#3: After the War

The destruction of Bint Jbeil was immense,
especially with regards to the central part of town, the old city,
that peaceful hilltop neighborhood that stood for hundreds,
and perhaps thousands of years,
overlooking the outlying valleys and farms of its inhabitants.
It saw countless generations come and go.

It's old stones stand witness, as do the memories of the people,
and the valiant will of its children.

I have heard about the much more ancient types of ruins sitting beneath people's homes. People have talked about arches and other older rooms beneath the homes that they live in. I have never had the opportunity to see any. Pictures 1, 2 and 3 below offer glimpses.

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Picture 4 below shows the interior of the "Jami3-el-Kabeer," or "Grand Mosque," after the war. A pre-war picture of the exterior is visible in post #2.

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Picture 5 shows, in the distance, a view of the old "Diwan" of Haj Mohammad Said Bazzi (building with arcade,) also mentioned in post #2, as it appears next door to the green dome of the Grand Mosque.

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Pictures 6, 7, 8 and 9 below, as well as pictures 1, 2, 4, 10 in post #1, show a curious use of a blue-green pigment on wooden window shutters, doors and iron railings that is prevalent throughout the town.

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Dome of the "Husseiniyeh," a religious congregational building that I mentioned in post #2.

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Another dome below. I don't know if this is the site of a tomb that people visit. I know that there are such sites in the area, namely a place called "Sahet el-Nabiyeh," which translates to "Square of the Prophetess." It is one of the town's various squares, located near the tomb of a nameless holy woman of long ago. Could this be it?

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A relatively more recent mosque in pictures 22 (minaret in the distance) & 23.

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#2: "Jami3-el-Kabeer"

The old "Jami3-el-Kabeer," or "The Grand Mosque." Not necessarily a very big masjid, but nonetheless the bigger one in town from what I understand, and more significantly, the historic one. To the right of it can be seen the "Diwan," the residence of Haj Mohammad Said Bazzi, who was Bint Jbeil's preeminent social and political head of its families during the early part of the 20th century. He was not very powerful economically like other "Beyks" in the region who may have commanded the same type of influence in other towns; but he did command the respect of the town folk and did much to advance their circumstance. His residence served as the stopover for visiting dignitaries from the greater region, from Syria, Palestine and other parts of Southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley.

I am now in the process of collecting pictures from after the war, because I did find that many buildings, although destroyed, still retained some semblance of architectural detail that is still beautiful and can still teach us about their history. These include some pictures of "Jami3-el-Kabeer," included interior and exterior shots.



Below: The "Husseiniyeh," another old religious building.


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#1: Old Arches, Before the War

I looked through the many pictures and tried to choose those that offer architectural detail and style.

(note: picture #1 below is identified as the home of Sayyid Abdur-Ra'uf Fadlullah, the father of Sayyid Mohammad Hussein Fadlullah.)

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