Blaouza Explained

Blaouza
Native Name:بلوزا
Native Name Lang:ara
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Lebanon
Pushpin Map Alt:Map showing the location of Blaouza within Lebanon
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Lebanon
Coordinates:34.2608°N 35.9528°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:
Subdivision Type1:Governorate
Subdivision Name1:North Governorate
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Bsharri District
Elevation M:1320
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:EET
Utc Offset1:+2
Timezone1 Dst:EEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+3
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Area Code Type:Dialing code
Area Code:+961

Blaouza (Arabic: بلوزا, also spelt Blawza and Blouza), is a Maronite Christian village in the Bsharri District of the North Governorate of Lebanon. The population is approximately 457 (2021),[1] and the village lies at an altitude of 1,320 metres above sea level.[2]

The Village and its History

Blaouza lies in the Qannoubine Valley region of the Qadisha Valley, an area settled 1,000-1,300 years ago by Maronite refugees fleeing persecution in the remote mountains of Lebanon and Syria. In their isolation, the communities of the Qadisha Valley preserved their religion, customs and language until the modern era. Unlike most Maronites in Lebanon, residents of Blaouza (and the Qadisha Valley in general) claim to be of Aramean, rather than Phoenician descent.

Most villages in the region have Aramaic names, and the name Blaouza comes from the Aramaic for "almond plains".[3] Until the early 20th century, most villagers were Aramaic-speakers, and as a result, Blaouza natives speak Arabic with a distinct accent. This is also true of many of the Maronite villages of the region.

In 1998 it was reported that Blaouza had a population of around 200, whilst there were an estimated 10,000 people in Sydney who identified their families as coming from the village.[4]

Famous residents

See also

References

  1. http://www.afdc.org.lb/pages-HTML/AFDC%20PROGRAMMES/centre-forest-fighting-ECLife-Project-Workshop.htm Association for Forest Development and Conservation (Lebanon)
  2. Web site: Localiban . 2007-06-24 . 2014-08-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140811163303/http://www.localiban.org/article.php3?id_article=952 . dead .
  3. http://becharreregion.com/blawza.htm Blawza, Mayors' League of Becharre Region
  4. [Middle East International]
  5. Web site: Gabriel de Blawza . 2011-03-12 . 2012-07-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120722151220/http://www.antonins.org/e-gabriel.htm . dead .

External links