Jeita

33°57′14″N 35°38′36″E / 33.95389°N 35.64333°E / 33.95389; 35.64333

Jeita
جعيتا
Jaita, Jaaita
Municipality
Jeita is located in Lebanon
Jeita
Jeita
Location in Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°57′14″N 35°38′36″E / 33.95389°N 35.64333°E / 33.95389; 35.64333
Country Lebanon
GovernorateKeserwan-Jbeil
DistrictKeserwan
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Jeita (Arabic: جعيتا Jʿītā; also spelled Jaaita or Jaita) is a town and municipality located in the Keserwan District of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. The town is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Beirut.[1] It has an average elevation of 380 meters above sea level and a total land area of 290 hectares.[1] Jeita's inhabitants are Maronites.[2]

It is well known for the Jeita Grotto which is a popular tourist attraction, as well as the Nahr al-Kalb, a river that runs from a spring near the grotto emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. The name Jeita is derived from the Aramaic word Ge’itta, meaning "roar" or "noise".[3]

History

In 1838, Eli Smith noted Ja'ita as a village located in "Aklim el-Kesrawan, Northeast of Beirut; the chief seat of the Maronites".[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "Jaaita". Localiban. Localiban. 2008-01-21. Archived from the original on 21 Feb 2019. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
  2. ^ "Elections municipales et ikhtiariah au Mont-Liban" (PDF). Localiban. Localiban. 2010. p. 19. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2015-07-24. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
  3. ^ Lebanese Maronite Villages or Towns Archived 2009-06-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2009-07-24.
  4. ^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 193

Bibliography