ABOUT CHBANIEH

Like most villages in the Lebanese mountains, Chbanieh is covered by trees and orchards. It is located amidst a beautiful vast valley which dazzled the French poet Lamartine, so the valley became known under the name of “Lamartine Valley”.
It is located one thousand meters above sea level, and thirty kilometers east the Capital, Beirut.
It extends from Damascus Road, at Mdeirej police station on the east, to Delbeh Spring Valley on the west which bursts from the last plot in the village and irrigates the suburbs of Beirut. Chbanieh is well known for its length of five kilometers and its width exceeds two kilometers.
It is surrounded by the following towns and villages: Hammana and Mdeirej Mountain to the east, Qabbih and Delbeh spring valley to the west, Khreibeh to the north side and to south, Saoufar.
It is connected to the Capital by many roads. Bhamdon – Qabbih road which is the main road, followed by Saoufar – Hammana road, then Aabadieh – Ra’s El Harf road and Qornayel – Hammana road. The town features a telephone central and post office, an electricity network, a network of roads some of which are internal paved and asphalted roads and other roads are agricultural leading to farms and orchards.

On the road extending between Bhamdoun and Hammana, and which passes through its upper part, the town hosts a large hospital which includes all branches of medicine, and in particular thoracic medicine and internal medicine.
The town also contains two schools, the first one is a public complementary school and the second one is a private elementary school.
There are monuments of ancient graves in the town which are named “the graves of the Jews” until this day. Near the sarcophagus of the Jews there is a deep cave which has not been discovered yet, known as “Magharat Harb”.
This cave is archeological according to the traditions of the village and it contains the forest spring which has two sources, “Kakha” and “Fouar”.
We also find many small springs including: Ain Baanan spring, Ain Aadi spring, Ain El Hasel spring, El Rami spring, El Mahafer spring, el Ghawab spring, Wara’ El Tall spring, Ain El Bardeh spring and Qilaa El Homr spring.

The population of Chbanieh is around four thousand, one quarter of which migrates to the city in winter and comes back to the village in summer. The other quarter of the population has immigrated to Europe, America, Africa and Arab countries in search of job opportunities and some of them visit the village from time to time but rarely.
The residents originate from different families who came to Chbanieh in the era of Lamaaiyin princes, some of which are Christian families while the others are Druze. These families include: Raad, Sarkis, Al Zouki, Abou Samra, Mouannes, Bazaon family known as Mouannes family, Baaklini, Qassas, Yammine, Abou Rjeili, Nammar, Qordahi, Machaalani, Abou Malhab, Hajj, Moadad, Bou Moghlabiyye, Chamseddine, Torbey, Qaedbey, Abou Assi, Abou El Hesn, Moufarrej and Zein Eddine.
A large number of the residents of Chbanieh are contemporary intellectuals who have occupied sensitive and high positions, including but not limited to: President Elias Sarkis, Dr. Elias Baaklini, the contemporary philosopher Dr. Kamal Youssef El-Hage and others.

The village also gave to the world great intellectuals, religious men, men of culture and owners of free professions such as doctors, engineers, pharmacists, journalists, traders, lawyers, industrialists and senior state officials.
Chbanieh has the right to be proud of its children who have raised its name up high and served it just like they served their country faithfully and devotedly.