Barelias
Encyclopedia
Barelias, or Bar Elias (Arabic
: برالياس; also transliterated Bar Ilyas), is a town located in the Zahle District
, Beqaa Governorate
, Lebanon
. With around 60,000 inhabitants (mostly Sunni Muslims)it is the second largest town, after Zahle, in the Zahle Governorate. Barelias is a village of the Beqaa Valley, the center of Bekaa, known widely acknowledged by the transit passes, the center distance between Beirut and Damascus. As the distance between the center of the northern Bekaa and the south became important because of its central valleys and on the international line of the most important economic centers and the largest commercial markets, Barelias has good neighborly relations with the rest of the towns and villages and cities in the province. Received via Syria and Beirut over roads . Multi-ways from all directions through advanced in the center of the Bekaa must lead you to Barelias ,it is an open gate to all guests and visitors.
Barelias located in the district of Zahle on the average of 900 m above sea level, at a distance of 51 Km from Beirut via Damascus-Chtoura. Spread over both sides of the international line between Beirut and Damascus over the exterior 4 km and extends lovely plain green sprawling distances up to Anjar east and Zahle west and Kafr Zabad and Addalhamiah north and Almarj to the south.
A vast land area of about 35000 dunums (3500 hectares) of which about 7000 dunums residential and the rest agricultural.
. It's possible to drive a car from Bar Elias to Beirut in 60 to 75 minutes, depending on traffic volume.
Bar Elias is the largest Sunni town in much of the Bekaa Valley. 15-20% of the city is Christian, which is fair as Zahle province, where Bar Elias is located in, has a Christian majority. Unlike the Christians in Zahle which are a majority Greek Catholic, the Christians of Bar Elias are Greek Orthodox and Maronite. There used to be a number of Druze living in Bar Elias, but their number declined because of communal tensions. During the Civil War, Bar Elias's Christians were kept safe from any outsiders by the Muslims of the town, however it is well known Bar Elias was the only town to stand up to Zahle and the Phalanges... a reputation well known in the Bekaa to date.
In the past Bar Elias knew large commercial success, which was mainly due to the town;s location. Bar Elias is located on the passageway connecting Damascus to Beirut. Therefore, it holds an important commercial position.
Municipal Council winning the municipal elections of 2010 is composed of 18 members :
Naji Mahmoud Al Mais, Saad Eddin Ibrahim Maita, Abdullah Mohiuddin Abdul Rahim, Mohamed Khair Rushdie Alsarut,
Omar Abdullah A'di, Walid Ali Al-Hayek, Fouad Fouad Al Kadi, Jamal Shehadeh Nsair, Saleem Nayef Abu Murad,
Hamza Ibrahim Dallah, Abdo Mohammed Al-Qattan, Ayman Mahmoud Habash, Hussein Khalil Hamad, Ahmed Ali Al Lwais ,
Naji Ahmad Rahal Salloum, Ali Mohamed Trad, Reda Shafiq Swaid, Walid Osman Almaarabouni.
The municipality council will be headed by Naji Al Mias(as a president) for the first three years then followed
by Saad Eddin Ibrahim Maita for the last three years.
The winner Mayors in 2010 elections are :Mukhtar Mohammed Khair Abdul Rahim,Mukhtar Mohammed Kassem Al jammal,
Mukhtar Mahmoud Mohammed Obied, Mukhtar Ahmad Ayoub, and Mukhtar Salim hamadeh Abdul Ghani.
Lebanon has a large number of political parties. However, Bar Elias is not influenced by the parties. The few big families that help determine the way the village votes. Since the civil war, more and more of the Bar Elias towns people are following Lebanon's parties specifically the Future Movement, run by the Sunni Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and the Lebanese Armed Forces / Phalanges. This is due to the increase of Shia fundamentalist in Baalbeck, a neighboring town. The endurance of Zahle as a major Sunni center represented a standing challenge for supremacy in the region.
MP Assem Araji is from Bar Elias as well.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
: برالياس; also transliterated Bar Ilyas), is a town located in the Zahle District
Zahle District
Zahle District is an administrative district in the Beqaa Governorate of the Republic of Lebanon.The people of Zahle district are almost entirely Christian, it is the capital of the Biqa region in Lebanon, with a district population of around 500,000. About half of the people are maronites, 25 %...
