Aitaroun
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Aitaroun عيترون |
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|---|---|
| City | |
 Aitaroun
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| Coordinates: 33°07′N 35°28′E / 33.117°N 35.467°ECoordinates: 33°07′N 35°28′E / 33.117°N 35.467°E | |
| Grid position | 194/279 PAL |
| Country |
 Lebanon
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| Governorate | Nabatieh Governorate |
| District | Bint Jbeil District |
| Elevation | 630 m (2,070 ft) |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Dialing code | +961 |
Aitaroun (or Aytaroun, Arabic: عيترون) is a Lebanese village located in the caza of Bint-Jbeil at 33.1156° North, 35.4722° East. It is on the northern border of Israel and 125 km from Beirut.
Aitaroun contains a plethora of possible historic sites, many of which ransacked and their contents taken into Israel during the 22 year Israeli occupation. Untouched sites are still known to exist amongst locals within the greater village, though fear of greater looting and destruction of these sites has prevented their research.
An approximate 3m long, white-limestone sarcophagus with Christian carvings. It is described to have had lions heads, one on each side, and a carving of what is believed to be a knight with a sword. The sarcophagus would have weighed several tons and was removed by heavy equipment in 2000 and taken into Israel under the supervision of the SLA.
A foundation stone of a synagogue that once existed in the village and that is considered to be around 600 years old. Removed by the Israeli military in the early 90s.
There are several theories behind the archaeological sites in Aitaroun. One theory is that the village was a pilgrimage site for early Christians and for its water sources, some of which are believed to have been visited by Jesus. This is supported by other archaeological sites in surrounding villages. Another theory is that the village was an ancient grave yard and an important trade route due to the water sources. Another theory is that the hills surrounding the village had been military outposts for ancient armies. The village is surrounded by rocky hills with narrow valleys as entrances, and this would have made it an easy place to protect from the high ground. Evidence of such outposts also exist on the tops of the surrounding hills. Another theory is that the village was part of a Roman olive and vineyard plantation outpost.
The village was mined for marble and there is evidence of vineyards. The variants of olives currently grown in the area also seem to be of Italian varieties grown for the purpose of olive oil.
There are historic locations of reservoirs, aqueducts or sources of water in the area, many have dried up. This may be due to heavy agriculture activities across the border in Israel over the last several decades.
In 1596, it was named as a village, ’Aytarun in the Ottoman nahiya (subdistrict) of Tibnin under the liwa' (district) of Safad, with a population of 91 households and 15 bachelors, all Muslim. The villagers paid taxes on agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, goats and beehives, in addition to "occasional revenues” and a fixed sum; a total of 14,570 akçe.
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