Batroun appears in Western Aramaic,[3] and is attested in as bṯrwn (Arabic: بثرون) in premodern Arabic texts, with the expected lenition of t for an Aramaic term.[4] Elie Mardini suggests the shift of the th to t in Aramaic terms in the Levant is due to the merger of certain fricatives in Levantine Arabic.[5]
In 551, Batroun was destroyed by an earthquake, which also caused mudslides and made the Cape Lithoprosopon crack.[12] Historians believe that Batroun's large natural harbor was formed during the earthquake.[13]
Three Greek Orthodox bishops are known to have come from Batroun: Porphyrius in 451, Elias about 512 and Stephen in 553 (Lequien, II, 827). According to a Greek Notitia episcopatuum, the Greek Orthodox See has existed in Batroun since the tenth century when the city was then called Petrounion. After the Muslim conquests of the region, the name was Arabicized to Batroun.
Batroun was controlled by the Crusaders in 1104,[14] to be known as the Lordship of Botrun as part of the County of Tripoli, until it was conquered by the Mamluk Sultanate in 1289.[15] One of Batroun's archaeological sites is Mseilha Fort, which is constructed on an isolated massive rock with steep sides protruding in the middle of a plain surrounded by mountains.[16]
Historically, the city of Batroun was settled at the interface between the sea and the national road that connected BeiruttoTripoli.
Lately, the radical shift of the historical functions of the local economic tissue into a leisure service-based economy (nightclubs, bars, restaurants, stores, etc.) has become the unique and only lever of the development of the city.[18] The economic metamorphosis has resulted in the resettlement of housing towards emerging city suburbs (nearby hills: New Batroun, Batroun Hills, Basbina, etc.) consequently to the overvaluation of the real estate market in the city centre. It clearly reveals here the constitution of a business city-centre (dedicated to leisure and business) balanced by the constitution of residential suburbs, where accelerated urban sprawl has led to the destruction of natural lands (pinewood and orange groves) and to the fatal rise in land prices.[19]
"Makaad El Mir" ruins by the rocky beach in Batroun, LebanonSt. Stephen's ChurchOur Lady of the Seas
Batroun is a major tourist destination in North Lebanon. The town boasts historic Maronite and Greek Orthodox churches. The town is also a major beach resort with a vibrant nightlife that includes pubs and nightclubs. Citrus groves surround Batroun, and the town has been famous (from the early 20th century) for its fresh lemonade sold at the cafés and restaurants on its main street. Biking along the Batroun coastline is also a major activity mainly in late summer days.
In 2009, the Batroun International Festival was born. It began hosting leading local and international artists. The festival takes place usually in July and/or August of each year in the old harbor area.
Elections, municipal and parliamentary, in Batroun have seen increasing interest, namely in the context of local and national struggle for power. The current serving Mayor of Batroun is Marcelino El Harek.
^Pat-El, Naʾama; Stokes, Phillip W (24 August 2022). "The 'Aramaic Substrate' Hypothesis in the Levant Revisited". Journal of Semitic Studies. 67 (2): 24. doi:10.1093/jss/fgac002.
^Pat-El, Naʾama; Stokes, Phillip W (24 August 2022). "The 'Aramaic Substrate' Hypothesis in the Levant Revisited". Journal of Semitic Studies. 67 (2): 24. doi:10.1093/jss/fgac002.
^Stephanus of Byzantium, Cum annotationibus L. Holsteinii, A. Berkelii et Th. de Pinedo. Vol. I, cum Guilielmi Dindorfii praefatione, cui insunt lectiones libri Vratislav, Leipzig, 1825, p. 117
Barber, Malcolm (2012). The Crusader States. Yale University Press. ISBN978-0-300-11312-9.
Runciman, Steven (1989). A History of the Crusades, Volume III: The Kingdom of Acre and the Later Crusades. Cambridge University Press. ISBN0-521-06163-6.