Located in Jbayl, el Mashnqa contains a Roman temple and ancient tombs with reliefs, one of which depicts a woman breastfeeding.
Note: Mashnqa comes from Canaaniteโs ynq “to suck”. We see a pattern shift due to the reinterpretation to accommodate Lebanese Arabic word mashnqa which translates to gallows.
2. Maameltein, Arabic for โ(the bridge of) the two administrative districtsโ
Located in Jounieh, this seaside area’s name refers to the bridge that connected the northern and southern administrative districts of Mount Lebanon under Ottoman rule.
Note: This the Arabic dual form of standard Arabic word muสฟฤmala which means province or district.
3. Bikfaya, Aramaic for โthe place of the rocksโ
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In this town of Bikfaya, situated in the Metn region, there is a cliff that passes through most of the village, today over-shadowed by high buildings; the most dense and oldest parts of the village lie right below the cliff.
Note: Bษ is Aramaicโs short form bษt which means house, temple, family, place. Kfayya is the plural of Aramaicโs kฤpฬ or kฤpฬฤ meaning rock or stone.
4. Bsharre, Aramaic for โthe place by the valleyโ
This village is situated on a ledge above Qadisha valley; hence, the meaning of its name: the place by the valley. It is Gibran Khalil Gibranโs residence, also known as that place where I was trusting (or crazy) enough to follow the Aussie – in his own words – on a few โmadcap adventuresโฆending up shivering in deserted snowfields and getting lost clambering over mountainsides in the darkโ!
Note: The b comes from Aramaicโs short form bษt meaning house, temple, family, place, and sharra, an Aramaic word for valley.
5. Bourj Hammoud, Arabic for โthe tower, turret of Hammoudโ
Local tradition says that the ruler of Ehden offered the ancestors of those who settled in this locality a lot of land to keep their sheep and cattle. When they chose a small parcel of land between two rivers (Nahr Qadisha and Nahr Rashain), he said to their leader zeฤกฤกarta “you chose a small one [lit.: you made it small]”.
Note: This form, which is similar to Lebanese zฤกฤซr, แนฃghฤซr is a hybrid of Aramaic zสฟr and standard Arabic แนฃฤกr, both meaning small or young.
7. Jeita, Canaanite for โ(the place of) roaringโ
Located in Keserwan, the river Nahr el Kalb is nearby and the inhabitants at times hear its โroar;โ the village was much closer to the river, but with time moved to the top of the hill.
Note: Aramaicโs gษสฟฤซ, gษสฟฤ, Hebrewโs gฤสฟฤ, and Syriacโs gษสฟo all mean “to roar, to low”. Canaaniteโs gสฟ means lowing, roaring.
8. Beirut, Canaanite for โ(the place of the) wellsโ
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If youโve lived in Beirut long enough, youโve been favored to experience the cityโs (and countryโs) infamous water issues. So ironic that a city that is named after its underground water reserves contains such major water supply cuts.
Note: Beirut comes from the plural of Canaaniteโs b2r โwell.โ
The Crusaders, who also coined the place-name, founded a Cistercian abbey here in the Koura district. It is now an Orthodox monastery where the University of Balamand was established.
Note: Bala comes from Frenchโs bel which translates to handsome, beautiful and mand from Frenchโs mont which translates to mountain, hill.
10. Laqlouk, Lebanese Arabic for โthe glittering (place)โ
Wardini was told that the name was given to this region, situated at an altitude of 1850 meters in Jbayl, because of its fine and pure weather, with seldom any fog; they say that the weather biylaqlษq meaning it glitters. Tula Khandjian told the author that in her interviews a lady asked: “See the hills [that surround the region], are they straight?” The answer was: “Laโ luq“, translating to: “No they are crooked”.
Note: The name comes from Lebanese Arabic laqlaq meaning to glitter or shine.
