and knowledgeable, the Zaghartoui dialect is rich in the Syriac spirit. Speakers of the Western Syriac language respect the Canaanite (Phoenician) origins, so the letter o 'prevails over that language. Zgharta, whose general population did not speak Arabic until the end of the nineteenth century, transferred some of the Syriac terminology as well as signs of movement and incorporated them into the Arabic language that they now speak due to the necessity of communicating with the rest of the residents of Mount Lebanon and its coast and those who abandoned this language. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Saint Joseph School in Zgharta attests to this and the other schools in Ehden, which taught the Syriac language in addition to the Arabic and French languages. The prayers and Masses were held in Syriac and Arabic, before they gradually disappeared even among those in charge of the Maronite Church, who lost the books of Maronite prayers and Masses from its Syriac language until it became restricted to schools and seminaries and theological institutes. Residents of some villages in Mount Lebanon still speak Arabic with a Syriac accent, clinging to it and maintaining it because it is synonymous with their identity. Climate The climate is hot-summer Mediterranean (Csa in the Köppen climate classification), with very wet winters and very dry summers. About of precipitation falls annually. Notable people Youssef Barakat Youssef Bey Karam Youssef Salim Karam Salim Bey Karam Marie al-Khazen Jean Obeid See also Ehden Ehden massacre References External links Zgharta Ehden Municipality Youssef Bey Karam Foundation Ehden Family Tree Zgharta On Google Maps Street View By Paul Saad Populated places in the North Governorate Zgharta District Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon