Dekwaneh دكوانة | |
|---|---|
City | |
  Dekwaneh Location within Lebanon | |
| Coordinates:33°52′45″N35°32′37″E / 33.87917°N 35.54361°E /33.87917; 35.54361 | |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | Mount Lebanon Governorate |
| District | Matn District |
| Government | |
| • Time Zone | GMT +2 (UTC) |
| • - Summer (DST) | +3 (UTC) |
| • Area Code(s) | (+961) 1 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Dialing code | +961 |
Dekwaneh (orDekweneh;Arabic:دكوانة) is a suburb north ofBeirut in theMatn District of theMount Lebanon Governorate,Lebanon. The population is predominantlyMaronite Christian.[1]Tel al-Zaatar, anUNRWA administeredPalestinian refugee camp housing approximately 50,000-60,000 refugees, and the site of theTel al-Zaatar massacre were located on the outskirts of the town.[2]
Dekwaneh I is about 700 metres (2,300 ft) northwest of Mar Roucos monastery, in the gullies of (now deforested) pinewood slopes on the west side of a ridge. Material was found byRaoul Describes, who mentioned rock-shelters in the area that were destroyed by quarrying forquicklime.[3] Further collections were found byAuguste Bergy andPeter Wescombe. Some of theflint tools recovered were determined to beAcheulean as well as a large amount of waste and bifaces from theMiddle Paleolithic that suggested it was a factory site at that time.[4]
Dekwaneh II material comes from various locations around the area, most notably the ravine below the monastery. Flint tools were also found here by Bergy and Describes which included theQaraoun culture'sHeavy Neolithic forms such as massiveaxes, picks, scrapers andrabots. Other earlyNeolithic tools were found along with some Middle Paleolithic material including anEmireh point and tortoise cores. Along with material from Dekwaneh I, finds from the locations are stored in theMuseum of Lebanese Prehistory.[4]
Dekwaneh gained notoriety in the press and social media when, on Monday 22 April 2013, the mayor,Antoine Chakhtoura, orderedLebanese security forces to raid and shut down a gay-friendly nightclub called Ghost.[5] A number of Syrian gay men and a Lebanesetransgender woman were arrested during the raid and taken to municipal headquarters where it is reported that they were harassed and forced to undress. According to reports, the transgender woman was also photographed naked.[6][7]
Remains of a former airfield can be found inTal El Zaatar. Only a small section of runway exist with Northern section along Mar Roukoz has been reused for commercial warehouses.
