Hadshit

Hadchit is an ancient Phoenician settlement located in the Bsharri District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. It is situated in the Valley of Qadisha, overlooking the southern branch of the valley, Wadi Qannoubine Valley. The majority of the people are adherents of the Maronite. The village is located 126 km away of Beirut with an elevation of 1400m above sea level, and accessible from two main roads Tripoli->Ehden->Hadchit or Kosba->Bcharre->Hadchit. Hadchit has an estimated population of 7000 people.HistoryHadchit's ancient political center was located in Tyre. The government was Byzantine, so the natives were required to fight in the military or find employment. The inhabitants of Hadchit were a mixture of many peoples. The majority were Canaanites, Phoenician and Aramean, who later became known as the Syriac.NominationThere are several stories, namely: Phoenician: new moon or half-moon, so Hadsheet would mean the “new one” or the “new village”. Syriac: It means one of the six temples that were built by Batlimos the 5th, King of Egypt in Mount Lebanon according to the story narrated by Sheikh Antonios Abi Khattar in his book “The Synopsis of Lebanon’s History”,