A densely-populated suburb east of Beirut, Sin el Fil undoubtedly has one of the strangest names in the country. The name translates pretty simply to elephant’s tooth, but it gets complicated when you try and find out how this name came to be. Here are some theories about how Sin el Filled got its name.
One theory states that the area looks like the tooth of an elephant on the map, leading those in charge at the time to declare the city the elephant’s tooth. It is unclear which force decided on this, but it could be the Ottomans, French, or Lebanese. It seems unlikely that this much effort was put into the naming of the city, and one logical obstacle that pops up is why are there no other areas named after their geographic shape? But we’ll let you decide.
Unsatisfied with the map/shape explanation, others have asserted that Sin el Fil is an extension of the name of Saint Theophilus. With Antioch being an important (and close) religious centre in the region, some believe Saint Theophilus’ influence remains on the city from the days of the crusades. The theory goes that Theophilus, after hundreds of years of use, deformed into theo-phil or sin el fil. As far as we can find, no ancient church by the name of Saint Theophilus exists in Sin el Fil, putting a bit of a damper on this take.
Finally, there is the argument that the area’s name comes from the Syriac “Shen-de-Fila”, meaning the color of ivory. This is said to be in reference to the area’s unique and almost ivory-white soil. With Sin el Fil being on the Beirut river, and much of Lebanon’s areas having names that originate in local languages, this theory might make the most sense.
So how did Sin el Fil get its name? That’s up to you to decide. But we personally are sold on the third take.
