Houla, Lebanon
Houla
حولا | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
| Coordinates: 33°12′36″N 35°31′01″E / 33.21000°N 35.51694°E | |
| Grid position | 198/290 PAL |
| Country | Lebanon |
| Governorate | Nabatieh Governorate |
| District | Marjayoun District |
| Elevation | 900 m (3,000 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 920 m (3,020 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 650 m (2,130 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Dialing code | +961-7 |
Houla (Arabic: حولا) is a municipality in Southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, located on the southern side of the Litani river.
The village maintains its cultural traditions to the present day, and holds village festivals.
Houla, historically identified with Ulay Rabta, a place from rabbinic texts. The area's antiquity is shown by discoveries of lintels and an olive-press. In the Ottoman era, Hula was a village inhabited by Shiites, described in 1881 as having stone buildings, cisterns, and a central mosque amidst olive and vineyards. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war two officers from the IDF carried out the Hula massacre in the village, killing over 80 civilians of ages 15–60. Throughout subsequent conflicts, Hula suffered from military engagements and airstrikes.