Zouk Mikael (Arabic: ذوق مكايل, also spelled Zuq Mikha'ilorZouk Mkayel) is a town and municipality in the Keserwan District of the Keserwan-Jbeil GovernorateinLebanon. Its inhabitants are predominantly Melkite and Maronite Catholics.[1]
Zouk Mikael
ذوق مكايل
Zuq Mikha'il
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Municipality
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Zouk Mikael and Beirut from Adma
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  Zouk Mikael Location within Lebanon | |
| Coordinates: 33°58′18″N 35°36′58″E / 33.97167°N 35.61611°E / 33.97167; 35.61611 | |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | Keserwan-Jbeil |
| District | Keserwan |
| Government | |
| • Head of Municipality | Elias Ayoub Beainou |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.08 km2 (1.19 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 70 m (230 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Dialing code | +961 |
The town is well known for its Ottoman-era souk (open-air market), a pedestrian market with arcades and shops cafés. It is also home to several monasteries and historic churches, such as the Saint George Church, the open-air Roman-era amphitheatre, which hosts live summer concerts.[2] In 1999, the UNESCO declared Zouk Mikael a "City of Peace".[3]
In 1838, Eli Smith noted Zuk Mekayil as a village located in Aklim el-Kesrawan, Northeast of Beirut; the chief seat of the Maronites.[4]
On 27 February 1994 an IED exploded inside the Maronite Notre Dame de La Deliverance Church killing ten worshippers and wounding 60.[5]
Zouk Mikael is known as the Lebanese city of basketball, as it has the Stade Nouhad Naufal which was completed in 2015.[6] It hosted the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup where the Lebanon national team reached the quarter-finals.[7]
Eu, France (2003) Rueil-Malmaison, France (2009)