Karak Nuh

Karak كرك كرك نوح
Karak
Coordinates: 33°51′0″N 35°55′35″E / 33.85000°N 35.92639°E / 33.85000; 35.92639Coordinates: 33°51′0″N 35°55′35″E / 33.85000°N 35.92639°E / 33.85000; 35.92639
Country	Lebanon
Province	Beqaa Governorate
Time zone	GMT +2
• Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)
Area code(s)	(+961) 8

Karak (also Kerak, Karak Nuh or Karak Noah) (Arabic: Kerak كرك‎‎) is a village in the Beqaa Governorate of Lebanon. It is located on the Baalbek road close to Zahle. Karak contains a sarcophagus claimed by the locals to be the tomb of Noah.^[1]

History

The town was an important religious site during the Middle Ages, drawing devotion from the local rural village communities.^[1] The town was known as al-Karak during the time of the Ayyubid dynasty and changed to Karak Nuh under the Mamluks.^[2] It became known as a centre of learning for Shia Islam and the administrative centre of the southern Beqaa. A Mamluk officer establishied the first recorded waqf endowment for Karak in 1331 AD. A Safavid Sheikh and various dignitaries were born in the town. Under the Ottoman Empire, in around 1538 the waqf was increased and 'Alwan family appointed responsible for the site. A major earthquake damaged the town's distinguishing minaret in 1705, which required repair.^[1]

Tomb of Noah

According to tradition mentioned by al-Mukaddasi, the tomb of Noah existed in the tenth century and can still be seen. The stone tomb measures around 104.8 feet (31.9 m) long, 8.7 feet (2.7 m) wide and 3.2 feet (0.98 m) high and is covered in a raggedy green cloth. It is housed in a room measuring 10.1 feet (3.1 m) by 8.1 feet (2.5 m).^[3][4] There is a chapel next to the cenotaph building where several inscriptions (decrees) dating to the fourteenth century were found.^[5] There is also a courtyard outside the building with a prayer niche. The size of the monument possibly derives from tales of ancient giants, but is more realistically suggested to be a section of an ancient aqueduct that has been converted to serve as a shrine.^[3][6]

Archaeology

A Roman inscription in Latin dating to the year 84 CE was found in the basement of a house to the south west of the tomb that called for the long life of the "man with many names".^[3]

Locale

Near to the town is the Ayn al-Garr spring and Massyas lake and marshes that are considered to be the source of the Litani river.^[7]

See also

• Tomb of Noah

References

External links

• Photo of the inside of the Tomb of Noah on Flickr
• Tomb of Noah (with photos) on the blog of John Sanidopoulos
• Photo of Karak Nuh, minaret and the outside of the Tomb of Noah on Photobucket

Zahle District, Beqaa Governorate
Capital: Zahlé
Towns and villages	Ain Kfarzabad Ali an Nahri Anjar Barelias Bouarej Chtaura Jdita Kabelias Kafr Zabad Karak Nuh Majdal Anjar Niha Bekaa Qabb Ilyas Rayak Saadnayel Taalabaya Zahlé

Archaeological sites in Lebanon
Aadloun Aaiha Aammiq Aaqbe Ain Aata Ain Choaab Ain Harcha Akbiyeh Akkar plain foothills Al-Bireh Amioun Amlaq Qatih Anjar, Lebanon Antelias cave Apheca Ard Saouda Ard Tlaili Arqa Baalbek Baidar ech Chamout Batroumine Batroun Bechamoun Beirut Beit Mery Berytus (Roman Beirut) Bustan Birke Byblos Canalizations of Zenobia Dahr El Ahmar Dakoue Deir El Aachayer Deir el Ahmar Deir Mar Maroun Dekwaneh Douris (Baalbek) Elaea (Lebanon) Flaoui Fadous Sud Hebbariye Hadeth south Haret ech Cheikh Hashbai Heliopolis in Phoenicia Hermel plains Iaat Jabal es Saaïdé Jbaa Jdeideh Jebel Aabeby Jeita Grotto Joub Jannine Jieh Kafr Zabad Kamid al lawz Kamouh el Hermel Karak Nuh Kaukaba Kefraya Kafr Tebnit Kfar Qouq Kfarhata Khallet Michte Khirbet El-Knese Kouachra megalith field Ksar Akil Labweh Lake Qaraoun (Ain Jaouze) Libbaya Lion Tower Majdal Anjar Mansourieh Maronite mummies Mayrouba Mdoukha (Jebel Kassir) Moukhtara Mtaileb Nabi Zair Nachcharini Nahle, Lebanon Neba'a Faour Nebi Safa Niha Bekaa Phoenician port of Beirut Plain of Zgharta Qaa Qal'at Bustra Qalaat Tannour Qaraoun Qasr el Banat Ras Baalbek I Ras Beirut Ras El Kelb Rashaya Roman Forum of Berytus Roman hippodrome of Berytus Sands of Beirut Saraain El Faouqa Shheem Sidon Sin el Fil Sarepta Stone of the Pregnant Woman Tahun ben Aissa Taire Tayibe Tell Aalaq Tell Ablah Tell Addus Tell Ahle Tell Ain Cerif Tell Ain el Meten Tell Ain Ghessali Tell Ain Nfaikh Tell Ain Saouda Tell Ain Sofar Tell Ayoub Tell Bar Elias Tell Beshara Tell Bir Dakoue Tell Deir Tell Delhamieh Tell Derzenoun Tell Dibbine Tell el-Burak Tell El Ghassil Tell El Hadeth Tell Fadous Tell Hazzine Tell Hoch Rafqa Tell Karmita Tell Khardane Tell Kirri Tell Jezireh Tell Jisr Tell Kabb Elias Tell Majdaloun Tell Masoud Tell Mekhada Tell Meouchi Tell Mureibit Tell Murtafa Tell Nahariyah Tell Neba'a Chaate Tell Neba'a Litani Tell Qasr Labwe Tell Rasm El Hadeth Tell Rayak Tell Saatiya Tell Safiyeh Tell Saoudhi Tell Serhan Tell Shaikh Hassan al Rai Tell Shamsine Tell Sultan Yakoub Tell Taalabaya Tell Wardeen Tell Zenoub Tell Zeitoun Temnin el-Foka Temple of Bacchus Temple of Eshmun Temple of Jupiter Tlail megaliths Toron Tripolis (region of Phoenicia) Tyre Necropolis Tyre, Lebanon Wadi Boura Wadi Koura Wadi Yaroun Yammoune Yanta Ain W Zain Zahlé