Mechane, Lebanon
Mechane
مشان Mishan, Mchane | |
|---|---|
  Mechane Location in Lebanon | |
| Coordinates: 34°5′2″N 35°45′23″E / 34.08389°N 35.75639°E | |
| Country | Lebanon |
| Governorate | Keserwan-Jbeil |
| District | Byblos |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.08 km2 (0.80 sq mi) |
Mechane (Arabic: مشان, also spelled Mishan) is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Maronite Catholics and Shia Muslims.[2] The town is the find spot of the Mishan inscription, carved in Ancient Greek on a statue base.[3]
Location
[edit]Mechane is situated in the Byblos district on the slopes overlooking the northern bank of the Nahr Ibrahim (Adonis River).[3]
History
[edit]In ancient time, the region was traversed by the pilgrimage route leading from Byblos to the sanctuary of Venus at Afqa. Mechane preserves remnants of antiquity, including rock-carved sarcophagi described by French orientalist Ernest Renan. Among these are the ruins of a temple-tomb, crowned by a pyramid, which are reminiscent of the so-called "Tombs of Adonis" that likely lined the mountain paths. Nearby, a sculpture, referred to as "Baal or Jupiter," was found around the nearby town of Mashnaqa. The Jesuit priest Joseph Delore and M.C.L. Brossé identified indistinct remains of an ancient structure in Mechane, along with engraved stones that were reused in the construction of a contemporary building. Excavations revealed also a funerary stela, and an Ionian capital dated to the Roman Imperial period (2nd or 3rd century AD).[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Mchane". Localiban. Localiban. 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
- ^ "Elections municipales et ikhtiariah au Mont-Liban" (PDF). Localiban. Localiban. 2010. p. 19. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2015-07-24. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
- ^ a b c Mouterde, René (1944). "Antiquités et inscriptions (Syrie, Liban)". Mélanges de l'Université Saint-Joseph. 26 (1): 56–59. doi:10.3406/mefao.1944.1355.
Capital: Byblos | ||
| Towns and villages |
|  |
| Landmarks |
| |
 | This Lebanon location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |