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Beit Mery بيت مري
City
View over the hill
Beit MeryLocation within Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°51′56″N 35°35′43″E / 33.8656°N 35.5953°E / 33.8656; 35.5953
Country	Lebanon
Governorate	Mount Lebanon Governorate
District	Matn District
Elevation	800 m (2,600 ft)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Dialing code	+961-4-

Beit Mery (Arabic: بيت مري ; also Beit Mer, Beir Meri) is a Lebanese town overlooking the capital Beirut. The town has been a summer mountain resort since the times of the Phoenicians and later the Romans.

The name derives from Aramaic and means "The house of my Lord". On one of the three hills of Beit Mery (Southern end of town) along the Lebanon Western mountain range are the ruins of the old Phoenician and Roman temples that were erected in the same general area in what is now known as Deir El-Qala'a (دير القلعة).

At present, a Christian church and monastery sit on top of parts of the old Roman temple. Les Scouts Du Liban Groupe Sainte Marie Beit Mery is one of the biggest movement in town and it is located in College des Freres since 1969. Beit Mery is home to a Lebanese Red Cross First Aid Center.

Culture

The town is the site of the annual Al Bustan festival, held in the theatre of the Al Bustan Hotel.

Demography

The residents of Beit Mery are mainly Christian (Maronite, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Armenian Orthodox) and Druze.

Geography

Beit Mery occupies a hill, 700–750 meters (2,300–2,460 ft) above sea level, which gives the town views of the Beirut peninsula and part of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast. It has an area of 5.48 km (2.12 sq mi). Since 2000 Beit Mery started to be a suburban town and is 16 km (9.9 mi) away from Beirut.

History

Beit Mery's history dates back to ancient times. The town is home to the ruins of a Roman temple, indicating its importance during the Roman Empire. This temple, dedicated to the god Mercury, was part of a larger network of Roman religious sites throughout the region. The presence of such a structure suggests that Beit Mery was a notable settlement during Roman times. The Roman rulers of Lebanon made Beit Mery their summer resort due to its high location and summer weather.

Archaeology

There are two prehistoric archaeological sites in Beit Mery where flint industries have been found by Jesuit archaeologists:

1) Beit Mery I is on the right bank of the Beirut River, south southwest of the town at an altitude of approximately 125 metres (410 ft) above sea level. It was found by Jesuit Father Dillenseger who determined it to be an Acheulean site. The material was donated to the Saint Joseph University by the French Faculty of Medicine.

2) Beit Mery II is east of the road from Beit Mery to Deir el Qala'a on a sloping plateau facing the junction of the Nahr Meten and Nahr Jamani. It was found by M. Gautier who recovered Heavy Neolithic flint tools from the surface. V. Hankey also recovered some retouched blades from this area.

But what makes Beit Mery notable, including for tourism, are the scattered ruins of the Roman era, that lasted five centuries plus the two of the Byzantine era.

In Beit Mery there it is what’s left of a Roman temple that once matched the grandeur of Baalbek’s temples and Niha’s fortress. A church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was built over the temple’s remains in the 18th century. You can still see the original stonework in the remaining columns that adorn the square at the church’s entrance. Though it suffered a great deal of damage during the Civil War, the site has since been dutifully restored and maintained for cultural and touristic events. The monastery has proved an ideal locale for concerts, competitions, art exhibitions, conferences, poetry nights, and social gatherings. In town, below the monastery, you will find smaller temples dedicated to various Roman deities, in addition to public Roman baths with their terra cotta pipes. There are also some remains of a Byzantine city that dates back to the 5th and 6th centuries.Lebanon Ministry of Tourism

The Monastery of Saint John the Baptist (Deir El Kalaa), built by Maronite monks in the 18th century, includes Roman ruins dating back to the first century AD. "The site has the remains of a Byzantine church, a Roman bathhouse, the remains of a Roman villa and a street that would have been the local market of the town, showing the remains of shops and houses".

Tourism

The town has ancient Roman and Byzantine ruins as well as the historic Maronite Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, (Deir el Kalaa) which was built in 1750. The town, which is only 16 km (9.9 mi) from Beirut, continues to be a summer resort in Lebanon with a landmark hotel, the Al Bustan. Pine forests surround the town. Restaurants with views of the valleys and the sea make Beit Mery a favorite summer spot.

Climate

Beit Meri has a Hot-summer mediterranean climate (Csa) with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers.

References

1. Our Centers Archived February 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
2. Al Bustan Festival
3. "Hotel Al Bustan - Beirut". Archived from the original on 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
4. Beit Mery Archived August 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ Lorraine Copeland; P. Wescombe (1965). Inventory of Stone-Age sites in Lebanon, p. 75. Imprimerie Catholique. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
6. Roman Beit Mery video
7. Roman remains in Beit Mery
8. ^ Ghali, Maghie. "Lebanon art show at Beit Meri's Roman ruins portrays tragedy in a delicate way". The National. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
9. Beit Mery Archived November 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
10. "Climate: Beit Meri". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved August 7, 2020.

