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Abrine
is a small town in North Lebanon
containing about 3,000 people. There
are also about another 1,000
expatriates living abroad in various
countries such as Australia, France,
US, Canada and South America as well
as the Gulf States. The town is
situated about 7 kilometres above the
seaport City of Batroun, and is 60
kilometres north of the capital,
Beirut. As most towns and villages in
Lebanon, Ebrine is approximately
450-500 metres above sea level,
depending which area of Ebrine you are
standing in. It has unsurpassed and
unblocked views of the Ocean as well
as the towering 2,000-3,000 metre
Mountains of Lebanon that surround it,
and during winter, when the mountains
are covered with Snow, it is indeed a
sight to behold. Translated from the
original Aramaic, the word Ebrine
translates as ‘someone who came by
and decided to set up camp’. So
basically someone came by the area
later called Ebrine and decided to
settle there, thus they called it
Ebrine. In any
case, the town of Ebrine is spelt in a
variety of ways. The official name in
Lebanon is ‘Aabrine’, but some
spell it ‘Ibrin’ and of course ‘Ebrine’,
one that the Anglo-Lebanese have
adopted. ‘Aabrine’ is mostly the
French transliteration of the Arabic
name for the town. Most of the people
in Ebrine actually do not work there,
since like most Lebanese, they commute
to Beirut or Jounieh for work and
either drive to the village in the
afternoon or on the weekend. In the
Summer Holidays though, the town is
filled, as the cool summer weather and
fresh air make it a must to stay.
Driving time from the airport along
the Autostrade (Motorway) is about 1
hour 10 minutes, however, in most
cases, you get there in less that
time, as many people can attest to
(thanks to the speed of the drivers).
In addition, the Monastery of the
Sisters of the Holy Family is located
in Ebrine, which Patriarch Elias Hoyek
founded. His tomb is also located in
the Monastery in Ebrine.
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Major
Cities - Aabrine
