Zahlé Arabic : زحلة Zaḥlé English: Zahleh or Zahlah ; French: Zahlé
Zahlé Location in Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°50′N 35°55′E / 33.833°N 35.917°E / 33.833; 35.917Coordinates: 33°50′N 35°55′E / 33.833°N 35.917°E / 33.833; 35.917
Country	Lebanon
Governorate	Beqaa Governorate
District	Zahlé District
Government
• Mayor	Joseph Diab Al Maalouf
Area
• City	5 km2 (2 sq mi)
• Metro	20 km2 (8 sq mi)
Highest elevation	1,150 m (3,780 ft)
Lowest elevation	950 m (3,120 ft)
Population
• City	50,000
• Metro	200,000
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postcode	1801
Area code(s)	8

Zahlé (Arabic: زحلة / ALA-LC: Zaḥlah; also transliterated Zahleh) is the capital and largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 320,000 inhabitants, it is the third largest city in Lebanon, after Beirut, Tripoli.^[1][2] It is situated 55 km (34 mi) east of the capital Beirut, close to the Beirut-Damascus road, and lies at the junction of the Lebanon mountains and the Beqaa plateau, at a mean elevation of 1000m.^[3] Zahlé is known as the "Bride of the Beqaa" and "the Neighbor of the Gorge" due to its geographical location and attractiveness, but also as "the City of Wine and Poetry" ^[4] It is famous throughout Lebanon and the region for its pleasant climate, numerous riverside restaurants and quality arak. Its population is predominantly Catholic and known as Zahlawis.

Origin of name[link]

The name Zahlé is derived from the Arabic verb زحل zahhala, which means to slide, to displace. The occasional landslides which take place on the deforested hills around the town are probably at the origin of this name.

History[link]

Zahlé was founded in the early 18th century, in an area whose past reaches back some five millennia. It enjoyed a brief period as the region’s first independent state in the 19th century, when it had its own flag and anthem.

Due to its relative geographic isolation from the local centers of power in Mount Lebanon and Syria, the town did not have any significant allies in the region to fall back on in case of conflicts or attacks. This led its inhabitants to develop a defensive attitude, which can still be felt today.

Zahlé was burned in 1777 and 1791, and it was burned again and plundered in 1860 during a conflict between the Christian population of the town and the Druze of the neighboring areas.

The construction of the railroad line between Beirut and Damascus in 1885 brought prosperity to Zahlé, which became a freight hub on the trade route between Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, while continuing to serve as a regional agricultural center. The town then grew slowly, but steadily, over the following century.

The Lebanese Civil War from 1975 to 1990 brought upheaval to the region. Overall, Zahlé was not affected by the war as much as other regions in the country, and many people from those regions chose to take refuge there because it was considered safe. The city's geo-strategic position, however, sparked the initial setbacks of the Battle of Zahleh. A the beginning of the war in 1975, the Syrian army briefly deployed in the town. On December 21, 1980, Syria wanted to deploy its troops in Zahlé again and take over it, but those were intercepted by members of the Lebanese army and citizens. After the killing of five Syrian soldiers, the Syrian army retaliated by continuously bombarding Zahlé. These attacks during Christmas produced a great reaction in the West, especially in France, who described the Syrians' actions as barbaric.

A similar incident occurred six month later: on April 1, 1981, a fire exchange between a Zahlawi position and a Syrian emplacement developed into a full scale Syrian onslaught. Syria proceeded to shell Zahlé for eight days, cutting all routes and preventing any type of aid from reaching the town. Syrian troops tried to enter the town many times but failed repeatedly, making little headway with the Lebanese resistance, and losing several armed vehicles. Syria's actions towards Lebanon created an outrage in the international community. Following the plea of Lebanese communities all over the world, foreign countries, France in particular, pressured Syria to stop their onslaught on Zahlé.

The town has enjoyed much calm ever since the end of the war. However, a bomb detonated inside the local Syriac Orthodox church on March 27, 2011. This incident was possibly connected to the abduction of seven Estonian cyclists not far from Zahlé earlier that month. Fortunately, there was no one inside the church when the bombing occurred, and the next morning, parishioners attended the Sunday mass which was held in the frontyard. ^[5][6]

Geography and climate[link]

View of Zahlé from the Wadi Al Aarayesh neighborhood.

Zahlé is built upon a series of foothills of the Lebanon mountains, at the Western edge of the Beqaa plateau, with Mount Sannine 2,628 metres (8,622 feet) towering above it. The hills form a narrow valley, which itself is an extension of a ravine to the Northwest ("Wadi el Aarayesh", meaning "Gorge of Vines") Due to this particular topography, most of Zahlé's neighborhoods spread vertically on steep hill slopes, and the town features an elevation difference of more than 200 metres (656 feet) in a narrow geographical area. Zahlé is bisected by the Berdawni river, which flows out of the ravine towards the plateau. The Berdawni was at a time the town's source of drinking water and its most prized natural emblem, but has become polluted with sewage and solid waste in the last decades, and partially covered up to create parking lots.

Climate[link]

Like the rest of Lebanon, Zahlé enjoys a typically Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa), characterized by hot and dry summers and cold and chilly winters, where most of the precipitation is concentrated; with 4 distinct seasons. However, due to its high altitude and inland location, in the rain shadow of the Lebanon mountains, its climate features some continental characteristics: summers are usually hotter than coastal areas, with peaks of over 42 °C (108 °F) common in the summer, but humidity is very low, and temperatures usually fall below 20 °C (68 °F) at night, which makes summer particularly pleasant compared to coastal cities. On the other hand, winters are colder than on the coast. Precipitation is less abundant overall (around 600 mm (24 in) per year, compared to 900 mm (35 in) in Beirut) but snowfalls occur fairly often during cold fronts coming from Turkey or Eastern Europe, and heavy snow accumulation is not unheard of. The north wind that enters the valley is so cold that residents say that it can "break nails"; here, temperatures can easily plummet below -15 °C (-5 °F). In spring, weather is sometimes affected by the notorious Khamsin winds, whose typical effects include a rise in temperature, characteristic yellow/orange skies and muddy rain.

Population[link]

At the end of the eighteenth century, Zahlé had one thousand inhabitants and two hundred houses. By the late 1850s, the population had grown to between seven and ten thousand people. Today, about 50,000 people live in the town proper, making it the fourth largest in Lebanon (though the locals tend to give an unrealistic figure of 200.000 or 300.000). The urban area also includes the neighboring towns of Saadnayel, Taalabaya, Jdita, Chtaura and Kab Elias to the Southeast, which have come to form a single entity since the late 1990s due to anarchic growth, and is home to about 130.000 people. The metropolitan area extends over much of the Zahlé prefecture, and comprises the towns of Bar Elias, Anjar, Furzol, Ablah, Niha and Riyaq, with a total population close to 200.000.

Zahlé in the largest predominantly Christian town in Lebanon and the Middle East, and the one with the largest Catholic population. Christians form around 90% of the population, with their composition as follows: around 65% of Catholics, 15% percent of Maronites, 10% percent of Greek Orthodox, and the remaining 10% belonging to various minorities. The Muslim minority (10% of population) is concentrated in the districts of Karak Nuh (where Noah's tomb is allegedly located) and Haoush el Oumara, on the Northeastern and Southwestern edge of town respectively. In the past, there was also a Druze minority and even a small Jewish population, most of which however emigrated during the Civil War.

Zahlé has been a land of emigration since the early nineteenth century, with most migrants settling in the United States, Mexico, Braziland bahbahbah and Argentina. During the Civil War in the 1970s and 1980s, a new flow of migrants left the town for the United States and Australia. In recent years, emigration has continued, with Canada and the United Arab Emirates being the main destinations. Today, an estimated 250.000 people of local descent live abroad, most of them in Brazil.

Economy[link]

Zahle Grapes

Being the main town of the Beqaa valley, Lebanon's most important agricultural region, the economy of Zahlé has long been built on agriculture. Grapes are the area's chief product, with vineyards forming a prominent feature of the landscape. Vines are also individually grown on lattice, on many of the older houses' terraces. A sizable part of the local produce supplies the three wineries present in and around the town, and the numerous distilleries producing arak, the local liquor which Zahlé is famous for. In addition to vineyards, cherry, pomegranate, plum and mulberry orchards dot the town's upper hillsides, while potatoes and leafy vegetables are cultivated in the plain. Livestock is also an important resource, with trout fisheries on the upper course of the Berdawni river and poultry farms on the surrounding hills. The Civil War struck a blow to local agriculture, when the Syrian army closed off many vineyards, transforming them into military areas, and the town's siege cut it off from potential markets.

Zahlé saw at a time a prosperous commercial activity due to its location midway between Beirut and Damascus.^[8] Paradoxically, it regained some of that activity during the Civil War, when the growing instability in Beirut led to a decentralization of economy. Furthermore, taxation was nonexistent due to the collapse of State authority, which Zahlé took advantage of to expand its industrial and commercial sectors. The main industrial area lies to the Southeast, with the chief sectors being paper mills, chemicals, plastics, canning and food processing.

A number of companies and state bodies have their headquarters for the Beqaa region in Zahlé, including the Central Bank of Lebanon and the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce.

Education[link]

Zahlé is evolving into a regional center of higher education, after many universities have opened branches there in recent years. Institutes of higher education currently represented in the town include:

• The State-owned Lebanese University
• Saint Joseph University
• Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik
• Lebanese International University (in the nearby town of Riyaq)
• American University of Science and Technology
• Université Antonine (in the nearby town of Ablah)
• The National Technical Institute

Transportation[link]

Zahlé is connected to Beirut (55 km (34 mi) West), and from there to all coastal cities, through the Beirut-Damascus road, which passes to the Southwest of the urban area. The journey can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the traffic. Damascus is 73 km (45 mi) to the Southeast, and is normally reached within 1:30 hour, excluding the waiting time at the border. Despite being one of Lebanon's major arteries, the Beirut-Damascus road lacks signaling and dividers on most of its length, which, combined with the chaotic driving, makes it particularly dangerous. It is due to be replaced by a modern motorway, currently under construction, in the next years.

Zahlé is also connected to Baalbeck (36 km (22 mi) to the Northwest) by the trans-Beqaa road, which continues further North towards Homs. The section stretching along the Zahlé urban area was recently upgraded, while others remain in an extremely poor state.

Due to widespread car ownership, public transportation remains underdeveloped. There is a single bus line, which runs on the central avenue at rather irregular times. Interurban transportation is done by minivans, which stop on the roundabout at the town entrance. Zahlé's railway station was located in Muallaqa, but was abandoned after all rail transport in Lebanon stopped during the Civil War.

There was a plan to convert the Rayak Air Base, located 10 km (6 mi) to the Northwest of Zahlé, into a civil airport serving the town and the whole valley. A regional airport would be of particular importance during times when the road to Beirut is closed because of heavy snowfall. However, the project froze in the early 2000s, after the runway extension had started, due to corruption and pressure from the Syrian government.

Cityscape and architecture[link]

Zahlé's neighborhoods are colloquially divided into "East side" and "West side", depending on which side of the Berdawni river they are situated. The older ones (with the notable exception of Al Muallaqa) are located on the valley's inner slopes, facing each other, while the rest have developed on and under the outer slopes, facing the plateau.

• East side neighborhoods include:
  • Wadi el Aarayesh (on the edge of the homonymous ravine)
  • Ain ed Dawq
  • Al Barbara
  • Ain el Ghossein (a former area of orchards, which has experienced a construction boom since the early 1990s)
  • Haoush ez Zaraane
  • Al Midan
  • Al Muallaqa ("the Hung Out", which was a originally a separate municipality, but has since been merged with Zahlé)
  • Al Madina as Sinaiya ("the Industrial City", home to the town's Syriac community)
  • Karak Nuh (or Karak)
• West side neighborhoods include:
  • Ar Rassieh
  • Saydet en Naja ("Our Lady of Deliverance")
  • Mar Mtanous ("St Anthony")
  • Mar Elias ("St Elijah")
  • Haret el Faouqa and Haret et Tahta ("Upper District" and "Down District", respectively)
  • Haoush el Oumara
  • Ksara (the town's most upscale and fastest-developing area)

The village of Hezzerta, about 6 km (4 mi) up the mountain, is also part of the municipality of Zahlé, while oddly enough, the village of Qâa er Rîm (just across the ravine) is not, and forms a separate municipal entity.

There are more than 40 churches in Zahlé, some of which have given their name to the neighborhood they're located in, due to their architectural prominence and the prevailing religious mentality. In addition, several sections of larger neighborhoods are referred to after a church or shrine located in them. The town's oldest church is Saydet ez Zalzale ("Our Lady of the Earthquake") which dates back to 1702. Other notably old structures include:

• the Mar Elias (St Elijah) Church of the Redeemer Congregation (1720)
• the Mar Gerios (St George) Church (1767)

both located in the same neighborhood as Saydet ez Zalzale

• the Catholic Cathedral of Saydet en Naja ("Our Lady of the Deliverance") (1720)
• the Monastery of Mar Elias at Tuwak (1744)

There are also 5 mosques located in the town's outer areas (Haoush el Oumara, Muallaqa and Karak Nuh).

