Aitou
Encyclopedia
Aitou is a village located in the Zgharta District
in the North Governorate
of Lebanon
. Its population is Maronite Catholic.
With a Ghayn (Ghaithou), it could mean anger, rage (Arabic equivalent: ).
With an Aleph ('Aitou), it could mean thick, obscure, magic in reference maybe to the thick forests or the thick fog that characterizes the summer evenings in this area.
and 27 km from Tripoli, Lebanon
. The town occupies the northern slopes of Mount Lebanon
at an elevation ranging between 900 to 1300 meters above sea level.
, Aitou was famous for its oak and cedar
forests. An Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic inscription sent by Pharaoh Pepi II to one of the kings of Byblos
, asking for a number of trees from the woods of the God Aitou in order to extract the resin used by the Egyptians for embalmment is indicative of the importance of the forests of Aitou in ancient times. The hieroglyphic inscription is found today at the National Museum of Beirut
.
in Mount Lebanon
in the 5th Century, there was a Muqaddam
in Aitou counted among the Maronite leaders. The rule of the Aitou Muqaddam seems to have been limited to the nearby region till 1519.
In 1517, one year after the beginning of the Ottoman
rule in Lebanon
, the Muqaddam of Bsharri
, Elias, died leaving the rule of the region to his young son Hanna, known later as Abdel Muneem. In 1519, the Muqaddam of Aitou, Kamal Eddine Ibn Abdel Al-Wahhab, known as Ibn Ajramah , profiting from the confusion and the young age of the Muqaddam of Bsharri, seized the power in Jebbet Bsharri
. He was married to Sitt El Moulouk , a cousin of the Muqaddam of Bsharri. Sitt Al Moulouk played an important role in the take-over out of revenge because the family branch of her father, the Sheikh Alwan, was evicted from power in Jebbet Bsharri previously.
In the first Ottoman
census of Jebbet Bsharri
done in that same year, Aitou was credited with 28 male adults, 24 of them married. Adopting the common estimation of the Historians of that period, we could assume that 185 people lived in Aitou in 1519.
The Muqaddam of Aitou, Ibn Ajramah, ruled Jebbet Bsharri
for 18 years. He built a castle in Aitou and accumulated a lot of wealth.
In 1532, Abdel Muneem of Bsharri
succeeded in getting back the rule on half of the region from Bsharri
to Hadath El Jebbeh, the other half from Blaouza
to Aitou staying under the rule of Ibn Ajramah of Aitou. In 1537, Abdul Muneem of Bsharri killed Ibn Ajramah of Aitou by stabbing him with his spear. The killing took place in the village of Blaouza
. Ibn Ajramah was buried in Aitou behind the church of Mar Sarkis. This episode marked the end of the Muqaddams of Aitou.
But the wife of Ibn Ajramah, the above-mentioned Sitt El Moulouk, took eventually her revenge by paying mercenaries to assassinate Abdul Muneem in 1547, ending also this dynasty of Bsharri's Muqaddams as no male descendant was alive.
In the second Ottoman
census of 1571, Aitou had 46 male adults, 40 of them being married. There should have been 304 inhabitants in the village. It is almost a 10 per mil increase per year. The increase for the whole region was around 4 per mil per year. This demographic vitality of Aitou could mainly be explained by the actions of construction and organization initiated by Ibn Ajramah and by the wealth accumulated by him as confirmed by Douaihy.
Zgharta District
Zgharta District is a district of the North Governorate, Lebanon.The administrative center is the town of Zgharta. The district has 57 populated areas with 30 municipalities covering 37 villages. Some areas share the same municipality such as Ehden/Zgharta, Kfarsghab/Morh Kfarsghab or...
in the North Governorate
North Governorate
North Governorate is one of the governorates of Lebanon. Its capital is Tripoli.-Districts:The North Governorate is divided into districts, or aqdya...
of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. Its population is Maronite Catholic.
Demographics
Aitou is lovely village lying on four hills : " JABAL AYTO(EL KAREN)-EL ALAMA-DNIT-KANISSA HILL". It is one of the first villages in Casa ZGHARTA , far from the capital by 113 km and far from Tripoli by 27 km , and Zgharta , the casa center by 19 km . It is between 900 & 1300 meters above sea level. The village's area is about 6.9 km2 or 6,900,000 meters squares. The current estimate is that 1157 people live in the village in about 200 houses. The people of Aitou are followers of the Maronite Catholic church. It is also estimated, according to some statistics, that in the U.S.A there are about 14,000 immigrants from Aitou; most of whom live in Peoria, IL and have formed the Itoo Society. The Itoo Society was established in 1914 for several purposes: creating and maintaining unity among the Aitou community in Peoria, maintaining strong ties to the families remaining in Aitou and providing for the general welfare of both the Aitou community in Peoria and the citizens of the village of Aitou. The Itoo Society of Peoria maintains its websites-http://ItooHall.com/ and http://ItooHistory.com/ as well as a Facebook page entitled "Itoo Hall". There are also many immigrants from Aitou who live in Venezuela, Australia, Brazil, and some European countries.Famous People from Aitou
The most renowned individuals from Aitou or descendants of Lebanese from Aitou are:- Ray LaHoodRay LaHoodRaymond H. "Ray" LaHood is a Republican politician from Illinois who is currently the United States Secretary of Transportation, having served since 2009. Previously, he represented the Illinois's 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives for seven terms .-Early life and...
, U.S. Secretary of Transportation - Joseph Hitti, bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
- Father Khalil Alwan, Superior General of the Lebanese Missionaries
- Agnes Arcand, Nurse
Etymology
With a Qaf (Qaitou), the name in Aramaic could mean summer, heat or boar. It is equivalent to the Arabic Qaith , meaning canicule or heat wave. It could refer to Aitou being used as a Summer Resort given the town's location at a high elevation, yet only 27 km from the Mediterranean coast.With a Ghayn (Ghaithou), it could mean anger, rage (Arabic equivalent: ).
With an Aleph ('Aitou), it could mean thick, obscure, magic in reference maybe to the thick forests or the thick fog that characterizes the summer evenings in this area.
Geography
Aitou is a mountainous village, located 113 km from BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
and 27 km from Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
. The town occupies the northern slopes of Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon , as a geographic designation, is a Lebanese mountain range, averaging above 2,200 meters in height and receiving a substantial amount of precipitation, including snow, which averages around four meters deep. It extends across the whole country along about , parallel to the...
at an elevation ranging between 900 to 1300 meters above sea level.
Antiquity
In antiquityClassical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
, Aitou was famous for its oak and cedar
Lebanon Cedar
Cedrus libani is a species of cedar native to the mountains of the Mediterranean region.There are two distinct types that are considered to be different subspecies or varieties. Lebanon cedar or Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani is a species of cedar native to the mountains of the Mediterranean...
forests. An Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic inscription sent by Pharaoh Pepi II to one of the kings of Byblos
Byblos
Byblos is the Greek name of the Phoenician city Gebal . It is a Mediterranean city in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of present-day Lebanon under the current Arabic name of Jubayl and was also referred to as Gibelet during the Crusades...
, asking for a number of trees from the woods of the God Aitou in order to extract the resin used by the Egyptians for embalmment is indicative of the importance of the forests of Aitou in ancient times. The hieroglyphic inscription is found today at the National Museum of Beirut
National Museum of Beirut
The National Museum of Beirut is the principal museum of archaeology in Lebanon. The collection was begun after World War I, and the museum was officially opened in 1942. The museum has collections totalling about 100,000 objects, most of which are antiquities and medieval finds from excavations...
.
Ottoman period
After the settlement of the MaronitesMaronites
Maronites , is an ethnoreligious group in the Middle East that have been historically tied with Lebanon. They derive their name from the Syriac saint Mar Maron whose followers moved to Mount Lebanon from northern Syria establishing the Maronite Church....
in Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon , as a geographic designation, is a Lebanese mountain range, averaging above 2,200 meters in height and receiving a substantial amount of precipitation, including snow, which averages around four meters deep. It extends across the whole country along about , parallel to the...
in the 5th Century, there was a Muqaddam
Muqaddam
Muqaddam is an Arabic title, adopted in other Islamic cultures, for any of various civil or religious officials. The literal meaning is something like "expediter", "facilitator", or "assistant"....
in Aitou counted among the Maronite leaders. The rule of the Aitou Muqaddam seems to have been limited to the nearby region till 1519.
In 1517, one year after the beginning of the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
rule in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, the Muqaddam of Bsharri
Bsharri
Bsharri , is a Lebanese town at about 1,450 m of altitude, near the Kadisha Valley. It is located at , in the Bsharri District of the North Governorate. Bsharri is the town of the only remaining Original Cedars of Lebanon...
, Elias, died leaving the rule of the region to his young son Hanna, known later as Abdel Muneem. In 1519, the Muqaddam of Aitou, Kamal Eddine Ibn Abdel Al-Wahhab, known as Ibn Ajramah , profiting from the confusion and the young age of the Muqaddam of Bsharri, seized the power in Jebbet Bsharri
Bsharri
Bsharri , is a Lebanese town at about 1,450 m of altitude, near the Kadisha Valley. It is located at , in the Bsharri District of the North Governorate. Bsharri is the town of the only remaining Original Cedars of Lebanon...
. He was married to Sitt El Moulouk , a cousin of the Muqaddam of Bsharri. Sitt Al Moulouk played an important role in the take-over out of revenge because the family branch of her father, the Sheikh Alwan, was evicted from power in Jebbet Bsharri previously.
In the first Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
census of Jebbet Bsharri
Bsharri
Bsharri , is a Lebanese town at about 1,450 m of altitude, near the Kadisha Valley. It is located at , in the Bsharri District of the North Governorate. Bsharri is the town of the only remaining Original Cedars of Lebanon...
done in that same year, Aitou was credited with 28 male adults, 24 of them married. Adopting the common estimation of the Historians of that period, we could assume that 185 people lived in Aitou in 1519.
The Muqaddam of Aitou, Ibn Ajramah, ruled Jebbet Bsharri
Bsharri
Bsharri , is a Lebanese town at about 1,450 m of altitude, near the Kadisha Valley. It is located at , in the Bsharri District of the North Governorate. Bsharri is the town of the only remaining Original Cedars of Lebanon...
for 18 years. He built a castle in Aitou and accumulated a lot of wealth.
In 1532, Abdel Muneem of Bsharri
Bsharri
Bsharri , is a Lebanese town at about 1,450 m of altitude, near the Kadisha Valley. It is located at , in the Bsharri District of the North Governorate. Bsharri is the town of the only remaining Original Cedars of Lebanon...
succeeded in getting back the rule on half of the region from Bsharri
Bsharri
Bsharri , is a Lebanese town at about 1,450 m of altitude, near the Kadisha Valley. It is located at , in the Bsharri District of the North Governorate. Bsharri is the town of the only remaining Original Cedars of Lebanon...
to Hadath El Jebbeh, the other half from Blaouza
Blaouza
Blaouza , is a Maronite Christian village in the Bsharri District of the North Governorate of Lebanon. The population is approximately 3,000, and the village lies at an altitude of 1,320 metres above sea level.-The Village and its History:...
to Aitou staying under the rule of Ibn Ajramah of Aitou. In 1537, Abdul Muneem of Bsharri killed Ibn Ajramah of Aitou by stabbing him with his spear. The killing took place in the village of Blaouza
Blaouza
Blaouza , is a Maronite Christian village in the Bsharri District of the North Governorate of Lebanon. The population is approximately 3,000, and the village lies at an altitude of 1,320 metres above sea level.-The Village and its History:...
. Ibn Ajramah was buried in Aitou behind the church of Mar Sarkis. This episode marked the end of the Muqaddams of Aitou.
But the wife of Ibn Ajramah, the above-mentioned Sitt El Moulouk, took eventually her revenge by paying mercenaries to assassinate Abdul Muneem in 1547, ending also this dynasty of Bsharri's Muqaddams as no male descendant was alive.
In the second Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
census of 1571, Aitou had 46 male adults, 40 of them being married. There should have been 304 inhabitants in the village. It is almost a 10 per mil increase per year. The increase for the whole region was around 4 per mil per year. This demographic vitality of Aitou could mainly be explained by the actions of construction and organization initiated by Ibn Ajramah and by the wealth accumulated by him as confirmed by Douaihy.
Churches
- Church of Our Lady of Aitou
- Church of Saint RafqaRafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-RayèsRafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès , also known as Saint Rafka , is a Lebanese Maronite saint canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 10, 2001.-Birth and Youth:...
- Church of Saint DomitiusSaint DomitiusHe is remembered for providing spiritual guidance to Saint Ulphia. Domitius is said to have been a deacon of the church of Amiens who lived on the banks of the Avre River.One of the statues in the portal of Amiens Cathedral has been identified as Domitius....
- Church of Saint JosephSaint JosephSaint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
- Church of Saint Sergius and Saint Bacchus
- Church of Saint SimonSimon the ZealotThe apostle called Simon Zelotes, Simon the Zealot, in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13; and Simon Kananaios or Simon Cananeus , was one of the most obscure among the apostles of Jesus. Little is recorded of him aside from his name...
Monasteries
- Monastery of Saint Simon
- Monastery of Saint ArtemiosArtemiusArtemius , known as Challita in the Maronite tradition, was a general of the Roman Empire, dux Aegypti . He is considered a saint by the Orthodox Church, with the name of Artemius of Antioch,...
of Antioch (Challita)