- Mayor : Ghassan Karam
- Population : 15 000 inhabitants
- Region : District de Koura
- Website : www.amioun.org
The name of Amioun is very old and goes back to the Semitic and Aramaic periods. It is cited in the letters of Tel el-Amarna written in the 14th century BC by local governors of Lebanon to their suzerains, the Pharaohs of Egypt. These letters offer much information about the living conditions in Lebanon during this period. The word “Amia” is often cited in it, and we can think that it indicates the site where Amioun currently is. In its etymological study on the names of cities and villages of Lebanon, Anis Frayha believes that the name of Amioun comes from the Semitic-Aramaic word “Emun”, which means strong, invincible and fortified. At the heart of North Lebanon, the city of Amioun is the administrative centre of the district of Koura, the casa Koura.
Located at 330m above the sea level, Amioun is 78 km away from Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. We can also come from Tripoli and cross Bahsas, Dahr el Aïn, Aba and Bishmizzine. Midway between mountains and the sea, on a range of beautiful hills spreading from the East to the West, Amioun benefits from an excellent emplacement and an incredible view. Olive groves and vineyards in the North, almond trees and fields of olives in the South cover the hills that surround the city where paved lanes snake, as well as the main road that links Beirut to Arz.
A long time ago, when the houses built on the heights were not numerous, Amioun was called “the city with beautiful hills”.
Historical monuments
One of the main characteristics of Amioun is the substantial number of churches. On the thirteen buildings of the city, the two most important, from a historical perspective, are the Cathedral Saint Georges El Dahleez, which was built on the ruins of an ancient Pagan temple, and the Chapel Saint Phocas. In reality, these sites date from different periods: in the Phoenician period for the stony belt known under the name of El Sheer, on which the church Saint John is perched, in the Roman period for the Saint Marina cave and the Crusades period for the Saint Phocas chapel. Finally, Amioun has many schools, a library, five banks and a private hospital.