Anjar, Lebanon
Anjar (Arabic عنجر, DMG ʿ Anǧar, Armenian: Անճար ), also known as Haoush Mousa ( حوش موسى, DMG House Musa ) is a place in modern-day Lebanon. It lies about 60 km east of Beirut. Anjar has about 2400 inhabitants, most of whom are Armenians.
The modern city
The modern Anjar was founded in 1939 with the support of the French colonial power of several thousand Armenian refugees from the Musa Dagh ( province of Hatay in Turkey). The six districts are named after the six villages of Musa Dagh.
The six districts of Anjar read:
- Haji Hababli
- Kabusia
- Vakif
- Khodr Bek
- Yoghun Oluk
- Bitias
Even today, almost all inhabitants 2,400 Armenians who speak a western Armenian dialect and the majority of the Armenian Apostolic Church, belonging to a smaller part of the Armenian Catholic Church and the Armenian Evangelical Church. There are three in Anjar Armenian denominational schools. During the deployment of Syrian forces in Lebanon 1976-2005 Anjar was the headquarters of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon.
The ancient settlement
In addition to the modern area are the remains of an Umayyad city that was built by Al- Walid I at the beginning of the 8th century. The place was abandoned again soon after the last Syrian Umayyad caliph Marwan II defeated his rival Ibrahim 744 on the outskirts of the city, which it obviously was hurt.
The town was in the classic ancient fortress named Gerrha. The remains of the day to be seen city whose excavation began in 1943, are well preserved. They come from Arab times. The city was only about 370 x 310 m in size and surrounded by a city wall that has four gates. Two main roads traverse cross-shaped the settlement. These are decorated with colonnades and were lined with about 600 stores. Public buildings are a mosque, a bath and a tetrapylon. The present appearance of the city, in particular the so-called " Northern Palace " is distorted by substantial restoration measures.
The city is regarded as one of the best examples of early Islamic city planning. In architecture and in the map are still observed strong Byzantine influence. The place therefore since 1984 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.