Beit ed-Dine بيت الدين
—  City  —
Beiteddine Palace
Beit ed-Dine Location within Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°41′43.97″N 35°34′45.13″E / 33.6955472°N 35.5792028°E / 33.6955472; 35.5792028Coordinates: 33°41′43.97″N 35°34′45.13″E / 33.6955472°N 35.5792028°E / 33.6955472; 35.5792028
Country	Lebanon
Governorate	Mount Lebanon Governorate
District	Chouf District
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code
Dialing code	+961

Beiteddine is the capital of the Chouf District

Beit ed-Dine (in Arabic بيت الدين, translates to "House of Religion") is a small Lebanese town in the Chouf District, approx. 50 km southeast of Beirut and near the town of Deir el-Qamar from which it is separated by a steep valley. The town is famous for its magnificent Beiteddine Palace which hosts the Beiteddine Festival every summer.

Local emir Bashir Chehab II who was later appointed to rule Mount Lebanon, started building the palace in 1788 at the site of the Druze hermitage (hence the town's name, translating as "House of Faith"). It took about 30 years to complete. The best craftsmen from Damascus and Aleppo as well as Italian architects were invited and given much freedom, so its style is a cross between traditional Arab and Italian baroque.

After 1840, when Bashir was sent into exile the palace was used by the Ottomans as a government building, during the French Mandate its role was preserved and it served as a local administrative office. In 1934, it was declared a national monument. In 1943, Bechara El Khoury, the first Lebanese president, declared it the official president's summer residence. During the Lebanese civil war it was heavily damaged. After 1984, when fighting in the area receded, Walid Jumblatt ordered its restoration. Parts of the palace are today open to the public while the rest is still the president's summer residence.

Bashir built three more palaces in the town for his sons, till today only Mir Amin Palace survived and is today a luxury hotel.

Beiteddine is home to a Lebanese Red Cross First Aid Center.^[1]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Text of Beit El Dine and virtual tour image
• 360 virtual tour of the Mosaics Room in Beit El Dine
• MiddleEast.com
• LebGuide
• Official site of the Beiteddine Festival
• Lebanon, the Cedars' Land: Beiteddine

v t e Chouf District, Mount Lebanon Governorate Capital: Beitedine Towns and villages Ain Qani Ammatour Baakline Barja Barouk Bakaata Beitedine Beykoun Bourjain Boutmeh Brih Damour Daraya Deir el Qamar Dibbiyeh El Bireh Gharife Jahlieh Jiyyeh Joun Kahlouniye Kfarfakoud Mazraat el chouf Maasser Moukhtara Mtolleh Serjbel Shheem Zaarourieh Notable landmarks Beiteddine Palace Fakhredine Palace Deir el Qamar Synagogue Fakhredine Mosque Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve

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