Bcheale

Bchaaleh (alternatively spelled Bcheale, Bchealeh or Bshaaleh) is a village in the Batroun District of the North Governorate in Lebanon.[1][2]

Bchaaleh
بشعله
Village
Map showing the location of Bchaaleh within Lebanon
Map showing the location of Bchaaleh within Lebanon
Bchaaleh
Location within Lebanon
Coordinates: 34°12′13″N 35°49′25″E
CountryLebanon
GovernorateNorth Governorate
DistrictBatroun District
Elevation
1,311 m (4,301 ft)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total2,800 registered voters 1,800 residents
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Dialing code+9616715
Websitewww.bchaaleh.com

It had 1,456 eligible voters in the 2009 elections, and the residents mainly belonged to the Maronite Church.[3]

Geography

The village of Bchaaleh stands on a promontory, with views of the sea and across Douma. It is home to traditional houses and to Saint Stephan church, one of the largest in the region of Batroun. To the north-east of the village, a citadel is built on the ruins of a medieval fortress, erected itself on Phoenicians ruins destroyed by the Romans.[4]

Commemorative plaque given to the village of Bchaaleh on the occasion of the dating of the village's olive trees in 1999

Twelve olive trees still live in the village of Bchaaleh, at more than 1200m above sea level. It is said that they are the oldest olive trees in the world. Different studies and research present data on the age of the Sisters Olive Trees of Noah in Bchaaleh. Some claim they are "between five and seven thousand years old".[5] Another study carried out in French Laboratories in 2017 showed that the trees are a bit older than two thousand years.

Etymology

Syriac origin, "Beit Chaali", meaning "the place of glorification and adoration".

Solar power

In 2017 Bchaaleh installed a solar farm, and hence managed to avoid the worst effects of the 2021 Lebanese blackout.[6]

See also

References
  1. Stefan Wild (1973). Libanesische Ortsnamen. Franz Steiner Verlag. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  2. Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft. Orient-Institut (1967). Beiruter Texte und Studien. F. Steiner in Kommission. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  3. "Municipal and ikhtiyariah elections in Northern Lebanon" (PDF). The Monthly. March 2010. pp. 18, 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  4. "Bchaaleh | Les Plus Beaux Villages du Liban". Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  5. Bechealeh's ancient trees still producing high-end olive oil, article in The Daily Star (Lebanon)
  6. Lebanon crisis: How one village keeps the lights on thanks to solar power by Elizabeth Fitt, 30 October 2021, Middle East Eye
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