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Zouk Mikaël
Perched on a hill of the littoral of kesrouan, between Beirut and Byblos,
overlooking the sea, Zouk Mikaël is a small Lebanese city of 308 hectares.
Divided into two by the national motorway Beirut /Tripoli, it is bordered in
the west by the Mediterranean Sea and the east by the mountains of kesrouan.
Zouk Mikaël would have been founded at the beginning of the XIV century that it
acquires notoriety for its production of high quality silk. The “Souk” (market)
of the city is one of most important of the area, and Zouk Mikaël is famous for
the weaving of silk; the economic growth of the city is at its apogee.
Zouk Mikaël is a village on the Lebanese coast, and is 14 km far from Beirut.
It is undoubtedly a tourist attraction located between the cave of Jeita (jeita
Grotto) and the ruins of the town of Jbeil.
The village
Historians recall the creation of Zouk Mikaël at the beginning of the 14th
century. Traditional houses from stone and red bricks surround an Old Souk.
Churches and historical monasteries built since 1709 scatter out of the seven
hills of Zouk Mikaël, overhanging the Mediterranean.
The Zouk Of Today
The Municipality renovated in 1983 the Old Souk by adding “Al Hirafi”, a space
dedicated to the working craftsmen, a Roman theatre and a public garden. In the
pedestrians’ lanes of the Souk, many cultural events are celebrated such as
Christmas, St Valentine, the music festival and the summer festival of the
artists and artisans. Zouk Mikaël deserves its title of “ Flowered City ”
thanks to the care given to its lanes and roundabouts generously planted and
maintained. Moreover, Zouk Mikaël offers to the tourists all the services
through its clubs, cinemas, hotels, banks, businesses and balneal center
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Lawyer Nouhad NAUFAL:
Mayor of Municipality of Zouk Mikaël |
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M. Elie BEAINO |
M. Wafic TRAD |
Ing. Jean TABET |
Dr. Maroun MASSAAD |
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M. Antoine SALAME |
Me. Nouhad AKIKI |
M. Nabil KATTAN |
M. Joseph KMEID |
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M. Georges SALAMOUNI |
M. Antoine KHALIL |
M. Habib AOUDE |
M. Georges HANTOUCHE |
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M. Maroun DARWICHE |
Mme. Salam CHOUKEIR |
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M. Carlos ABI NADER |
M. Charbel NADER |
M. Elias KHALIL |
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Municipal Arts Center:
The city council of Zouk Mikaël formed an independent cultural committee under
the name of “Municipal Arts Center” under the authority of the municipality of
Zouk Mikaël.
It was the idea of the president of the municipality, Maître Nouhad Naufal, to
found such a center in collaboration with the priests, the managers of the
clubs and many activists in the cultural field. He also drew up a special law
for the center defining its capacities, its role and its activities.
Mr. Antoine Salameh, member of the city council, is the person in charge of the
administration and the monitoring of this center.
Activities of the Center:
The Old Souk is known for its Lebanese artisanal and artistic products. It is
directed by Mrs Salam Choucair, member of the city council, which organizes
each summer “The Nights of the Old Souk” which last for approximately one
month.
A documentary on the past and the present of Zouk Mikaël was prepared under the
title of “Zouk Mikaël, the White Period” (the text is in Arabic, French and
English, Commentary of Antoine Salameh, Realisation of Leyla Berri, duration:
33 minutes).
It has touristic brochures and publications in Arabic, French and English,
like: “Zouk Mikaël, City for Peace for the Arab States” and “Zouk Mikaël
Flowered City”, as well as a book entitled: “Zouk Mikaël in the Memory of
Nouhad Naufal” containing (in Arabic and French) the speeches, the articles and
the conferences of Mr. Nouhad Naufal between 1966 and 2004 and the speeches,
relating to Zouk Mikaël, made in different national occasions.
The house of the poet Elias Abou Chabké was transformed into a museum. This
last preserves all the elements of the life and the work of the poet, where the
composition of “Fiftieth of Abou Chabké” (in collaboration with the committee
of the Odyssey and Notre Dame University).
All the references are available for each student drawing up a study on Zouk
Mikaël.
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