Jeita (Arabic: جعيتاJʿītā; 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
^ ab"Jaaita". Localiban. Localiban. 2008-01-21. Archived from the original on 21 Feb 2019. Retrieved 2009-07-24.