Tannourine-Cedar Herald Index

Tannourine (, also Tannoureen, Tannorine) is a Lebanese town located in the Batroun District, part of the Governorate of North Lebanon, 80 km from the capital Beirut. Tannourine is formed by a cluster of mountain settlements located in the highs of the Batroun District, the largest of which is Tannourine El-Fawqa, followed by Chatine,Tannourine El-Tahta, and Wata Houb. Tannourine has a population of approximately 25,000.

Tannourine extends between the municipal borders of Douma and Yammoune, and between Aqoura to the south and Bsharri and Hadath El Jebbeh to the north. The town is close to the Kadisha Valley and Cedars of God UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Afqa grotto, the Baatara sinkhole, and the Nahr Ibrahim valley.

Tannourine

Tannourine lies in a collection of valleys and ravines accessible either from Douma, Kfour Al Arbe, a backroad from Bsharri or from a newly constructed highway direct from Batroun, or from Laqlouq.

Tannourine

Among the personalities born in or connected to Tannourine through family roots, one can remember the Colombian politician José Antonio Turbay Jorge, second cousin to the former president of Colombia Julio César Turbay, and the former Lebanese minister Boutros Harb.

Tannourine

Etymology

Tannourine is the plural of the Syriac word tannour, which indicates an old stone oven. Tannourine's name may in fact stem from the local topography, which resembles the convex form of an oven called tannour, with the dual suffix ine as a reference to the two distinct areas of Tannourine Al-Tahta (literally Lower Tannourine) and Tannourine Al-Fawqa (literally Upper Tannourine).

Climate

Tannourine Cedar Reserve

The village also shares its name with a cedar forest of some 1,000,000 trees. Covering an area of 195.5 hectares at an altitude ranging between 1,300 and 1,800 meters. The Tannourine Cedars Forest Nature Reserve is considered the largest and densest cedar forests in Lebanon, with ninety percent of the trees in the forest being cedar trees. Other companion trees like Cupressus, Pinus, Abies, Populus and others constitute a very rich ecosystem in planter species. The fauna ranges from the various types of birds (eagles, owls, robins, etc...) to wild animals (hyenas, boars, squirrels, snakes and bats).

The reserve includes cliffs and caves, and its mountainous landscape is astonishing with cedars growing on extremely vertical slopes. These cedars can be seen along the road that goes north to Hadath al-Jebbeh, which, although in poor condition, winds its way through wild and isolated scenery up to the Kadisha Valley gorge, leading to Bsharri.

During the Lebanese war (1975-1990) land mines were spread in some parts of the forest, making it mostly inaccessible by the local communities and their herds. This ended-up protecting the forest: it was left relatively un-touched until a law dated 20/2/1999 established it as a protected area. The Lebanese Army cleared the forest of land mines. The reserve is now open to the public and hosts "Tannourine Cedars Night" an annual summer music festival.

Villages and local attractions

The Village of Balaa (bordering Laqlouq) is known for its deep natural sink hole. A 300-meter walk brings you to a dizzying open cavern some 250 meters deep. Three natural bridges - of which the middle one is the most spectacular - complete the scene. In the spring, snow melt water forms the scenic 90m high Baatara gorge waterfall.

The Nahr-Al-Joze (the Joze being a species of trout that grows in the valley river) meanders through the valley and borders a number of restaurants, and creates a forest ecosystem higher up towards the source. Likewise, the river has formed a number of natural pools of clear water that can be explored higher up towards the source.

Tannourine is well known for its ancient Maronite monasteries; specifically the convents of Saint Shallitah and Saint Antonios Houb, the latter being located in the village of Wata Houb.

Churches and Monasteries

In the late fifth century AD, Tannourine became a refuge for the Maronites. Some of the churches and monasteries include:

• Saint Chalitta Church - an archeological site from the Crusader period.

• Saint Sarkis Church - a Byzantine archaeological site. It had three markets and the vestibule was paved with a mosaic. It was constructed near the new church.