, Beqaa Governorate
Beqaa Governorate
Beqaa is a governorate in Lebanon with a population of 750,000 inhabitants.-Geography:The Beqaa governorate covers an area of 4,429 km². Béqaa is the primary center of Lebanon's agriculture. The Beqaa governorate forms the main geographical extension of Lebanon and it lies between the Western...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. With around 60,000 inhabitants (mostly Sunni Muslims)it is the second largest town, after Zahle, in the Zahle Governorate. Barelias is a village of the Beqaa Valley, the center of Bekaa, known widely acknowledged by the transit passes, the center distance between Beirut and Damascus. As the distance between the center of the northern Bekaa and the south became important because of its central valleys and on the international line of the most important economic centers and the largest commercial markets, Barelias has good neighborly relations with the rest of the towns and villages and cities in the province. Received via Syria and Beirut over roads . Multi-ways from all directions through advanced in the center of the Bekaa must lead you to Barelias ,it is an open gate to all guests and visitors.
Barelias located in the district of Zahle on the average of 900 m above sea level, at a distance of 51 Km from Beirut via Damascus-Chtoura. Spread over both sides of the international line between Beirut and Damascus over the exterior 4 km and extends lovely plain green sprawling distances up to Anjar east and Zahle west and Kafr Zabad and Addalhamiah north and Almarj to the south.
A vast land area of about 35000 dunums (3500 hectares) of which about 7000 dunums residential and the rest agricultural.
Geography
The town is situated 52 km (32.31 mi) to the East of the Lebanese capital BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. It's possible to drive a car from Bar Elias to Beirut in 60 to 75 minutes, depending on traffic volume.
Climate
Bar Elias is located in the East of Lebanon. Its weather is known for its dryness. It rarely rains in Bar Elias especially in the summer, there is indeed a lack of humidity. Bar Elias summer are very warm, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees celsius. The winters are characterized by heavy snows they are also rather cold. The river Ghzayil flows just around the outskirts of the town.Population
Bar Elias's population has steadily grown since its foundation. At the end of the eighteenth century, Bar Elias had less than a thousand inhabitants and 50 houses. By the late 1850s, the population jumped to about seven to ten thousand people. The population continued to grow throughout the twentieth century. Today, Bar Elias is home to about a sixty - 80 thousand Lebanese.Bar Elias is the largest Sunni town in much of the Bekaa Valley. 15-20% of the city is Christian, which is fair as Zahle province, where Bar Elias is located in, has a Christian majority. Unlike the Christians in Zahle which are a majority Greek Catholic, the Christians of Bar Elias are Greek Orthodox and Maronite. There used to be a number of Druze living in Bar Elias, but their number declined because of communal tensions. During the Civil War, Bar Elias's Christians were kept safe from any outsiders by the Muslims of the town, however it is well known Bar Elias was the only town to stand up to Zahle and the Phalanges... a reputation well known in the Bekaa to date.
Agriculture and Commerce
Bar Elias is situated at the heart of Lebanese agriculture, the Beqaa which is known for its numerous vast plains. Most of the people of Bar Elias gain there living and sustenance through these plains. The people of Bar Elias primarily cultivate wheat fields, barely,beats, onions, apples, potatoes garlic plantations, and walnut groves. During the civil war, the agriculture in Bar Elias, like much of the province,did not fare so well. The Syrian closed off a good deal of fields, transforming into military areas.In the past Bar Elias knew large commercial success, which was mainly due to the town;s location. Bar Elias is located on the passageway connecting Damascus to Beirut. Therefore, it holds an important commercial position.
Facilities
Like neighboring towns and villages, Bar Elias boasts many restaurants, primarily on the Ghzayyil River, which flows on the outskirts of the town. Fisheries, restaurants, and a nice enjoyable day on the river next with music and good food is what it's all about.Families of Bar Elias
Araji, Mais, Al-Hayek, Maita, Karam, Alsarout,Seifeddine, Houshaimi, Kattan, Swaid, Shibli, Hamad, Ghazal, Hamiyyeh, Hidri, Nammora, Motran, Aboabboud, Abu Askar, Arafat, Abdalkhalk, Ayyubi, Ta'an, Al kadi, Abd Al-Rahim, Taliani, Zrain, Shaaban, Alfayad, Kassis, Haddad, Aboasi, Dali, Adi, Majthoub, Ebeid, Tarraf, Rabai, Geagea, Shweiri, Sayed, Safayeh, Trad, Daher, Hawwa, Hindi, Habich, Murad, Shibani, Halablab, Jammal, Abdul Ghani, Abu Murad, Shehada, Farhat, Mubarak, Alwakeel, Almalak, Shikhoaga, Altaftaf, Allois, Khalaf, Betar, Shihab, Eskaf, Nsair, Aldedi, Hamraoui, Beiruti, Zarzoor, Manhal, Bashir, Sri Deen, Aldaher, Najim, Izzedine, Saloum, Boarchi, Maraboni, Albequaoui, Abouhala, Alhaji, Musa, Omar, Shihab, Barbar, Mohammad, Issa, Osman, Abu Nimri, Abu Tarabay, Howari, Alhaji Musa, Abouajwah, Al-hazar, Hermshli, Salem, Shawka, Hassan, Abdalwarth, Jaafar, Sahili, Hatoom, Shami, Asaad, Arabiah, Abu Eid, Rahal, Shaheen, Mustafa, Ali, Jannoon, Mirie, Abu Asli, Ahmed, Darwish, Khodr, Hussein ,Alwan, Askar, Zabadani, Assaf, Reda, Badawi, Kasim, Badr, Ramadan Ibrahim, Al fadhl, Mahmoud , AbuObaid, Abdullah, Awad, Rifa'i, Alsrougi, Moussa, Alzaart, Mohsen, Karim, Solaiman, Saad, Al-Shiyah, Abunasser, Anoti, sleepy, Shaqif, Rashed, Kurdi, Habsh, Hassan, Marzouq, Kromah, the Turki, Mihrez, Yousef.Religion
Bar Elias is predominantly Muslim Sunni, however there is a number of Christians who live in the town. Religion is important in Bar Elias, like much of Lebanon. There are more than four Mosques in the town, and two churches. The Mufti El Mais, a prominent Sunni religious leader associated with Future Movement, is from Bar Elias.Government
The municipality of Bar Elias is located in the district of Zahle, one of the eight districts in Lebanon.Municipal Council winning the municipal elections of 2010 is composed of 18 members :
Naji Mahmoud Al Mais, Saad Eddin Ibrahim Maita, Abdullah Mohiuddin Abdul Rahim, Mohamed Khair Rushdie Alsarut,
Omar Abdullah A'di, Walid Ali Al-Hayek, Fouad Fouad Al Kadi, Jamal Shehadeh Nsair, Saleem Nayef Abu Murad,
Hamza Ibrahim Dallah, Abdo Mohammed Al-Qattan, Ayman Mahmoud Habash, Hussein Khalil Hamad, Ahmed Ali Al Lwais ,
Naji Ahmad Rahal Salloum, Ali Mohamed Trad, Reda Shafiq Swaid, Walid Osman Almaarabouni.
The municipality council will be headed by Naji Al Mias(as a president) for the first three years then followed
by Saad Eddin Ibrahim Maita for the last three years.
The winner Mayors in 2010 elections are :Mukhtar Mohammed Khair Abdul Rahim,Mukhtar Mohammed Kassem Al jammal,
Mukhtar Mahmoud Mohammed Obied, Mukhtar Ahmad Ayoub, and Mukhtar Salim hamadeh Abdul Ghani.
Bar Elias in Lebanese Politics
Bar Elias plays a key role in Lebanese politics. Bar Elias is the biggest Sunni town in the Bekaa Valley. Hence, Bar Elias is an indicator to Sunni's public opinion and can sway the votes in any which way. Bar Elias, like the rest of Zahle, especially played an important in Lebanon's last two parliamentary election. The way Bar Elias (and Zahle) voted determined the majority in the parliament.Lebanon has a large number of political parties. However, Bar Elias is not influenced by the parties. The few big families that help determine the way the village votes. Since the civil war, more and more of the Bar Elias towns people are following Lebanon's parties specifically the Future Movement, run by the Sunni Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and the Lebanese Armed Forces / Phalanges. This is due to the increase of Shia fundamentalist in Baalbeck, a neighboring town. The endurance of Zahle as a major Sunni center represented a standing challenge for supremacy in the region.
MP Assem Araji is from Bar Elias as well.