External links

• Beit Mery, Localiban
• Beit Mery

v t e Matn District, Mount Lebanon Governorate
Capital: Jdeideh
Towns and villages	Ain Aar Ain el Safssaf Ain el Sendianeh Ain Saadeh Aintoura Amaret Chalhoub Antelias Aoukar Al-Ayroun Baabdat Baskinta Bauchrieh Beit Chabab Beit el Chaar Beit el Kekko Beit Mery Bhersaf Biakout Bikfaya Bkenneya Bourj Hammoud Broummana Bsalim Bteghrine Chaouiyeh Choueir Daher al Hosein Dahr el Sawan Daychounieh Dbayeh Dekwaneh Dik El Mehdi Dhour El Choueir Dora Douar Fanar Ghabeh Ghabet Bologna Hadirah Haret al Ballaneh Haret ech Cheikh Hemlaya Hbous Jal el Dib Jdeideh Jouar Jouret el Ballout Kaakour Kfarakab Kfartay Khenchara Majdel Tarchich Majzoub Mansourieh Mar Chaaya Mar Michael Bnabil Mar Moussa Mar Roukouz Marjaba Mazraat Yachouh Mchikha Mezher Mhaydseh Mkalles Mrouj Mtaileb Mtein Mzekkeh Nabay Naccache Ouyoun Qonaytrah Qonnabat Broummana Qornet Shehwan Rabieh Roumieh Sakiyat al Mesek Sed el Bauchrieh Sin el Fil Sfaileh Wata el Mrouj Zalka Zarooun Zakrit Zouk al Khrab
Notable landmarks	Mount Sannine
Notable sites	Aqueduct of Zubaida Deir el Qalaa Saint Elias Monastery

v t e Heavy Neolithic sites

Aadloun II Akkar plain foothills Akbiyeh Al-Bireh Amlaq Qatih Ard Saouda Baidar ech Chamout Beit Mery II Bustan Birke Dakoue Dekwaneh II Douris, Lebanon Douwara Flaoui Fadous Sud Hadeth south Jbaa Jdeideh I Jdeideh II Jebel Aabeby Kamid al lawz I Kefraya Kfar Tebnit Khallet Michte I Khallet Michte II Khallet el Hamra Mejdel Anjar I Moukhtara Mtaileb I Nabi Zair Plain of Zgharta Qaraoun I Qaraoun II Rayak North Sarepta Sidon III Taire II Tayibe Tell Ain el Meten Tell Khardane Tell Mureibit Tell Zenoub Wadi Boura Wadi Koura Wadi Yaroun Wadi al-Far'a Wadi Sallah

v t e Archaeological sites in Lebanon

Aadloun Aaiha Aammiq Aaqbe Ain Aata Ain Choaab Ain Harcha Akbiyeh Akkar plain foothills Al-Bireh Amioun Amlaq Qatih Anjar, Lebanon Antelias cave Apheca Ard Saouda Ard Tlaili Arqa Augusti Pagus Baalbek Baidar ech Chamout Batroumine Batroun Bechamoun Beirut Beit Mery Belat temple Berytus (Roman Beirut) Bustan Birke Byblos Canalizations of Zenobia Dahr El Ahmar Dakoue Deir El Aachayer Deir Al-Ahmar Deir Mar Maroun Dekwaneh Douris (Baalbek) Elaea (Lebanon) Flaoui Fadous Sud Hebbariye Hadeth south Haret ech Cheikh Hashbai Heliopolis in Phoenicia Hermel plains Iaat Jabal es Saaïdé Jbaa Jdeideh Jebel Aabeby Jeita Grotto Joub Jannine Jieh Kafr Zabad Kamid el-Loz Kamouh el Hermel Karak Nuh Kaukaba Kefraya Kafr Tebnit Kfar Qouq Kfarhata Khallet Michte Kharayeb Khirbet El-Knese Kouachra megalith field Ksar Akil Labweh Lake Qaraoun (Ain Jaouze) Libbaya Lion Tower Majdal Anjar Mansourieh Maronite mummies Mayrouba Mdoukha (Jebel Kassir) Moukhtara Mtaileb Nabi Zair Nachcharini Nahle, Lebanon Neba'a Faour Nebi Safa Hosn Niha Phoenician port of Beirut Plain of Zgharta Qaa Qal'at Bustra Qalaat Tannour Qaraoun Qasr el Banat Ras Baalbek I Ras Beirut Ras El Kelb Rashaya Roman Forum of Berytus Roman hippodrome of Berytus Roman temple of Bziza Sands of Beirut Saraain El Faouqa Shheem Sidon Sin el Fil Sarepta Stone of the Pregnant Woman Tahun ben Aissa Taire Tayibe Tell Aalaq Tell Ablah Tell Addus Tell Ahle Tell Ain Cerif Tell Ain el Meten Tell Ain Ghessali Tell Ain Nfaikh Tell Ain Saouda Tell Ain Sofar Tell Ayoub Tell Bar Elias Tell Beshara Tell Bir Dakoue Tell Deir Tell Delhamieh Tell Derzenoun Tell Dibbine Tell el-Burak Tell El Ghassil Tell El Hadeth Tell Fadous Tell Hazzine Tell Hoch Rafqa Tell Karmita Tell Khardane Tell Kirri Tell Jezireh Tell Jisr Tell Kabb Elias Tell Majdaloun Tell Masoud Tell Mekhada Tell Meouchi Tell Mureibit Tell Murtafa Tell Nahariyah Tell Neba'a Chaate Tell Neba'a Litani Tell Qasr Labwe Tell Rasm El Hadeth Tell Rayak Tell Saatiya Tell Safiyeh Tell Saoudhi Tell Serhan Tell Shaikh Hassan al Rai Tell Shamsine Tell Sultan Yakoub Tell Taalabaya Tell Wardeen Tell Zenoub Tell Zeitoun Temnin el-Foka Temple of Bacchus Temple of Eshmun Temple of Jupiter Temple of the Obelisks Toron Tripolis (region of Phoenicia) Tyre Necropolis Tyre Umm al-Amad Wadi Koura Wadi Yaroun Yammoune Yanta Ain W Zain Zahlé

• Populated places in the Matn District
• Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon
• Eastern Orthodox Christian communities in Lebanon
• Melkite Christian communities in Lebanon
• Heavy Neolithic sites
• Neolithic settlements
• Archaeological sites in Lebanon
• Society of Lebanon
• Coloniae (Roman)
• Tourist attractions in Lebanon