Qantara (قنطرة ) is a village in the Marjeyoun District in southern Lebanon.
Qantara
قنطرة | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Qantara Location within Lebanon | |
| Coordinates: 33°16′25″N 35°27′49″E / 33.27361°N 35.46361°E | |
| Grid position | 193/297 PAL |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | Nabatieh Governorate |
| District | Marjeyoun District |
| Elevation | 470 m (1,540 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Dialing code | +961 |
Name edit
According to E. H. Palmer, the name El Kantarah means "the arch",[1] qantara (Arabic: قنطرة) also being used in Arabic to denote a bridge built of stone or masonry, an aqueduct or a dam, and a high building.[2]
History edit
In 1875 Victor Guérin found that the village had 150 Metawileh inhabitants.[3] He further remarked: "The mosque is built of hewn stones of apparent antiquity. Its door is surmounted by a lintel belonging to an ancient Christian church, in the midst of which can be made out a cross with equal branches enclosed in a circle."[4]
In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it: "A village, built of stone, containing about 250 [..] Metawileh, situated on an isolated and conspicuous hill, and surrounded by gardens, olives, and figs. There are two perennial springs a little to the south of the village."[5]
On 24 August 1994 two members of Hizbollah were killed in Qantara in clashes with the South Lebanon Army.[6]
References edit
- ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 23
- ^ van Donzel, Emeri Johannes (1994). Islamic Desk Reference. BRILL. p. 24. ISBN 9789004097384. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ Guérin, 1880, p. 272
- ^ Guérin, 1880, p. 272; as given in Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 116
- ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 87
- ^ Middle East International No 484, 23 September 1994, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; August chronology p.14
Bibliography edit
- Conder, C.R.; Kitchener, H.H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology. Vol. 1. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- Guérin, V. (1880). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 3: Galilee, pt. 2. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
- Palmer, E.H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
External links edit
- Qantara (Marjaayoun), Localiban
- Survey of Western Palestine, Map 2: IAA, Wikimedia commons
