History

 

Sibeel/Sebeel/Sebhel/Sebaal:Seb’el

It is said that Sebhel was built by those who flew from Tyre upon the reign of King Itobaal, and it is as old as the city of Batroun.

Seb’el. In his dictionary Dr. Anis Freiha says that Seb’el could be a Phoenician word of two parts meaning the Fire of Baal (Baal was the Phoenician god of the land). Others suggest that Seb’el means the generosity of El (El was the young Phoenician male god).

 

Seb’el is situated at the foot of the Zawieh hill at an altitude of 650 m, 14 Km from Zgharta. It is a town whose archeological remains reveal its antiquity. To the west of it there are the remains of a large house built with massive stones, and in its center there lies a sarcophagus finely carved out in a rock in the middle of a field.
 

Seb’el has been renowned for its good wine, which was mentioned by the French traveler Laurent D’Avrieux, who visited Seb’el in 1660.

 

In 1519 Seb’el counted 23 adult Christian males who became 32 in 1571.

 

In 1849 Seb'el counted 166 males living in 35 houses and Ain Seb'el counted 14 males living in 3 houses.

 

In 1932 it counted 100 houses.

 

Seb'el became the second largest community in the district in the 20th century. Although the official records showed 4007 registered persons in 1998, the community is suffering from a very high emigration rate among its citizens.

 

More than 65% of the Seb'el community live and work abroad.