title: Qmatiye
text: # Qmatiye
  
  Qmatiye (Arabic: قماطية) is a village in Aley District in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon. It lies right beneath the town of Souk El Gharb. The village has a small population and is a famous tourist attraction in the summer.
  
  ## History
  
  When Mamluks intensified their persecution against Shia Muslims in 1363, a group of Shiites from Beirut (Burj Beirut) settled in Qmatiye and Kayfoun, the only major Shia villages in Aley District.
  
  In 1838, Eli Smith noted the place, called el-Kummatiyeh, located in El-Ghurb el-Fokany, upper el-Ghurb.
  
  ## Demographics
  
  Qmatiye's natives are predominantly Shia Muslims with Christian and Sunni minorities.
  
  Main families in the village are:
  
  * Nassereddine
  * Hamade
  * Jaafar
  * Zarwi
  * Awada
  * Doughaily
  * Salloukh
  * Chu'aib
  