Al-Qaouzah
Municipality in Nabatieh Governorate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al-Qaouzah (also spelled Al-Qawzah, Arabic: القوزح, romanized: al-Qawzaḥ)[1] is a municipality located in the Caza of Bint Jbeil in the Nabatiye Governorate in Lebanon.
LebanonAl-Qaouzah
القوزح | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
  Al-Qaouzah Location within Lebanon | |
| Coordinates: 33°07′17″N 35°20′22″E | |
| Grid position | 181/280 PAL |
| Country | Lebanon |
| Governorate | Nabatieh Governorate |
| District | Bint Jbeil District |
| Highest elevation | 800 m (2,600 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 700 m (2,300 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Dialing code | +961 |
Geography
Al-Qaouzah occupies a hill with elevation ranging from 700 to 800 meters above sea level. It is located 110 km south of Beirut.[2]
Vegetation
The main agricultural products of Al-Qaouzah are olive, carob and tobacco. Al-Qaouzah is celebrated for the quality of its thyme and za'atar production.[3]
The Saint Joseph forest stretches from the village to the border.[4]
History
Late 19th Century
In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it: "A small village, containing about 100 Christians, with a small Christian chapel situated on a hill-top, with figs, olives, and arable land; a few cisterns for the water supply.”[5]
20th Century
The Saint Joseph church was built in 1927.[6]
21st Century
In July 2006, Al-Qaouzah, like other villages that string Lebanon's southern border, such as Ain Ebel, Debel, Rmaish, and Yaroun, was caught in the 2006 Lebanon War of Hezbollah and the Israeli army.[7]
In 2019, a monkey owned by Sister Beatrice Mauger, who runs a peace project in the village, breached the border with Israel, and after a week on the loose and media frenzy, was returned to its owner by United Nations peacekeepers.[8]
Al-Qaouzah, like other villages along the border, was caught in the crossfire during the 2023 Israel–Lebanon border conflict.[9][10]
Demographics
In 2014 Christians made up 97.59% of registered voters in Al-Qaouzah. 92.03% of the voters were Maronite Catholics.[11]