North Lebanon

Qurnat as Sawda is the highest point in Lebanon and the Levant.[10]

The Mseilha Walkway (Darb Mseilha) is easily accessible from the Batroun highway, the entrance in next to the Mseilha Fort, a historic monument built by Fakhr al-Din II in the 17th century.[11]

Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve is located located about three kilometers northwest of the center of Ehden. Visitors coming enjoy hiking, climbing and biking.[12]

Name of the Martyrs

On 13 November 1943, a tragic incident took place in Tripoli, resulting in the loss of lives of 14 students, all under the age of 15. The students were struck by French tanks driven by Senegalese soldiers while participating in a peaceful march through the streets. During the demonstration, the students were fervently advocating for an end to the occupation. The massacre contributed to accelerating the declaration of Lebanon’s independence.[13][14][15][16]

One day before the massacre, the French occupation army arrested Abdul Hamid Karami and imprisoned him in the Rashaya Citadel.[17]

On 12 June 1959, North Lebanon Governorate was created which separated Koura, Zgharta, Bcharreh and Batroun from Mount Lebanon.[18]

Districts that formed North Lebanon:

On 23 November 1993, Minyeh and Danniyeh were separated from Tripoli and established their own district in North Lebanon.[19]

On 16 July 2003, Akkar was separated from North Lebanon due to the presence of government departments in the city of Tripoli which forced the citizens of Akkar to come from long distances in order to finish their government transactions.[20]

On 12 February 1978, Syrian special units (Arabic: الوحدات الخاصة السورية) attacked the northern village of Qnat, where they killed 15 Lebanese Forces fighters, the battle is known as battle of Qnat.[21]

On 9 February 1986, Syrian Military Intelligence killed Tawhid leader Khalil Akkawi because he refused to fight the Lebanese Forces.[22] Three supporters of Akkawi's Islamic Tawheed, or Islamic Unification Movement, were slain in gunfights with Syrian troopers after his burial, police reported.[23]

Former Syrian minister of interior Mohammad al-Shaar participated in the 1986 Bab al-Tabbaneh massacre. In the 1980s, al-Shaar was a top intelligence official in northern Lebanon when Syrian troops stormed Tripoli and crushed a Sunni group that supported Palestine Liberation Organization chief Yasser Arafat.[24]

The Syrian military intelligence (المخابرات السورية) setup a torture prison inside the Evangelical School in Jabal Mohsen, the prison was called "American Prison" (معتقل الاميركان).[25]

On 15 August 2021, 28 people were killed and 79 injured when a fuel tank exploded in Akkar in North Lebanon.[26]

In the 2000 Lebanese general election, North Lebanon was divided in two electoral districts: Akkar-Danniyeh-Bcharreh and Tripoli-Miniyeh-Zgharta-Koura-Batroun. Those division were made by Ghazi Kanaan and Rafik Hariri to ensure that the Sunni majority would take away the true Christian opposition representation, however Nayla Moawad still managed to win.[27]

In the 2005 Lebanese general election, the March 14 alliance that was formed between Nayla Moawad, Boutros Harb, Kataeb, Lebanese Forces and Saad Hariri after the Cedar Revolution won all the seats in North Lebanon.[28]

In the 2009 Lebanese general election, North Lebanon was divided into 7 electoral districts: Akkar, Minniyeh-Danniyeh, Tripoli, Zgharta, Bcharreh, Koura and Batroun.

The March 14 Alliance won in 6 out of 7 electoral districts, the only electoral district they lost in was Zgharta which was won by the March 8 Alliance.[29]

In the 2018 and 2022 Lebanese general election, North Lebanon was divided into 3 electoral districts: North I, North II and North III.[30]

That electoral law was crafted to favor Gebran Bassil so he could finally win a seat after losing in 2005 and 2009.[31]