Tabarja () is an ancient coastal village in Lebanon, situated in Kesrouan,
Etymology
The name "Tabarja" is of uncertain origins. It bears a similarity to the Turkic word "Tabarjin", which means "battle axe", and also to the Persian word "Tub" which means medicine or health, and furthermore the word "Tabar" which if translated loosely can mean "weapon" in more ancient Turkic dialects. All three of these translations are disputed, as there has been no particular study of the linguistic origins of the ancient seaside town's name. Invariably, the name of the town is said to pertain to "King Bargis", a pre-Christian king who is said to have ruled over the area in the era of city states, which would imply a ante-Arab or even ante-Romanic origin. Local oral history dictates that the town is named in honour of the aforementioned king, whom supposedly faced an adversary in combat and showed him mercy before being murdered by a khopesh (Specifically, a "sickle sword" transliterated to English) to the back. However no confirmation nor scholarly study has been conducted on the matter, and it is inherently dependent on local oral history and scholastic conjecture based on dubious sources pertinent to the surrounding area. The most likely conclusion, is that perhaps the town predates any documentation and that the name is, in fact, ancient and will not be deciphered before proper anthropological and archaeological study. What is certain, is that the town itself is most certainly ancient in the most literal sense of the word, and worthy of proper study by the historic community.
Studies conducted by proper authorities tended to refer to the so called "ru'assa" of Tabarja, the House of El Azzi, which does not predate the 19th century in the area. Though scholarly and militaristic in nature, the family has not claimed to know the origin of the name, nor have they claimed their so called "demesne" as having been theirs before the exodus from the Chouf in the 1860s. As such, it can most certainly be ruled that the origins of the name are uncertain.
Background
The main attraction of the town is its fishing port, where Saint Paul is said to have set sail on one of his missionary trips to Europe. One of the modern beach resorts, a Brutalist masterpiece, built near the port is named in honor of Saint Paul and currently towers over the bay. The other resorts in the town are named after another local figure, King Bargis, whose castle they are built atop of, alongside the local church. The Triple church of St. George is a popular historic Maronitic site in the town and has an ossuary with the town's individual family crypts as well as elaborate statuary and engravings. Notably, the solid marble busts of martyrs belonging to the "Ru'assa" of the House of El Azzi are prominently displayed in the old cemetery. Specifically, those that perished in bladed combat with the Druze in the mid-20th century. The religious structure is over a century old and was built on a pagan site, Phoenician and Roman, referenced as a possible altar to Adonis or another local deity.
Large Roman stones are still visible today in the walls of the church, as well as undated stones featuring Rabbullah Maronite Crosses that possibly date to the Crusades. A sea-level cave near the church is also named in honor of Saint George, but has been severely damaged over the years due to modernization and land disputes. This rock formation among the unique limestone rock formations on the coast had been considered sacred for centuries, and sick infants were brought by their mothers for immersion in the salt water of the cave in order to receive a supernatural cure through Saint George. As of 2019, an extensive site of Byzantine ruins have been discovered under the village. Extending for miles under the farmlands and more recent construction, the indication seems to be that Tabarja was once relatively large. Throughout most of its modern history, though, the village had been home to only a hundred or so people, mostly under unofficial fealty to the "ruʾasā" of the House of El Azzi. Either through natural disaster, or possibly as a result of the Crusades, the old and fairly metropolitan port city that rests below Tabarja was abandoned almost entirely.