Zouk Mikael | |
Native Name: | ذوق مكايل |
Native Name Lang: | ara |
Other Name: | Zuq Mikha'il |
Settlement Type: | Municipality |
Pushpin Map: | Lebanon |
Pushpin Map Alt: | Map showing the location of Zouk Mikael within Lebanon |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within Lebanon |
Coordinates: | 33.9717°N 35.6161°W |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | |
Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
Subdivision Name1: | Keserwan-Jbeil |
Subdivision Type2: | District |
Subdivision Name2: | Keserwan |
Leader Title: | Head of Municipality |
Leader Name: | Elias Ayoub Beainou |
Area Total Km2: | 3.08 |
Elevation M: | 70 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Timezone1: | EET |
Utc Offset1: | +2 |
Timezone1 Dst: | EEST |
Utc Offset1 Dst: | +3 |
Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
Area Code: | +961 |
Zouk Mikael (Arabic: ذوق مكايل, also spelled Zuq Mikha'il or Zouk Mkayel) is a town and municipality in the Keserwan District of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate in Lebanon. Its inhabitants are predominantly Melkite and Maronite Catholics.[1]
The town is well known for its Ottoman-era souk (open-air market), a pedestrian market with arcades and shops cafés. It is also home to several monasteries and historic churches, such as the Saint George Church, the open-air Roman-era amphitheatre, which hosts live summer concerts.[2] In 1999, the UNESCO declared Zouk Mikael a "City of Peace".[3]
In 1838, Eli Smith noted Zuk Mekayil as a village located in Aklim el-Kesrawan, Northeast of Beirut; the chief seat of the Maronites.[4]
On 27 February 1994 an IED exploded inside the Maronite Notre Dame de La Deliverance Church killing ten worshippers and wounding 60.[5]
Zouk Mikael is known as the Lebanese city of basketball, as it has the Stade Nouhad Naufal which was completed in 2015.[6] It hosted the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup where the Lebanon national team reached the quarter-finals.[7]