Qantara (قنطرة ) is a village in the Marjeyoun District in southern Lebanon.

Qantara
قنطرة
Village
Map showing the location of Qabrikha within Lebanon
Map showing the location of Qabrikha within Lebanon
Qantara
Location within Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°16′25″N 35°27′49″E / 33.27361°N 35.46361°E / 33.27361; 35.46361
Grid position193/297 PAL
Country Lebanon
GovernorateNabatieh Governorate
DistrictMarjeyoun District
Elevation
470 m (1,540 ft)
Time zoneUTC 2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC 3 (EEST)
Dialing code 961

Name

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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

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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]

Demographics

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In 2014 Muslims made up 99,80% of registered voters in Qantara. 98,27% of the voters were Shiite Muslims.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 23
  2. ^ van Donzel, Emeri Johannes (1994). Islamic Desk Reference. BRILL. p. 24. ISBN 9789004097384. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  3. ^ Guérin, 1880, p. 272
  4. ^ Guérin, 1880, p. 272; as given in Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 116
  5. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 87
  6. ^ Middle East International No 484, 23 September 1994, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; August chronology p.14
  7. ^ https://lub-anan.com/المحافظات/النبطية/مرجعيون/القنطرة/المذاهب/

Bibliography

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