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| coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = CountryLebanon}}Governorates of Lebanon>Governorate| subdivision_name1 = Mount Lebanon GovernorateDistricts of Lebanon>District| subdivision_name2 = Matn District| established_title = | established_date = | founder = | leader_party = | leader_title = Time ZoneGreenwich Mean Time>GMT +2 (UTC)Daylight saving time>DST)| leader_name1 = +3 (UTC)Telephone numbering plan>Area Code(s)| leader_name2 = (+961) 1| leader_title3 = Zip Code| leader_name3 =| area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | area_note = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | elevation_min_m = | elevation_max_m = | population_footnotes = | population_total = | population_as_of = | population_density_km2 = auto| population_note = Eastern European Time>EET| utc_offset1 = +2Eastern European Summer Time>EEST| utc_offset1_DST = +3| postal_code_type = Postal code| postal_code = Telephone numbers in Lebanon>Dialing code| area_code = +961| website = | footnotes = }}File:Metropolitanpalacehotel.jpg|thumb|The former “Metropolitan Hotel”, currently a Hilton Hotel]]Sin el-Fil ( / ALA-LC: Sinn al-FÄ«l) is a suburb east of Beirut in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon.

Etymology

The name literally means ‘ivory’: “tooth” (sinn) of “the elephant” (al-fÄ«l). Being geographically closer to the ancient city of Antioch and far remote from natural elephant habitat, it is believed that the town name may have been a derogation of Saint Theophilus of Antioch.{{Citation needed|date=March 2016}}

Geography

With a rich red soil and moderate precipitation (but available ground water irrigation) the agricultural land of Sin el Fil in the early 20th century sprawled into a densely populated suburb. The natural landscape of the late century was dominated by stone pine. The Beirut River runs west of Sin el Fil and separates the town from the capital, Beirut.

Demographics

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Archaeology

Collections of archaeological material from this limestone “hogsback” were made from the gullies to the south of the main road on the slopes of forested hills. The recovery areas were described as “ravines sinueuses” by Raoul Describes after making a collection in 1921.Describes, Raoul., Quelques ateliers paléolithiques des environs de Beyrouth, Mélanges de l’Université Saint-Joseph: Volume VII, 1921. Other Jesuits who made collections from the area included Godefroy Zumoffen in 1908, Paul Bovier-Lapierre and Auguste Bergy as well as Mouterde, Gigues, Lorraine Copeland and Peter Wescombe. E. Passemard suggested that two of the trihedral pieces collected by Paul Bovier-Lapierre were Chalossian.Passemard, E., “Syria”, Volume 8, 1927E. Passemard , P. Dubalen , A. Vayson de Pradenne , R. Neuville, La Question Chalossienne, Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, 1931, Volume 28, Issue 6, pp. 289–293 Describes published some of the material as Acheulean but the bulk of the material was very mixed including many indeterminate Neolithic pieces including Trihedral Neolithic and Heavy Neolithic forms. There was also a Roman occupation on the flat fields above the slopes. Some archaeological material from Sin el Fil is in the National Museum of Beirut and the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory.BOOK, Lorraine Copeland, P. Wescombe, Inventory of Stone-Age sites in Lebanon, p. 136-137,books.google.com/books?id=6YsRRwAACAAJ, 21 July 2011, 1965, Imprimerie Catholique, On 1 March 1990 Sin el Fin was the scene of heavy fighting between Samir Geagea’s Lebanese Forces (LF) and parts of the Lebanese Army loyal to General Michel Aoun. It was the last offensive in Aoun’s failed attempt to take control of Christian East Beirut and caused extensive damage and many casualties.Middle East International No 371, 16th March 1990, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Jim Muir pp.9,10

Twin towns – sister cities

• {{flagicon|Italy}} Prato, Italy, since 2008WEB,www.sinelfil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=1, Sin el fil Official Web Site, City of Sin el fil, 29 March 2012,

References and footnotes

{{Reflist}}

External links

• Sinn El Fil, Localiban
• www.sinelfil.org/" title="web.archive.org/web/20110202120516www.sinelfil.org/">Municipality of Sin el Fil (Arabic)

{{Matn District}}{{Archaeological sites in Lebanon}}