Beiteddine is a town in the Chouf area, Mount Lebanon. Chouf App is a utility app for Chouf-area residents — it connects Beiteddine with Chouf-based stores for shopping and with a directory of trusted local trades.
elevation ~850 m · area ~2.44 km²
Beiteddine sits at about 850 m elevation in the Chouf district of Mount Lebanon, with an area of 2.44 km². It serves today as the capital of Chouf District.
Most scholars read the Semitic name as 'house of justice' (the root 'din' meaning judgment, as in Daniel — 'God is judge'), not 'religion'. Others propose 'Bet Diana' (house of the goddess Diana), or a Druze khalwa ('house of worship'). The name is likely Arabic and is not attested before the 14th century.
Emir Bashir II began constructing the Beiteddine Palace in 1788, and by 1811 had moved the seat of the emirate from Deir el Qamar to Beiteddine. The complex grew around an earlier Druze khalwa (hermitage) on the site. The palace today hosts the President of the Republic's summer residence and the annual Beiteddine Festival.
registered population ~2,500 · area ~285 ha · ~45 km from Beirut
Built over roughly 30 years from 1788 as Emir Bashir II's seat of power. It is laid out around three courts — the outer Dar al-Baraniyyeh, the central Dar al-Wousta and the private Dar al-Harim — above vaulted stables that once held some 500 horses, with a large marble hammam alongside. Its lower level holds one of the eastern Mediterranean's most important collections of Byzantine mosaics, gathered from a church at Jiyyeh (ancient Porphyrion), while the guest wing shows the Rachid Karami ethnographic collection. After heavy losses in the 1982 invasion the palace was restored from 1984 and declared a 'Palace of the People'.
Built for Emir Bashir II's eldest son and set on the hill overlooking Beiteddine Palace; the restored palace now operates as a hotel.
A primary health-care center serving Beiteddine and the surrounding upper Chouf towns.
The town of Beiteddine is in the Chouf district of Mount Lebanon, Lebanon, about 45 km from Beirut, at around 850 m elevation.
Beiteddine is about 45 km from Beirut.
Most scholars read the Semitic name as 'house of justice' (the root 'din' meaning judgment, as in Daniel — 'God is judge'), not 'religion'. Others propose 'Bet Diana' (house of the goddess Diana), or a Druze khalwa ('house of worship'). The name is likely Arabic and is not attested before the 14th century.
Notable people connected to Beiteddine include Joseph Abou Khalil, Emile Abi Nader, Father Youssef Finianos.
Landmarks in Beiteddine include Beiteddine Palace, Mir Amin Palace, Beiteddine Primary Care Center.