Tayr Debba

Tayr Debba (Arabic: طير دبّا) is a municipality in the Tyre District in the South Governorate of Lebanon, located 7 kilometres east of Tyre and 88 kilometers south of Beirut.^[1] Its total land area consists of 578 hectares and its average elevation is 200 meters above sea level.^[1] There are two schools, one public and the other private, in Tayr Debba which collectively enrolled a total of 607 students in 2006.^[1]

Tayr Debba طير دبّا
Municipality
Tayr Debba
Coordinates: 33°16′27″N 35°16′43″E
Grid position	176/297 PAL
Country	Lebanon
Governorate	South
District	Tyre
Area
• Total	2.23 sq mi (5.78 km2)
Elevation	700 ft (200 m)
Highest elevation	1,380 ft (420 m)
Time zone	GMT +3

Etymology

According to E. H. Palmer, Teir Dubbeh means "the fortress of the bear".^[2]

History

In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it: "A village built of stone, containing 250 Metawileh, situated on a ridge surrounded by olives and fig-trees and arable land. There are three cisterns in the village."^[3]

Tayr Debba is the hometown of the Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated in 2008.^[4]

Demographics

In 2014 Muslims made up 99.61% of registered voters in Tayr Debba. 98.57% of the voters were Shiite Muslims.^[5]

Notable people

• Mohamad Haidar (born 1989), Lebanese footballer^[6]
• Imad Mughniyeh, former Hezbollah member
• Jihad Mughniyah, former Hezbollah member
• Ali Bahsoun, former Hezbollah member^[7]