Youth Magazine Article

Mazraat Al Toufah is a village in the District of Zgharta, famous for its rare forests. The president of its Municipality, Joseph Saleh, is inviting you to visit and enjoy yourself in its nature and beauty.

Mazraat Al Toufah is one of the villages in the District of Zgharta, in the North Governorate of Lebanon. It is a beautiful mountainous village about 900 meters above sea level, (The Mediterranean Sea). Mazraat Al Toufah is located about 123 kilometers from the capital, Beirut, 37 kilometers from Tripoli and 29 kilometers from Zgharta.

Hundreds of years have passed and the name of our town is still the same. It was named after the apple trees that grew in it for the longest time. Today, the apple trees are minimal to what they were in the past as they started disappearing little by little. In the meantime the pine trees and the oak trees are rising in numbers; increasing the size of the magnificent green forest to make it one of the best in the world.

Mazraat Al Toufah is known for its beautiful weather and its forest that is one of a kind in the entire area of the Middle East. A number of tourists visit the Mazraat to practice the sport of running, walking and hiking, and doing all sorts of nature activities. The Municipality is currently working closely with a European Union group to organize these activities and make them a permanent tourist attraction.

The most known families in the town are: The Jreige family, the Karam family and the Chebat family. The largest one of them is the Chebat’s and from it, several other families branched out such as the Chediek, Saleh and Francis and others. The citizens of Mazraat Al Toufah are also known for their excellent stone designing and home building. In ten years, the town of Mazraat Al Toufah will celebrate its 500th anniversary.

The village does not have many attractions other than its forest, the Kahf area; which is recognized by the department of tourism. No hotels, no parks or night life. Most of the people have migrated to other countries. Others live in the village during the summer and winter seasons especially after the opening of the road between Sebeel and Mazraat Al Toufah. 60% of its people live in the village the whole year long, winter through summer. The rest live in coastal cities such as Majdlaya and the capital of Lebanon, Beirut. Its current population is approximately 2,000 people, of which 1,200 are registered voters.

The 7th of August is another reason people visit our town; the holiday of Saint Doumit, a day where a big festival lasts all night long with music, dancing and cooking a traditional meal (Hrissa) that takes all night too cook.
Mr. Joseph Saleh said, we used to have a public school and a private school, but unfortunately they were both closed due to financial problems, and because most parents sent their kids to other schools outside the village. Schools such as Sebaal, Karm Sada and Zagharta.

There are many things that the Mazraat and its people need; to build a school in the village for our kids, fix the sewer system for better health, etc. We have an open line of communication with all of our ex-patriots that help us with everything that we need. We are asking the people of Mazraat Al Toufah that are living inside and outside of Lebanon for their help, and we asking for the aid of anyone that would like to help us to succeed in bettering our town and its citizens.

For the last few years our municipality has been acknowledging our achieved students giving them rewards and incentives. The men of Mazraat Al Toufah are excellent stone designers and home builders. We are hoping to have different majors in studies for our people so that we will have more employees in different fields and hopefully in governmental positions.

Although we have a lot of political problems in Lebanon, Mazraat Al Toufah stays out of the scene and sticks together. Although, it is not a bad thing to have different political views and exercise your democratic right. We are hoping for good discussions between Mazraat Al Toufah and the European Union regarding the nature activities that al Mazraat is offering.

We are hoping to accomplish most of these projects during the time of our current president Michel Suleiman. He is a man of wisdom and takes care of historical areas and sites in Lebanon.
We are reaching out to the government through this magazine to look after us and help us. We need to really fix our sewer system, fix our roads with smooth asphalt before the winter comes and we also need side barriers for our roads to safe guard our people from dangerous accidents.

Finally, I am calling on all of the Lebanese citizens from Mazraat Al Toufah and their families to come visit their country and village fulfilling their duties. Enjoy the weather, beauty and the treasured nature. I hope that all Lebanese people live in peace and harmony.

Here is the article in Arabic.