh
Seraaita
Souaneh
Tartej
Tourzaiya
Yanouh
Zebdine
References
Districts of Lebanon