Since most of Zahlé is built on hill slopes, there are few large roads apart from the central avenue (colloquially known as "The Boulevard"), which follows the course of the Berdawni river. Most streets are winding and quite narrow, and the town's older sections are a labyrinth of narrow alleys and stairs. A number of older houses are typical examples of traditional Lebanese architecture, with pyramidal red tile roofs, thick stone walls with arched openings, and wrought iron balconies. Most of these additionally feature a terrace on the first floor, often centered with a fountain and shaded by a vine. Smaller houses in the most densely built areas lack upper floors and stone arches, but usually have a courtyard where the typical fountain and vine can be found.

Main sights[link]

Berdawni Promenade[link]

The banks of the Berdawni river have long been a place where people of Zahlé came to socialize. The town's most popular attraction is a 300 m (984 ft) promenade along the river, referred to as "Al Wadi" ("the Ravine"). Sheltered between the ravine's limestone cliffs, it is lined up with outdoor restaurants, cafes and playrooms, and shaded by trees. These restaurants specialize in traditional Lebanese meze served with arak. The promenade is closed during late fall and winter, when cold winds from the mountain sweep through the ravine.

Berdawni Restaurant, Mhanna

Our Lady of Zahlé and Beqaa[link]

Our Lady of Zahle and Beqaa

Located on a hilltop to the Southwest of Zahlé, this is a 54 m (177 ft) high concrete tower, entirely clad in white marble, and topped with a 10 m (33 ft) high bronze statue of the Virgin Mary, the work of an Italian artist. It is by far Zahlé's most prominent structure, and is visible from practically every spot in town, as well as from several miles around. At its base a chapel that can seat a little over of a hundred people. The top of the tower features sweeping views over Zahlé and the Beqaa valley.

Town Hall (Old Serail)[link]

The Old Serail, turned into the prison of Zahle in 1991, serves today as the town hall

This Ottoman building was constructed in 1850 to serve as the town's Serail. Located just downhill from Our Lady of Zahlé and Beqaa, it is a mix of local and Ottoman architecture, and features an atrium occupied by an inner garden and surrounded by arcades. Though still known as "the Old Serail", it currently serves as the Town Hall. In the past, the ground floor used to house the local prison, which suffered of severe overcrowding and substandard conditions. The prison was transferred in 2009 to a new location in Muallaqa, with room for about 800 inmates and much more adequate infrastructure.

Souq al Blatt[link]

The Souq al Blatt ("Tiled Market"), as its name implies, used to be a narrow tiled street, which during Ottoman times housed a street market and a number of khans, visited by traders from Syria, Iraq and Palestine. During the 20th century, it became the main craftsmen area in town, and the khans and market gave way to dozens of workshops. Today, the Souq has changed again: it is no longer tiled, and the only remaining shops are grocery stores. Only the stone slabs lining the pavement give some idea of its former appearance. There have been talks to renovate the Souk al Blatt, which however still haven't materialized.

The Catholic Cathedral (Our Lady of Salvation)[link]

This grandiose complex dates back to 1720, and consists of a series of stone-clad buildings around a large inner courtyard: the church itself (which is the oldest part), the seat of the Archbishop (a converted former monastery), and a small chapel housing an icon, which is said to be a reproduction of a portrait of the Virgin Mary by Saint Lucas. It also features a monumental entrance, an underground cemetery, and a 40 m (131 ft) high bell tower, atop of which a large marble clock was mounted in 1993. Part of the complex was destroyed by a bomb attack in April 1987, and rebuilt ever since.

Grand Hotel Kadri[link]

Hotel Kadri is a prime example of the traditional stone architecture of Zahlé, both in and out. It has long been used by most officials and dignitaries visiting the town, as its largest and most luxurious hotel. The Ottomans converted it to a hospital during World War I. During the Lebanese Civil War, it was occupied by Syrian troops and sustained enormous damage.^[9] An ambitious restoration project in the mid 90s was able to bring it back to its former glory. Unfortunately, the hotel closed in February 2011 due to a conflict between its direction and the Catholic Church (its effective owner since 1999) and it is unknown whether and when it will reopen.

Menshieh Park[link]

Situated across the street from Grand Hotel Kadri, Menshieh is Zahlé's oldest and shadiest park (newly opened J.T.Skaff Park is larger, but contains considerably fewer trees). The park houses a collection of marble tables with mosaic depictions of several sites in Lebanon, a small pond with waterlilies, a semi-circular marble tholos, and several sculptures representing famous locals. In 2003, the municipality covered a 25 m (82 ft) fir (the park's tallest) with thousands of lights, in an attempt to break the world record for the largest natural Christmas tree.

Archaeological sites[link]

Zahlé in itself offers little archaeological interest, however the Château Ksara winery is worth a visit for its maze of vaults which dates back to Roman times. The suburb of Karak Nuh also features a curiosity: a 40 m (131 ft) long stone structure inside the local mosque, which local tradition believes to be the Tomb of Noah (but is probably a section of a Roman aqueduct) ^[9]

Furthermore, there are several ancient sites of interest in nearby locations:

• In Kabelias (12 km (7 mi) to the Southwest): rock sculptures of a bull and three deities that seem to be of Roman origin ^[10]
• In Anjar (18 km (11 mi) to the South): the unique ruins of an Umayyad palace built following a Roman layout, using recycled Hellenistic and Roman material. The palace is classified as a World Heritage Site. A Roman temple also stands on a hilltop above nearby Majdel Anjar.^[9]
• Above the village of Furzol (8 km (5 mi) to the Northwest): a series of rock-cut Roman tombs in the limestone cliffs ^[9]
• In Niha (11 km (7 mi) to the Northwest): two exquisite Roman temples bearing Phoenician architectural elements (just outside the village), and two others in need of restoration (higher up, in the area referred to as "the Forteress").

Two more sites worth visiting are a more distant trip away:

• Kamed al Lawz (32 km (20 mi) to the South) is the most important Bronze Age settlement in Lebanon, with finds from the Phoenician, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods having been uncovered as well ^[11]
• The world-famous Roman archaeological complex of Baalbeck (another World Heritage Site) is located 36 km (22 mi) to the Northwest.

Culture[link]

Zahlé's culture has long revolved around its signature crop, the grape, and its products, wine and arak. Arak, in particular, has traditionally been served in cafés at virtually any time of the day. Together with the town's gorgeous natural settings, it might have provided with inspiration many of the fifty poets and writers who were born Zahlé over the past century, leading to its designation as "the City of Wine and Poetry". A graceful personification of this nickname stands at the town's entrance: a statue of Erato, the Muse of love poetry, holding a bunch of grapes.

Zahlé's most important cultural event is the "Festival of the Vine", traditionally held each September, during which concerts, plays, poetry evenings and artistic exhibitions are organized daily over the course of two or three weeks. The final Saturday evening features the crowning of the "Maid of the Vine", the local beauty queen, and the next afternoon, the festival closes with arguably its most popular event: a parade of floats held on the town's main avenue. The floats are entirely decorated with flowers according to a central theme.

The other central aspect of the local culture is religious devotion. Zahlé is still a very Catholic and conservative town, and many of its inhabitants display a pride with their religious identity which comes close to fanaticism. Church attendance is high, although it often constitutes a form of social, rather than religious, gathering. It is customary to pay visit to 7 churches on Good Friday. Holidays also endorse a very social character, being a time to visit friends and relatives.

Prophet Elias (Elijah) is the town's patron saint, whose feast on July 20 is traditionally celebrated with fireworks. Another notable holiday is Corpus-Christi, celebrated on the first Thursday of June with a large-scale procession, with a torch-lit parade being held on the previous evening. The Corpus Christi celebration dates back to 1825, when the town was spared the ravages of bubonic plague.

Notable natives[link]

• Tony Abou Khater,Doctor and Lebanese Member of the parliament
• Said Akl, poet, philosopher and politician
• Riad Maalouf, poet
• Najib Hankash, poet
• Elias Habshi, poet
• Joseph Raya, theologian, civil rights advocate and author
• Najwa Karam, singer
• Wael Kfoury, singer
• Isabel Bayrakdarian, Lebanese-Canadian opera singer
• Fady Maalouf, Lebanese-German pop singer
• Peter IV Geraigiry, Melkite Catholic patriarch 1898-1902
• Salim Wardeh, lebanese Minister of Culture 2009-2011
• Elias Hrawi President of Lebanon 1989-1998
• Roy Samaha, basketball player
• Shafiqah Shasha, Lebanese-Australian pioneer
• Elie Samaha, Lebanese-American socialite and producer

Colombian pop-star Shakira is also of local descent through her father.

International relations[link]

Twin towns — Sister cities[link]

Zahlé is twinned with:

• Rosario, Argentina
• Champagne, France
• Belo Horizonte, Brazil
• Zabrze Poland

References[link]

• View From Zahle: Security And Economic Conditions In The Central Bekaa 1980-1985
• [1]
• on Lebanon and the Peace Process, "Bashir Gemeyel and Syria Fight Over Zahle"
• Conflict and Consensus, "Zahle and Dayr Al-Qamar, two market towns during the civil war of the 1860s."
• "Zahle and Forzol"

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zahlé

• mideast.com/zahle
• tourism

Hage Chahine, Carlos and Nevine (2008). C'etait Zahle. 

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