| Name | Nabatieh |
|---|---|
| Native name | النبطية |
| Native name lang | ara |
| Settlement type | City |
| Pushpin map | Lebanon |
| Pushpin map alt | Map showing the location of Nabatieh within Lebanon |
| Pushpin map caption | Location within Lebanon |
| Coordinates type | region:LB_type:city |
| Coordinates display | inline,title |
| Subdivision type | Country |
| Subdivision name | |
| Subdivision type1 | Governorate |
| Subdivision name1 | Nabatieh Governorate |
| Subdivision type2 | District |
| Subdivision name2 | Nabatieh District |
| Established title | |
| Area total km2 | 6 |
| Area metro km2 | 21 |
| Elevation m | 418 |
| Population total | 40000 |
| Population metro | 85000 |
| Timezone1 | EET |
| Utc offset1 | +2 |
| Timezone1 dst | EEST |
| Utc offset1 dst | +3 |
| Postal code type | Postal code |
| Area code type | Dialing code |
| Area code | +961 |
Nabatieh (Arabic: النبطية, al-Nabatiya), or Nabatiye, is the principal town of the Nabatieh Governorate, in southern Lebanon. Nabatieh has approximately 120,000 inhabitants, is the capital of the Jabal Amel area and the chief center for both the mohafazat, or governorate, and the caza, or canton. Nabatieh is an important town both economically and culturally.
A market is held every Monday and traders and visitors from neighboring villages gather in the center of the town to exchange their goods in an area known in Arabic as the Souq Al Tanen. There are also branches of several banks, hospitals, restaurants and cultural centers of interest to tourists. Every year, the city commemorates the Battle of Karbala to remember the martyrdom of Imam al Husayn. During this time of year the town receives tens of thousands of visitors, mainly belonging to the Shiite community, who come to participate in this religious festival.
Nabatieh can boast of being the birthplace of several learned men: the theologian Sheikh Aref al Zein, the scientist Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah and his uncle Sheikh Ahmad Reda.
The Crusaders repaired and fortified Beaufort Castle during the twelfth century and it became the most important fortress in Lebanon. The Crusader king, Foulques d'Anjou, captured it from the ruler of Damascus and gave it to the Crusader rulers of Sidon in 1138. Saladin besieged it for two years and was able to storm it in 1140. The Crusaders regained control of the citadel in 1190 after they had signed an agreement with Al Salih Ismail, the ruler of Damascus. In 1260 it was bought by the Knights Templar and it remained their property until its conquest in 1268 by the Mamluk Sultan, Al Zahir Baybars. The Templers built a small fort there called Chateau Neuf. Fakhreddin undertook restoration work and re-fortified the castle at the beginning of the 17th century, but a governor of Damascus, Hafez Pasha, besieged the building and partly destroyed it with his artillery.
The castle is almost completely ruined and only the eastern wall, entrance and staircase of a big tower in the middle of the western side survive. On the eastern side is a 13th-century vaulted building, either a church or an assembly hall. To the north are the remains of two towers and of a large cistern which occupies part of the moat surrounding the castle.
Category:Populated places in the Nabatieh Governorate Category:Populated places in Lebanon
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Category:Arab people Category:Islamic history Category:Shi'a imams Category:626 births Category:680 deaths Category:Assassinated Shi'a imams Category:Ismailism Category:People killed at the Battle of Karbala Category:Martyrs Category:Muslim martyrs Category:Family of Muhammad Category:7th-century caliphs Category:Twelver imams Category:Zaidi imams
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
