{{Infobox settlement |name = Chouf District |official_name = |native_name = {{lang|ar|جبل الشوف}} |settlement_type = District |image_skyline = Chouf mountains.jpg |imagesize = 300px |image_caption = Chouf Mountains |image_flag = |image_seal = |image_shield = |nickname = |motto = |image_map = Lebanon districts Chouf.png |mapsize = 250px |map_caption = Location in Lebanon |pushpin_map = |pushpin_label_position = bottom |pushpin_mapsize = 300 |pushpin_map_caption = Location in Lebanon |coordinates = {{coord|33|41|44|N|35|34|49|E|region:LB_type:adm2nd|display=inline,title}} |coordinates_footnotes = |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = {{Flag|Lebanon}} |subdivision_type1 = [[Governorates of Lebanon|Governorate]] |subdivision_name1 = [[Mount Lebanon Governorate]] |subdivision_type2 = Capital |subdivision_name2 = [[Beiteddine]] |subdivision_type3 = |subdivision_name3 = |established_title = |established_date = |government_type = |government_footnotes = |leader_title = |leader_name = |unit_pref = Imperial |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = |area_land_km2 = 495 |area_water_km2 = |area_water_percent = |elevation_footnotes = |elevation_m = |population_footnotes = | population_est = 231,427 | pop_est_as_of = 31 December 2017 |population_total = |population_as_of = |population_density_km2 = |population_note = |timezone = [[Eastern European Time|EET]] |utc_offset = +2 |timezone_DST = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]] |utc_offset_DST = +3 |postal_code_type = |postal_code = |area_code = |website = }}
'''Chouf''' (also spelled '''Shouf''', '''Shuf''' or '''Chuf'''; {{Langx|ar|جبل الشوف|Jabal ash-Shūf}}) is a historic region of [[Lebanon]], as well as an administrative [[Districts of Lebanon|district]] in the [[Governorates of Lebanon|governorate]] ([[Muhafazah|muhafazat]]) of [[Mount Lebanon Governorate|Mount Lebanon]].
==Geography== Located south-east of [[Beirut]], the region comprises a narrow coastal strip notable for the Christian town of [[Damour]], and the valleys and mountains of the western slopes of Jabal [[Barouk]], the name of the local Mount Lebanon massif, on which the largest [[forest]] of [[Lebanon Cedar|Cedars of Lebanon]] is found. The mountains are high enough to receive [[snow]].
==History== {{See also|History of the Chouf region}}[[File:Baadarane.png|thumb|right|310px|Remains of a palace in [[Baadarâne]], Chouf, Lebanon]] [[File:Prophet Job Shrine.jpg|thumb|310px|[[Job (Bible)|Prophet Job]] shrine in [[Niha, Chouf|Niha village]], Chouf, Lebanon<ref>{{cite book |title=Religious Diversity Today: Experiencing Religion in the Contemporary World [3 volumes]: Experiencing Religion in the Contemporary World |first=Anastasia |last=Panagakos |year=2015 |isbn=9781440833328 |page=99 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |quote=}}</ref>]] [[File:Christian Church and Druze khalwa in Maaser el Chouf.jpg|310px|thumb|[[Christian Church]] and [[Druze]] shrine in Maaser el Chouf: Historically, the [[Druze]] and the [[Christians]] in the Shuf Mountains have lived in complete harmony.<ref name="Hazran 2013 32"/>]] The [[Emir|Emirs]] of [[Mount Lebanon]] resided in Chouf, most notably [[Druze]] Emir [[Fakhr al-Din II]], who attained considerable power and autonomy from the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century. He is often referred to as the founder of modern Lebanon although his area of influence and control included parts of Palestine and Syria. Another emir is [[Bachir Chehab II]], who built the palace of [[Beiteddine]] during the first half of the 19th century. [[Deir al Qamar]] (the monastery of the Moon) is also in the Chouf region.
The relationship between the [[Druze]] and [[Christians]] in Chouf was characterized by peaceful [[Plurinationalism|coexistence]].<ref name="Hazran 2013 32">{{cite book |title=The Druze Community and the Lebanese State: Between Confrontation and Reconciliation |first=Yusri |last=Hazran |year=2013 |isbn=9781317931737 |page=32 |publisher=Routledge |quote=the Druze had been able to live in harmony with the Christian}}</ref> In the early eighteenth century, the communities lived side by side in relative harmony.<ref>{{cite book |title=Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah: The Unholy Alliance and Its War on Lebanon |first=Marius |last=Deeb |year=2013 |isbn=9780817916664 |publisher=Hoover Press |quote=the Maronites and the Druze, who founded Lebanon in the early eighteenth century.}}</ref>
However, in 1848, 1860, and again in 1983-1984, during the [[Lebanese Civil War]] ([[Mountain War (Lebanon)|Mountain War]], [[Arabic]]: ''Harb el-Jabal''), fighting broke out between the Christian and [[Druze]] communities in the Chouf.
At the end of January 1989, [[Lebanese Druze|Druze]] leader [[Walid Jumblatt]], who lived at the Jumblatt palace in the town of [[Moukhtara]], came up with a plan to help Christians return to their homes after an estimated 300,000 had fled during the fighting. The initiative was supported by [[Dany Chamoun]]. In March the plan was shelved following General [[Michel Aoun]]’s blockade of the Druze port at [[Jieh]], his shelling of [[Souq El Gharb]] and the assassination of one of Jumblatt’s top aides.<ref>[[Middle East International]] No 343, 3 February 1989, Publishers [[Christopher Mayhew|Lord Mayhew]], [[Dennis Walters|Dennis Walters MP]]; [[Jim Muir]] pp.3,4</ref><ref>Middle East International No 346, 17 March 1989, Publishers [[Christopher Mayhew|Lord Mayhew]], [[Dennis Walters|Dennis Walters MP]]; [[Jim Muir]] pp.6,7</ref> Reconciliation between the Druze and Christian communities was achieved on August 8, 2001, when the [[Maronite Patriarchs|Maronite Patriarch of Antioch]], [[Cardinal Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir]] made a historic visit to the Chouf and met with Jumblatt.
