Mdoukha
مذوخا
Village
Mdoukha in the spring
Mdoukha in the spring
Country Lebanon
GovernorateBeqaa
DistrictRashaya
Area
 • Total5.86 sq mi (15.18 km2)
Elevation
[1]
3,615 ft (1,102 m)
Population
 • Estimated total (including expatriates)
3,300
 • Living in Mdoukha
<400

Mdoukha (Arabic: مذوخا) is a village and municipality 72 kilometres (45 mi) east of Beirut in the Rashaya District, Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon.[2][3][4] A significant majority of the population is considered to be Lebanese Canadian, with 60% living in London, Ontario.[5] Most of the population identifies as Sunni Muslim.

View of Mdoukha from Mount Qsair to the south of the town.

Mdoukha lies at the foothills of Mount Hermon (which can be seen from many different points in and around the town) in the Rashaya District of the Beqaa Valley, about 15 kilometres northwest of Mount Hermon, and 72 kilometres east of Beirut.[6] It sits 1102 metres above sea level.[7] Villages surrounding Mdoukha include Ain Arab, Al-Bireh, Al-Rafid, Bakka, Kfardenis, and Kherbet Rouha.[8]

A view of the town from the northern end with the snow-capped Anti-Lebanon mountains visible in the distance.

With a blend of modern architecture and homes that date back over a century, Mdoukha has not lost its image as a historical Lebanese town full of culture and tradition.

Entrance to Mdoukha from the southwest, along the main Bire road connecting the town to the rest of the province.

Mdoukha has historically been a farming town, with beautiful green spaces and small farms throughout the town, and many fields and larger farms surrounding the area. It is home to the K-6 Mdoukha Public Elementary School as well as a small park just outside the town, where locals as well as the residents of neighbouring towns enjoy the beautiful Mediterranean scenery and weather during the spring and summer.

Ayn Qenya, a local park outside Mdoukha to the northeast maintained by the town.

On the nearby Mount Qsair, there are ruins of what appears to have been a military watchtower that is said to date back hundreds of years by the locals, although no official research or studies exist to confirm this.

Northwest corner of Mdoukha’s town square.

No official census data is available, as is the case for the rest of the country, however locals and expatriates estimate Mdoukha's population to be approximately 3300 people, of which the majority lives in London, Ontario.[9][10]

References

  1. ↑ "Elevation of Mdoukha, Lebanon".
  2. ↑ "Google Maps: Mdoukha".
  3. ↑ George Taylor (1971). The Roman temples of Lebanon: a pictorial guide. Les temples romains au Liban; guide illustré. Dar el-Machreq Publishers. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  4. ↑ Université Saint-Joseph (Beirut, Lebanon) (1968). Mélanges de l'Université Saint-Joseph. Imprimerie Catholique. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  5. ↑ "The Monthly - issue 91" (PDF). localiban. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Google Maps: Mdoukha".
  7. ↑ "Elevation of Mdoukha, Lebanon".
  8. ↑ "Google Maps: Mdoukha".
  9. ↑ "The Lebanese Demographic Reality" (PDF).
  10. ↑ "The Monthly - issue 91" (PDF). localiban. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
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