Bishmizzine (Arabic: بشمزين), also spelled Bechmizzine, Bechmezzine, Beshmizzine or Bishmezzine, thought to be neo-Assyrian (Bit Gismeia), is a Greek Orthodox village,[1] in the Koura district of the North Governorate of Lebanon.

The name Bishmizzine is thought to be derived from the Aramaic word “Bit Gismeia”, which dates back to the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–609 B.C.).

The crusaders had developed Besmedin to include a castle or a fortified manor, but no traces of such are preserved today as it is believed they were razed to the ground during the Muslim Mamluk invasion and capture of Tripoli.

In the mid to late 19th century, Bishmizzine relied heavily on silkworms and silk spinning/weaving with 5 large factories each sustaining at least 40 workers.

[citation needed] Nicolas Hayek (Founder and former CEO of The Swatch Group) Nick Hayek Jr. (CEO of The Swatch Group) Nayla Hayek (Chair of the Board of Directors of The Swatch Group) Leila Tannous (pioneering journalist)[6] Raif Geha (Chief, Division of Immunology, Harvard Medical School) In 2014, Christians made up 92.93% of registered voters in Bishmizzine, 82.45% of the voters were Greek Orthodox.

Bishmizzine rests in the middle of the Koura plain, probably one of the largest uninterrupted olive groves in the world.

At night the temperature may differ by 5 to 7 degrees C lower than the nearby adjacent surrounding hills or neighboring villages.

Another factor that may play a role in explaining this climate conundrum is the fact that Bishmizzine rests in the plain at the base of the Western Lebanese Range of mountains and is surrounded by hills which act to trap any cold air that may flow by convection down the range from as high up as the Cedars of Lebanon in Bcharre.

In the old days this environmental phenomena was counteracted by a pine forest that used to blockade the cold night air advancing down the mountain slopes towards the town.

Remnants of this pine forest remain to this day and act as a picnic zone visited by many.

Noteworthy is the recent natural transformation of these excavation sites from a swamp to a wetland habitat with flora and fauna uncharacteristic of Lebanon.

Global emigration occurred as far back as the mid 19th century with records showing young men and families migrating to the new world, mainly Australia and the Americas (North and South).