Al-Qoubaiyat Kobayat - The ponds of the North

The origin of the name is Aramaic and means: the tides, the bodies of water, the ponds, the reservoirs ... in any case the region is very rich in water.

The Northerrn Lebanon to the Akkar is a rich continuity of abundant crops, beauty, picturesque corners, varieties of landscapes, unique trees, climate and atmosphere, inhabitants that are in full bloom, emancipated, brave and generous ...
I do not know how to describe this region ...

The Cedars and Cornet el Saouda, the forest of Kammouaa, Ouyoun el Samak, rivers, mountains, horizons, forests, magnificent landscapes to take your breath ...

Qoubayat, this big Maronite Christian village with an area of 70 km², spread out on the side of the valley in three gatherings or districts: Qoubaiyat El Gharbiyé, Martmoura and el Al-Qoubaiyat. Limed by the old Akkar to the west, Hermel and Bekaa to the east, Beit Jallouk and Chadra to the north and Sindianet Zeidan, Ain El Hajjal and Qatlabe to the south.

Speaking of the 8th wonder of the Creation is a truth of Lapalisse, but it is said that since the first Morning of Creation a corner has been arranged by the Creator for his retirement and his rest, his meditations and his dreams ... This divine corner is in North Lebanon in Akkar, Qubaiyat. Yes all the Creation is the work of the Creator and is equal in beauty and magic but here, this divine reserve is chiselled for the divine. In this heavenly patrimony you find Kobayat.

In Lebanon, the Christian element is everywhere an element of love and coexistence between communities. Since the dawn of time, this land to the east of the Mediterranean was a refuge, a land of welcome for all those who were persecuted, terrorized and massacred by the supporters of the various obscurantisms ... Among them, many were ungrateful. We all Lebanese have the spirit of the poem of Victor Hugo: After the battle where he says: "Give him all the same to drink, said my father”. Is there a more Christian and human act?

Kobayat has witnessed several conquerors and civilizations, and its archaeological remains are the witnesses: Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, French, Syrians ...
The inhabited territories vary between an altitude of 500 m and 900 m. The population exceeds 13,000 inhabitants and is divided between the districts or parishes: Gharbieh, Martmoura, Zouk-Sud, Saydet, Zouk-Nord, Dahr ...
In summer, all the inhabitants are in their villages, the winter there is only very little, the snow isolating the region. The emigrants in Brazil and Venezuela are very numerous.

Kobayat is a very modern and functional infrastructure center - a rich fertile valley with abundant crops, center of attraction for many people.

In 1912, the Consul of France described it with these words: "These are valleys of surprising fertility." Its prehistoric cemeteries date back to the Iron and Copper Age (more than 3000 BC). It is on the axis East Asia, West Asia and the Mediterranean.

Each quarter has its churches and parishes: The church "Chablo" where there is a Phoenician altar and where ancient Phoenician, Greek, Roman coins are found ... Near the church "Ghassalet" there are Tombs and precious Roman ruins.

Remains that testify to the prosperity that the region experienced during the first centuries of Christianity. The temple of the god Ban transformed into a church: Saint Artimos-Challita. Another vestige is a castle in Chouita of Byzantine times in the Orient, on the hill where is currently erected the convent Mar Doumit of the Fathers Carmes, we found ancient jars ...

Formerly, the mulberry tree was prosperous for raising silkworms; Nowadays, fruit trees replaced it (apple trees, pear trees, cherry trees, olive trees, vines ...) in addition to vegetables and cereals. There are many forest trees. The region ranks among the most wooded regions of Lebanon despite the fires and the wild and clandestine logging of the forest.

The six districts of Kobayat where activity is in full swing are: Gharbiye, Martmoura, Zouk, Dahr, Ghowaya, Kattabé.

The churches are numerous: some are small and of great simplicity and others large and more modern erected by the Carmelite Fathers and well decorated in sculptures and canvases. To be mentioned are the miraculous church of Saydet el Ghassalé, and Saydel el Habal, Saydet el Intissar, Mar Charbel, Martmoura, Saydet el Intiqal, Mar Gérgès, Mar Doumit, Sayidet el Chambouk and the Church of the Forty Martyrs.

The churches dedicated to Our Lady the Blessed Virgin are predominant and exist everywhere. Families are: Hobeich, Abdallah, Daher, Chidiac ... The village counts several deputies and ministers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, artists, bankers, intellectuals and men of letters, high officials, artisans and technicians, students and academics, convents and schools, hospitals and sports clubs. All that makes Kobayat a vital center in the region and deserves to be visited.

F. Z.