Prophet Binyamin Son of Yacoub Resting Place

The shrine revered as the resting place of the Prophet Binyamin, son of the Prophet Yaqub, sits in the hills of Bent Jbeil, one of the southernmost districts of Lebanon's Nabatiyeh Governorate close to the border with northern Palestine. Southern Lebanon has long been layered with the memories of the Hebrew prophets and their families, whose stories are preserved side by side in the Quran and in older Near Eastern traditions. The site marking Binyamin, brother of the Prophet Yusuf, upon them be peace, has been a place of pious visitation for generations of villagers from Bent Jbeil, Aita al Shaab, Maroun al Ras, and the surrounding stone villages that climb the limestone slopes toward the Jabal Amil plateau. The structure itself is modest in the Jabal Amil tradition: a small stone chamber with a whitewashed dome, an adjoining prayer space lined with green carpet, and an arched doorway framed in simple calligraphy drawn from the Quranic chapter dedicated to the Prophet Yusuf. Visitors come to recite Fatiha and to remember the Quranic narratives of Yusuf and his brothers, upon them peace, invoking blessings on the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, as is customary at such maqams. The site has suffered damage during the repeated conflicts that have swept across the southern border over the decades, and villagers have patiently rebuilt the walls and replaced tiles after each round of trouble. Friday prayers are held in the attached small mosque, and during the month of Muharram the village organises majalis of remembrance that conclude with visits to the maqam. Olive harvest in autumn fills the hillsides with activity, and visitors to the shrine often pause to share mint tea with neighbouring families. The road to the site climbs from Bent Jbeil through terraced fields of tobacco and olives, with views stretching south toward the Galilean hills beyond the border wire. Close by stand the Maroun al Ras hilltop park, the Khiam fortress memorial recalling the long prison years of its inmates, and the qala'at of Tibnin further north along the Litani basin where crusader stonework still guards the old road.