Hasbaya or Hasbeiya (Arabic: حاصبيا) is a municipality in Lebanon, situated at the foot of Mount Hermon, overlooking a deep amphitheatre from which a brook flows to the Hasbani River.

[dubious – discuss] During the Roman period there was a Temple of Hebbarieh in the area, as evident in the ruins at the foot of Mount Hermon.

[citation needed] In 1844, a portion of the local Orthodox Christian population converted to Protestantism under the influence of the American mission in Beirut.

[6] During the 1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon, Hasbaya was one of several towns attacked by Druze, leading to a significant rout and massacre of the Christian inhabitants following a long siege.

[7] Seventeen Muslim Shihab emirs were also murdered by the Druze, which scholars believe occurred due to their defense of the Christians.

Sitt Nayfa, the sister of Sa'id Janbulat, received commendation from the French consul for her efforts in protecting the wives of Christian emirs.

[9] Hasbaya is the capital of the Wadi El Taym, a long fertile valley running parallel to the western foot of Mount Hermon.

The river also waters the low hills of Wadi El Taym, which are covered with rows of olive trees, an important source of income.

Constructed in stages, often damaged and rebuilt, today the sprawling structure incorporate a mix of styles, building techniques and states of repair.

[citation needed] Wide steps lead to the main entrance, where the original Crusader door still swings smoothly on 800-year-old hinges.

[citation needed] Stone lions, a heraldic emblem of the Chehab family, decorate the wall on either side of the arched portal.

[citation needed] Overlooking the modern village of Hasbaya in south Lebanon, the Chehabi Citadel occupied a strategic location for the armies of the First Crusade, who are believed to have built the original fortifications in the eleventh century.

The strategically sited outpost was also used by the Chehabi emirs, who ousted the Crusaders from the area in the 1170s and rebuilt much of the citadel complex for military and residential use.

[citation needed] Almost a millennium of occupation and war, combined with a lack of maintenance and drainage problems have left the citadel battered, with portions of it in danger of structural failure.

[citation needed] There lies the ruins of an old khan where Ali, son of Fakhreddin Maan, was killed in a battle with the Ottoman army.