Maroun al-Ras مارون الراس | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
 The village of Maroun al-Ras, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, nearAvivim | |
  Maroun al-Ras Location within Lebanon | |
| Coordinates:33°06′27″N35°26′41″E / 33.10750°N 35.44472°E /33.10750; 35.44472 | |
| Grid position | 191/278PAL |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | Nabatieh Governorate |
| District | Bint Jbeil District |
| Elevation | 900 m (3,000 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Dialing code | +961(7) |
Maroun al-Ras (Arabic:مارون الراس)[1] is a municipality nestled inJabal Amel (Mount Amel) in the district ofBint Jbeil in theNabatiye Governorate in southernLebanon. It is located around 120 km (75 mi) south east ofBeirut, roughly one km (0.62 mi) from the border withIsrael.
In 1596, it was named as a village,Marun er-Ras, in theOttomannahiya (subdistrict) ofTibnin under theliwa' (district) ofSafad, with a population of 97 Muslim households. The villagers paid a fixed tax of 25% on agricultural products, such aswheat,barley, olive trees, vineyards, goats and beehives, in addition to "occasional revenues" and an olive oil press; a total of 8,960akçe.[2][3]
In 1838Edward Robinson noted it as a village located on a higher hill thanYarun.[4]
In 1881, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it: "A stone village, with some large stones built into walls, containing about 150 Moslems, situated on the top of high hills, with vineyards and arable land; water is obtained from 'Ain Hara, andcisterns in the village."[5] They further noted: "At this village there are a considerable number of well-cut stones and remains, which indicate that there was once a church here similar to that atYarun; these stones have been mostly found to the west of the village, in vineyards. Acapital of acolumn, with mediaeval ornamentation, and a small piece of sculptured stone, with leaves and figures asat Yarun, are in the village. There is also anarchitrave with a Greek inscription, in three pieces."[6]
In the1945 statistics the population was counted withSaliha andYaroun, and totalled 1070 Muslims[7] with 11,735dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.[8] Of this, 7,401 dunams were allocated to cereals, 422 dunams were irrigated or used for orchards,[9] while 58 dunams were built-up (urban) area.[10]
The village was the scene of the Battle of Maroun al-Ras, a major confrontation between theIsraeli Army andHezbollah fighters during the2006 Lebanon War. The village is at an elevation of 911 meters (2,989 feet), and is strategically important as it overlooks the surrounding towns. During the battle, the village was partly occupied by Israel, which claimed it was a stronghold forHezbollah and one of the launching points for rocket attacks on northern Israel. There are reports that control of the village was contested at the time of the ceasefire. After-battle reports claimed theIDF troops never fully secured the border area and that Maroun al-Ras was never fully taken.[11][12]
In October 2024, IDF forcesattacked the village as part of its ongoinginvasion of southern Lebanon.
In 2014Muslims made up 99.68% of registered voters in Maroun al-Ras. 98.72% of the voters wereShiite Muslims.[13]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
