Reported by Magui Issa
Translated by Rasha Zantout

NNA - The fortress of Barbar Agha and heritage houses stand in Barsa, a village in Koura in North Lebanon, whose name means in Aramaic “irrigation.”

The fortress takes its name from the Ottoman governor of Tripoli and Latakia, between 1800 and 1835, Mustapha Barbar. But in the corner of the village, sculptures and stones announce an even earlier era.

The Barbar fortress was also named the Fortress of Tears, since the governor at that time was unfair and killed many villagers. Their wives went to the foot of the fortress to mourn their fate.

The president of the municipality of Barsa, Alain Rizk, has worked on many development projects many of which were executed in the village including: increasing the number of municipal police cars; implementing a policy plan dividing the town into agricultural areas, industrial areas and residential areas; planting 3,000 trees; inaugurating a public garden in the name of the martyrs of the Lebanese army.

Rizk also plans to number the streets to track the GPS system, and classify heritage buildings, numbering 37, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture.

The head of the municipality explained that the waste is sorted and buried in an area in the village. He noted that the village is still experiencing problems with the lack of sanitary sewerage and water shortages in summer.