elevation ~0 m · area ~1.75 km² · population ~800
Jiyeh is in the Chouf District of Mount Lebanon, about 30 km from Beirut, about a 25-minute drive. Its closest Chouf neighbours are Baasir (~2.3 km), Barja (~2.3 km) and Dahr El Maghara (~2.9 km).
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Jiyeh is a coastal town in the Chouf District of Mount Lebanon, roughly 51 km from Beirut. Its land covers about 1.75 km², registered population is around 800.
Freiha traced Jiyeh to Aramaic meaning 'the cheerful, pleasant place'. Antoine al-Qazzi derived it from Greek 'Aege' (the good land) and identified it with Porphyrion, one of the major Phoenician cities. The name of its district Qassouba is from a Semitic root meaning to cut/separate.
Local references trace the name of Jiyeh to Syriac roots.
registered population ~8,000
إسطفان، بدران، البستاني، حاتم، الخوري، ديب، رزق، شلالا، شهاب، عبّود، قزّي، متري، نخلة، نعمة، يوسف، إبراهيم، أبو صالح، بركات، الحاج، الخطيب، عيد، عيسى، فرحات، الكجك
The Phoenician city of Porphyreon, brought down by earthquakes and buried under sand over the centuries. Excavation by the Directorate General of Antiquities has uncovered parts of it along with the remains of some of the oldest churches in Lebanon.
A large floor mosaic showing Jonah emerging from the whale, framed by roses, fish and birds in coloured glass, found beside a Roman-Byzantine residential quarter about a hundred metres from the Nabi Younes shrine.
The shrine that gives one of the town’s quarters its name; tradition across the eastern Mediterranean places Jonah’s landing on this shore.
The palace lived in during the mutasarrifiya by the widow of Emir Bashir II and afterwards by her daughter.
A cave in the upper part of the town’s land, known for its size; the approach is steep and broken, so entry is limited to climbers with proper equipment.
~30 km from Beirut · ~25 min drive
The town of Jiyeh is in the Chouf district of Mount Lebanon, Lebanon, at around 0 m elevation.
Jiyeh is about 30 km from Beirut, roughly a 25-minute drive.
Freiha traced Jiyeh to Aramaic meaning 'the cheerful, pleasant place'. Antoine al-Qazzi derived it from Greek 'Aege' (the good land) and identified it with Porphyrion, one of the major Phoenician cities. The name of its district Qassouba is from a Semitic root meaning to cut/separate.
Families associated with Jiyeh include: إسطفان, بدران, البستاني, حاتم, الخوري, ديب, رزق, شلالا, شهاب, عبّود, قزّي, متري, نخلة, نعمة, يوسف, إبراهيم, أبو صالح, بركات, الحاج, الخطيب, عيد, عيسى, فرحات, الكجك.
Notable people connected to Jiyeh include Gabriel al-Boustani, Abbot Boutros al-Qazzi, Dr. Nassif Hanna al-Qazzi, Dr. Georges Nader al-Qazzi.
Landmarks in Jiyeh include Porphyreon archaeological site, Jonah mosaic, Nabi Younes shrine, Shihabi palace, Jiyeh cave, Sayyidat el-Najmeh Center.
Jiyeh is one of the seventeen municipalities that form the Union of Municipalities of Iqlim El-Kharroub El-Chamali — the northern half of the Iqlim El-Kharroub belt of Chouf District. The union takes Mazboud as its seat and stretches from Jiyeh itself and Rmaileh at roughly sea level — the union's lowest point — up to about 795 metres at Daraya and Aanout on its eastern, mountainous edge. Within the union, Jiyeh is the location of the area's primary sewage station — the network to which the other municipalities' lines are designed to connect.
Source: UN-Habitat Lebanon (2023), A Road Map Towards a Socioeconomic Development Plan for the Union of Municipalities of Iqlim El-Kharroub El-Chamali, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.
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No provider is listed against Jiyeh specifically yet. These trades serve the Chouf area:
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