Bteghrine

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Overlooking Bteghrine (2005)

Bteghrine (Arabic: بتغرين‎, also spelled Bteghrin and Btighrin) is a municipality in the Metn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon. The exact origin of the name Bteghrine is unknown, but possibilities include Place of Warriors, Place of Rocks, and House of the Saddest - references to a large battle that occurred in the area around 1290 and resulted in thousands of deaths.^[1]

1 Geography
2 Agriculture
3 Economy
4 Churches
5 Famous Bteghrineites
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Bteghrine is located at 33.93° N 35.744° E. It is bordered by Mount Sannine to the east, Wadi el-Jamajem to the north, Jiwar to the west, and Khinsharah to the south. The municipality is comprised of seven neighborhoods and four outlying districts.

View of Mount Sannine from Zaarour (2005)

[edit] Neighborhoods

Haret al-Ain
Haret al-Dara
Haret al-Shahara
Haret al-Shawyee
Haret al-Ssaha
Haret al-Wata
Haret Ali

[edit] Outlying districts

Bsefrine
Meisree
Sabourta
Zaarour

[edit] Water

There are several springs used for both drinking water and agriculutural purposes in Bteghrine. The four primary springs are Aassal, Manboukh, Mir, and Sparta.

[edit] Agriculture

Bteghrine is situated on a rocky hillside, but supports a thriving, self-sufficient agriculture. Most of the land within the city and the surrounding hills, including the Meisree and Bsefrine districts, was fully terraced to make it more suited for planting. The most common fruits and vegetables grown in Bteghrine are: figs, grapes, mulberry, plums, apples, peaches, persimmon, pomegranate, cherries, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, mint, wheat, and beans. Small shops in the town process much of the local produce into arak, molasses, wine, and preserves.

[edit] Economy

The Saliba Nail and Screw [1] factory is the largest single plant in Bteghrine. Additionally, the town has a large number of small shops for blacksmithing, woodworking, car repair and bodywork, leather tailoring, and aluminum manufacturing. The city also enjoys a full set of services including three gas stations, a supermarket, dry cleaner, several specialty and general stores, a large bakery, several bookstores, several clinics, many restaurants, and one hotel. Bteghrine also hosts the central telephone station for the upper Metn region.