Jabal Amel


Jabal Amel or Jabal 'Amil is a mountainous region of Southern Lebanon. According to local legend, the Shia community in Jabal Amil is one of the oldest in history, second only to the Shia community of Medina, and were converted to Islam by Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an early supporter of Ali. Although there is frequent occurrence of this account in many religious sources, it is largely dismissed in academia, and historical sources suggest Shiism developed in Jabal Amel around the 3rd century A.H.
The region is named after the Saleh Al Amel Banu 'Amilah, a Christian Yemenite tribe who, along with the kindred tribes of Hamadan, Lakhm, and Judham, settled in Syria, Palestine, parts of Jordan, and south Lebanon. The area was known in ancient times as Jabal 'Amilah, and later as Jabal 'Amil or Belad Bechara. A legendary story has it that the tribe of Christian Banu 'Amilah migrated from Yemen to the Levant in pre-Islamic times because of a flood caused by the destruction of the Marib Dam.

Demographics

The inhabitants of Jabal Amel are mainly descendants of the population that has lived there since time immemorial, such as the Phoenicians who began speaking Aramaic. In addition, some families are descendants of the Southern Arab tribes that assimilated with the native population before Islamic conquest. At such times, the majority who were Aramaic speakers also lived alongside small pockets of Greek, Arabic, and Persian speakers. This would form into the population of Lebanese known today.
Besides Shi'a Muslims, other religious groups include:
The towns of Baraachit, Khiam, Tebnine, Safad El Batikh, and Yaroun and many towns in municipal of Jezzine such as Mlikh, have a mixed population of Shi'a and Christians. The predominantly Shi'a town of Nabatieh also has a substantial Christian quarter and known for its annual reenactment of the Karbala tragedy during the Ashoura Holiday.

Cities

The main cities of Jabal Amil are: