Hermel
Hermel () is a town in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon. It is the capital of Hermel District. Hermel is home to a Lebanese Red Cross First Aid Center. Hermel's inhabitants are predominantly Shia Muslims. There is an ancient pyramid known as Kamouh el Hermel (Pyramid or Needle of Hermel) located about south of the town that is a popular attraction for local tourists. History In 1519 and 1545, the town was under the administration of the nahiyah ("subdistrict") of Manasef, and tax records indicate it had 50 households, all Muslims. The town's population swelled after the Hamade family and their associated Shia clans left Mount Lebanon to settle in Hermel and its surroundings, which were already part of the Hamade's tax-concessions since 1668. Archaeology Hermel plains The Hermel plains are an area of low hills around Hermel, through which runs the Orontes river and several wadis, which drain into the Homs basin. The area dominates the north of the Beqaa Valley and reaches north to the border with Syria. A curious and unpublished archaeological industry exists from finds of stone tools in this area. It consists of generally small tools whose typology is limited. It was termed the Shepherd Neolithic industry