Douma, Lebanon

Douma is a Lebanese village located at an altitude of 1150 m. It is 80 km from Beirut, 30 km from Jbeil and 43 km from Tripoli. Douma is a part of Batroun District and is known for its special location in a valley surrounded by mountains. Almost all its houses are made of red brick. It enjoys a unique temperate climate praised by physicians as the ultimate place of medical refuge. Its ground is rich and welcomes all sorts of plants especially and has an abundance olive trees, grapevines and apple trees.

History

Douma witnessed different civilizations including ancient Greece, ancient Rome and Turkey. However, the Ottoman Empire left the largest impact on Douma's inhabitants.

In the town square sits a 4th-century A.D. sarcophagus, bearing a Greek inscription recording that this was the burial place of Castor, who died in 317 A.D.

Emir Youssef Shehab in the early 1800s brought Christians to the town, in hope of getting better crop and thus better taxes. Since then the village has become a Christian village, with most of its believers members of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Origin of the name

The name Douma is of Greek origin meaning "house", "palace" or "castle". Douma is also named "Douma El Hadid" (Douma of Iron or Iron-Douma) due to the abundance of iron found it its soil and the superior craftsmanship of its blacksmiths. The arming industry established under Ibrahimn Basha's regime encouraged many people from Showeir to come and settle in Douma since opportunities of work were plentiful at the time.

Development

The majority of the infrastructure and housing in Douma was built between 1881 and 1914. This was the golden age in the life of Douma financed by the money sent by emigrants in Brazil, Argentina and the USA.

Coordinates: 34°12′N 35°50′E / 34.200°N 35.833°E

International relations

Douma is twinned with:

• Digne-les-Bains, France