Karak Nuh

Karak (also Kerak, Karak Nuh or Karak Noah) (Arabic: Kerak كرك‎) is a village in Zahlé District, Beqaa Governorate, 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]

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

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 established 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 and Al-Dimashqi, 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][5] There is a chapel next to the cenotaph building where several inscriptions (decrees) dating to the fourteenth century were found.[6] 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.[4][7]

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".[4]

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.[8]

See also

• Tomb of Noah

References

1. Winter, 2010, p. 43 ff
2. Sourdel, D., " Karak Nūḥ." Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Brill Online , 2012. Reference. 3 October 2012
3. Le Strange, 1890, p. 480
4. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (1871). Journal. pp. 323–. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
5. Ḥaddād, 1956, p. x
6. Sourdel-Thomine, Janine, 'Inscriptions arabes de Karak Nuh', Bulletin d'Etudes Orientates, 13: 71-84, (1949-51)
7. Burton, p. 40 ff
8. Lipiński, 2000, p. 307 ff

Bibliography

• Burton, R. F. A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments, Vol. 7 of 10: The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night. Forgotten Books. ISBN 978-1-4400-4321-5. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
• Ḥaddād, Jūrj Marʻī (1956). Baalbak, North & South Lebanon: Description, history and touristic guide. Printed by el-Hashimieh Press. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
• Le Strange, G. (1890). Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
• Lipiński, E. (2000). The Aramaeans: Their Ancient History, Culture, Religion. Peeters Publishers. pp. 307–. ISBN 978-90-429-0859-8. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
• Winter, S. (11 March 2010). The Shiites of Lebanon under Ottoman Rule, 1516-1788. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-76584-8. Retrieved 3 October 2012.

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