Joun

Joun (also Joon, Djoun, in Arabic جون, in Phoenician ) is a Lebanese village sitting on seven hills in the Chouf (in Arabic قضاء الشوف) district of Mount Lebanon at a distant 13 kilometers from the city of Sidon.

Joun means in Assyrian “the corner,” and it is located in between Mount Lebanon and South Lebanon, forming a corner shape.

It is a village of approximately 7,400 inhabitants mainly Greek Catholic, Shiite and Maronite.

History

Joun is an old village located above the temple of the Phoenician god Eshmun near the city of Sidon.

In 1887 the Ottomans appointed the first commission of Joun.

The members were:

Greek Catholic: Gerges Chamy, Mitri Mousawbaa, Assaad Khoriaty, Mikhael Nab’aa, Youssef Gebran Khoury.

Shiite: Hossein Chamseddine, Hossein Saleh.

Maronite: Ibrahim Youness, Youssef Estephan

Protestant: Youssef Koussa

Their tasks were to take care of the land of Joun and regulate the environment and day-to-day work, such as agricultural life and water and also to supervise the local security.

In 1898, the commission had its own logo, and each member had his own stamp. And the members used it to sign official statements.

In 1903, the Ottoman Empire put a law that required electing the municipality members instead of recruiting them; And since then, Joun had its elected officials who took care of local matters as well as supervised the relationship with the national authority.

Notable people

95 % of Joun’s population are educated, mostly doctors, judges, lawyers, engineers, bishops and high position clergymen, journalists, government employees, and members of parliament.

Joun is also known for its cultural life, four of its sons are well known artists: the comedian Shoushou, the singer Nasri Shassedine, the actor Michel Nab’aa and the composer Nasser Makhoul.

Joun today

Joun today has a municipality of 15 members; the head of the municipality is Doctor Roger Jaweesh.

Joun has a public Library (Michel Nab’aa Public Library).

In Joun today there are three churches and one mosque, also four schools: two public and two private.

Joun is a village rich in olive trees and grapes and is known for its olive oil and soap.

Families

Joun families are:

Abdennour, Abou Abdo, Barbar, Borkhoche, Chami, Chamseddine, Chmouny, Doumit, Eid, Estephan, Fawaz, Ghosn, Hanna, Haydar, Hijazy, Ismail, Issa, Jaweesh, Kassem, Khoriaty, Khoury, Makhoul, Ma'louly, Mo’ty, Mousawbaa, Nachef, Nassar, Roufael, Roukoz, Saleh, Samoun, Sleiman, Srour, Talj, Zein, Ziadeh.

Tourism

Monastery Saint Savior

Monastery Saint Savior (in Arabic دير المخلص) was built on a hill covered with pine and olive trees and grape vines and located in the east side of Joun beginning of the eighteenth century, and it constitutes a landmark in the Chouf district.

Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope site

This site is located on another hill to the north east side of Joun. This site is known as "Dahr El Sitt" (in Arabic ضهر الست).

Lady Hester Stanhope, who settled until her death in that residence, said in her memoirs written by her long time friend Doctor Charles Meryon: the residence was on the tip of one of these hills and it was called by the villagers "Dahr El Sitt" or "Dar El Sitt."

Meryon also said about Lady Stanhope's house on the top of the hill shaped "like half orange". The house had a garden and a stable and other buildings for storage.

He implied that she liked the house because of its strategic location, "the house on the summit of a conical hill, whence comers and goers might be seen on every side," and the road from Joon to the cities of Sidon, Beirut and Deir El Qamar goes into lonely mountains full of jackals and wolves.

References

• Municipality documents

• Memoirs Of The Lady Hester Stanhope

• Article from the Lebanese Army magazine

Links

Memoirs Of The [Lady Hester Stanhope:
* http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=uvUKAAAAYAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=memoirs+/+hester+stanhope+&ots=29pWpCDtFe&sig=jgUmW8oEsxUolsaUU4_y-oHcvjM#PPR1,M1
* http://www.middleeast.com/joun.htm
* http://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/article.asp?ln=ar&id=7806