In 1989, Israel carried out air-strikes on the Chouf a few yards from a school. Two militants were killed and several schoolchildren were wounded in the attack.<ref>[https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19890301.2.16&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------Israeli jets hit Beirut schoolyard]</ref>
==Demographics== According to voter registration in 2014:
{| class="wikitable" |- !rowspan="2"| Year !colspan="5"| [[Christianity in Lebanon|Christians]] !colspan="3"| [[Islam in Lebanon|Muslims]] !colspan="1"| [[Druze in Lebanon|Druze]] |- ! Total ! [[Maronite Church|Maronites]] ! [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church|Greek Catholics]] ! [[Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch|Greek Orthodox]] ! [[Christianity|Other Christians]] ! Total ! [[Sunni Islam|Sunnis]] ! [[Shia Islam|Shias]] ! [[Druze]] |- |2014<ref>{{cite web | title=التوزيع حسب المذاهب للناخبين/ناخبات في قضاء الشوف، محافظة جبل لبنان في لبنان | url=https://lub-anan.com/المحافظات/جبل-لبنان/الشوف/المذاهب/ }}</ref> | {{percentage bar|width=70|36.69}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|27.58}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|6.47}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|1.58}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|1.06}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|31.53}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|28.59}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|2.94}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|31.26}} |- |2018<ref>{{Cite web |title= Critical study in proportional election law |url= https://archive.lebanonfiles.com/news/1301866/?mobile=no |year=2018 |url-status=live|access-date=2018-06-15 |website=Lebanonfiles.com (in Arabic) |language=english}}</ref> | {{percentage bar|width=70|36.72}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|27.22}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|6.34}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|1.59}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|1.57}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|32.13}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|29.14}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|2.99}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|31.14}} |- |2022<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mapping Lebanon: Data and statistics |url=https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1297803/data-and-statistics.html |year=2022 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-10-05 |website=today.lorientlejour.com (in English) |language=english}}</ref> | {{percentage bar|width=70|37.67}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|28.13}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|6.67}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|2.05}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|0.82}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|31.74}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|28.86}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|2.88}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|30.59}} |- |2026<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statify Lebanon|url= https://www.instagram.com/p/DUksfDEjIQX/?igsh=cDdtc2pudmo0YWN0 |year=2022 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-10-05 |website=statisticslebanon.lb (in English) |language=english}}</ref> | {{percentage bar|width=70|34.96}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|28.06}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|6.14}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|0.37}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|0.39}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|33.36}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|31.12}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|2.24}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|31.68}}
|}
Number of registered voters (21+ years old) over the years. {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ !Years !Women !Men !Total !Growth (%) |- |2009 |94,110 |87,839 |181,949 |{{N/a}} |- |2010 |94,481 {{increase}} |88,610 {{increase}} |183,091 {{increase}} | +0.62% {{increase}} |- |2011 |94,622 {{increase}} |89,379 {{increase}} |184,001 {{increase}} | +0.49% {{decrease}} |- |2012 |95,315 {{increase}} |90,324 {{increase}} |185,639 {{increase}} | +0.88% {{increase}} |- |2013 |97,239 {{increase}} |91,900 {{increase}} |189,139 {{increase}} | '''+1.85%''' {{increase}} |- |2014 |98,423 {{increase}} |93,378 {{increase}} |191,801 {{increase}} | +1.39% {{decrease}} |- |2015 |99,616 {{increase}} |94,604 {{increase}} |194,220 {{increase}} | +1.25% {{decrease}} |- |2016 |100,701 {{increase}} |96,191 {{increase}} |196,892 {{increase}} | +1.36% {{increase}} |- |2017 |102,076 {{increase}} |97,489 {{increase}} |199,565 {{increase}} | +1.34% {{decrease}} |- |2018 |103,649 {{increase}} |98,839 {{increase}} |202,488 {{increase}} | +1.44% {{increase}} |- |2019 |105,002 {{increase}} |99,993 {{increase}} |204,995 {{increase}} | +1.22% {{decrease}} |- |2020 |106,383 {{increase}} |101,181 {{increase}} |207,564 {{increase}} | +1.24% {{increase}} |- |2021 |107,530 {{increase}} |102,117 {{increase}} |209,647 {{increase}} | +0.99% {{decrease}} |- |2022 |109,006 {{increase}} |103,506 {{increase}} |212,512 {{increase}} | +1.35% {{increase}} |- |2023 |109,951 {{increase}} |104,125 {{increase}} |214,076 {{increase}} | +0.73% {{decrease}} |- |2024 |110,944 {{increase}} |105,141 {{increase}} |216,085 {{increase}} | +0.93% {{increase}} |- |2025 |111,950 {{increase}} |106,154 {{increase}} |218,104 {{increase}} | +0.93% {{steady}} |- |2026 | {{N/a}} | {{N/a}} |220,478 {{increase}} | +1.08% {{increase}} |- | colspan="5" |Source: DGCS [https://www.dgcs.gov.lb/arabic/statistics-map?l=en&y=2025] |}
==See also== *[[Iqlim al-Kharrub]], historical region located in the Chouf District
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Districts of Lebanon}} {{Chouf District}}
[[Category:Chouf District| ]] [[Category:Districts of Lebanon]] [[Category:Druze in Lebanon]]