Beit Mellat
Village in Akkar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beit Mellat (Arabic: بيت ملات) is a town in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon.
Beit Mellat
بيت ملات | |
|---|---|
village | |
  Beit Mellat | |
| Coordinates: 34°31′47″N 36°09′45″E | |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | Akkar |
| District | Akkar |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.66 km2 (1.03 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 540 m (1,770 ft) |
| Population (2009)[2] | |
• Total | 2,139 eligible voters |
| • Density | 804/km2 (2,080/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Dialing code | +961 |
History
In 1838, Eli Smith noted the village as Beit Melat, whose inhabitants were Maronite, located south of esh-Sheikh Mohammed.[3]
On September 10 1975, Al Saaka, a group composed of Palestinian and Syrian forces, launched an attack on the village of Beit Mellat, better known as the Beit Mellat massacre,[4] resulting in the tragic loss of lives and kidnapping of several Christian residents and the torching of many houses. The Beit Mellat incident is known for being one of the first mass killings in a series of massacres[5] targeting Christian residents during the Lebanese civil war.
Beit Mellat has one of the highest percentage of Diaspora voters in the Akkar Governorate (15.3%). Nearly half of these voters live in Mexico (44.8%), followed by Australia (12.3%), and France (10.5%).[6]