heritage and culture

It is considered one of the most important historic sites in Baakline and Shouf. It was built on the ruins of a Crusader fortress in Shaqif Al-Tahta region and on top of Maan constructions and establishments. It dates back to 1592. It was headquarters for the Hammadid rulers and includes many museums.

The Hammadid Serail is listed on the general inventory of Lebanese historical buildings in the General Directorate of Antiquities attached to the Ministry of Culture, and welcomes tourists all times of the year.

It was built in 1890 with the help of Shouf Qaimaqam (sub-governor) Nassib Beik Joumblatt to provide access to drinkable water for the people of Baakline. It is a beautiful scenery and its picture was printed on the 25 lira currency bill in 1939.

Beit Khodor palace is also known as Al-Khoder house. It was built in 1890 and was initially a shelter for people suffering from infectious diseases, keeping them away from the town’s residents. The house is a 25x25 meters square with a ceiling height of 5 to 6 meters. The northern side of the palace was called Haramlek and the right side Salamlek. It consists of two floors, the first is made of stone and the second is made of wood. It was renovated several times while preserving its architectural character.

It was considered a center for political, social and artistic meetings. The house kept all of its furniture and accessories to date.

Serail of Baakline is the original name of the national library building in the town. It is a magnificent heritage building and a mixture of the European and Eastern architecture. It was built in 1897 during the Ottoman era as a headquarters to the Qaimaqam. After 1930, it transformed into a school, a courthouse, a municipality building and a police station. In 1980 it was transformed into a big prison and in order to prevent the prisoners from escaping, modifications were introduced to the building to reinforce it. Its internal features were changed and the internal stairs were removed. Steel doors were added which reduced the historical value of the building.
In 1987, the national library was inaugurated after the restoration of the building. Its old heritage aspect was restored by Walid Beik Joumblatt who transformed the dark prison rooms into studying and cultural rooms.
Today, the national library is considered an important cultural facility including tens of thousands of valuable books and different printings. It is one of the biggest public libraries in the country.

Library hours from Monday to Friday

Representative of Shouf Hamad Beik Hamadeh pursued building the old souk at the times of Mutasarrifiya in order to boost trade and industry in Baakline at the end of the Maan era. It used to be a Serail and an assembly point for armies. It was built in 1312 AH (Hijri year) and it is now the possession of Al-Nasr. It contains a mill and an olive press that was established in 1935. Horses were used in the press and they used to be kept in the souk stony rooms which are now known as old souk stores.

In 1945 the press started functioning on fuel and electricity so the horses were spared. The souk rooms were therefore used to store oil. The olive press stopped producing oil 15 years ago but the equipment is still intact.

They are cemeteries built according to the Islamic style dating back to the Maan rule. It is said that they were the tombs of princes and Maan families during several eras. These cemeteries are located next to the town’s spring on the main road. Some of them were built more than 500 years ago; however one of them is more than 750 years old.

It is located on the mid-floor of the Dahouq castle. Its rooms are built with stone and it contains some basic furniture that reminds us of the simple life of our ancestors and grandparents. It is an example of a typical village and mountain house.