| El Hedd | |
| Native Name: | الهد |
| Native Name Lang: | ar |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Lebanon |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Map showing the location of El Hedd within Lebanon |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within Lebanon |
| Coordinates: | 34.5589°N 36.1589°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Lebanon |
| Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
| Subdivision Name1: | Akkar |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Akkar |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation M: | 248 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | EET |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +3 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
El Hedd (also El Hed or ElHedd) is a village in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon.The villagers are Maronites.[2]
El Hedd is originally syriac/aremaic name which stands for "El" means god "Hedd" means joy: El Hedd means "god of joy". The village sits on the edge of a hilltop overlooking the "Al Estwan" river.
The Church of Saint Nohra was documented in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The saint's name is derived from the Aramaic nuhro (light). The original church was small, with red tile roofing. Its ruins are across the al-Estwan River, 2km (01miles) away on a hilltop surrounded by pine and oak trees. The church, which may have dated to the fifth or sixth century, was surrounded by Maronite (Christian) villages on both sides of the Al-Estwan River. Sunni (Muslim) villages have been built near the ruins of the church over the past 200 years, replacing the Christians in the area after the invasion by the Ottoman Empire. Other church ruins exist in the village of Mazraate Baldah; one is the church of Al-Saaidah, the Virgin Mary. A 500-year-old oak tree with branches extending over 15 meters is revered by the Islamic villagers, who refer to the tree and surrounding ruins as Al-Saaidah (Our Lady). The church's complete reconstruction, including a concrete roof, was finished in 1972.
The families in El Hedd date back to the fourth century. They, their descendants and those connected to the village are:
The Isaac family, the first settlers in the village, came from Syria, just across the river dividing Lebanon from current Syria, after the massacre of the Maronites on the Alasi River (Al Asi because it flows up north). The Alkhourys came from Batroun over 300 years ago, and the Atik family was also from Syria.
These photos were taken in January 2012.