Nabatieh

**Nabatieh** (Arabic: النبطية, *al-Nabatiya*), or **Nabatiye**, is the caipital o the Nabatieh Govrenorate, in soothren Lebanon. Nabatieh haes approximately 120,000 indwallers, is the caipital o the Jabal Amel aurie an the chief centre for baith the mohafazat, or govrenorate, an the caza, or canton. Nabatieh is an important toun baith economically an culturally.

## Demographics

The indwallers o Nabatieh are predominantly Shi'a Muslims, wi a significant minority o Greek Catholics. The Nabatieh destrict haes three representatives in the Lebanese govrenment, aw belangin tae the Shi'a releegion.

## Education
The Christian College Notre Dame des Soeurs Antonines is ane o the auldest institutions in the ceety.

## Recreation
A mercat is held ivery Monday an traders an visitors frae neighborin veelages gather in the centre o the toun tae exchange thair goods in an aurie kent in Arabic as the Souq Al Tanen. Thare are an aa branches o several banks, hospitals, restaurants an cultural centers o interest tae tourists. Ivery year, the ceety commemorates the Battle o Karbala tae remember the martyrdom o Imam al Husayn. Durin this time o year the toun receives tens o thoosans o visitors, mainly belangin tae the Shiite community, who come tae pairticipate in this releegious festival.

## Historic structures
### Beaufort Castle
On the tap o a hill owerleukin the soothren Beqaa Valley towards Damascus stands Belfort or Beaufort castle, kent tae Arab travellers as Shqiuf Arnun, the wird *shqif* bein a Siriac term meanin heich rock. The castle, awtho leukin inaccessible, can be reached wi little difficulty frae the veelage o Arnun, which lies 7&nbsp;km sootheast o Nabatieh. In front o this fortress is a lairge watter cistern an the ruins o an auncient veelage o a seemilar antiquity tae the castle. Thare is nae conclusive evidence for the age o this castle or for who biggit it. Accordin tae William o Tyre, it wis erectit bi the Crusaders, but some scholars are o the opinion that it is probably aulder than this. It haes been suggestit that the fortress wis staundin when the Crusaders arrived, that it haed been biggit in the late Roman or Byzantine period an later restored an enlairged bi the Arabs afore becomin a Crusader castle.

The Crusaders repaired an fortifee'd Beaufort Castle durin the twalth century an it became the maist important fortress in Lebanon. The Crusader keeng, Foulques d'Anjou, captured it frae the ruler o Damascus an gae it tae the Crusader rulers o Sidon in 1138. Saladin besieged it for twa years an wis able tae storm it in 1140. The Crusaders regained control o the citadel in 1190 efter thay haed signed a greement wi Al Salih Ismail, the ruler o Damascus. In 1260 it wis bought bi the Knights Templar an it remained thair property till its conquest in 1268 bi the Mamluk Sultan, Al Zahir Baybars.  The Templers biggit a sma fort thare cried Chateau Neuf. Fakhreddin unnerteuk restoration wirk an re-fortifee'd the castle at the beginnin o the 17t century, but a govrenor o Damascus, Hafez Pasha, besieged the biggin an pairtly destroyed it wi his airtillery.

The castle is amaist completely ruined an anerlie the eastren wall, entrance an staircase o a big touer in the middle o the wastren side survive. On the eastren side is a 13t-century vaultit biggin, aither a kirk or an assembly haw. Tae the north are the remains o twa touers an o a lairge cistern which occupees pairt o the moat surroondin the castle.

## Mosques
Nabatieh haes twa historic mosques. Ane wis biggit in the 16t century an lies in the centre o the toun. Anither, kent as the “the Mosque o the Prophet,” dates tae the Mamluk period an is locatit in Nabatieh al Fawqa.

## Notable fowk
Nabatieh can boast o bein the birthplace o several learned men: the theologian Sheikh Aref al Zein, the scientist Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah an his uncle Sheikh Ahmad Reda.

## References