Revision 172144841 of "Zahle" on enwiki

{{cleanup|date=November 2007}}
:''This article is about a town in [[Lebanon]]. You may also be looking for [[Carl Theodor Zahle]], a Danish politician.'' 

{{Infobox City |
official_name = Zahlé</br>زحلة‎ |
image_skyline = |
image_map =  |
image_caption = |
mapsize = |
map_caption = |
subdivision_type = [[Governorates of Lebanon|Governorate]]|
subdivision_name = [[Beqaa Governorate|Beqaa]]|
leader_title = [[Mayor]] |
leader_name = Assad Zogaib |
area_note = |
area_magnitude =  |
area_total_km2 =  19.8 |
area_land_km2 =  |
area_water_km2 = |
population_as_of = 2006 |
population_total = 300,000  |
population_metro = |
population_density_km2 = |
timezone = [[Egypt Standard Time|EST]] |
utc_offset = +2 |
timezone_DST = [[Egypt Standard Time|EST]] |
utc_offset_DST = +3 |
latd=33 |latm=50 |latNS=N |
longd=35 |longm=55 |longEW=E |
website = |
footnotes = |
}}
[[Image:Beqaa-vineyard.JPG|300px|thumb|left|Vineyards near [[Zahle]], in the central Beqaa Valley]]
'''Zahlé''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: زحلة; also transliterated '''Zahlah''' or '''Zahleh''') is the capital of [[Beqaa Governorate]], [[Lebanon]]. With around 100,000 inhabitants<ref>[http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&dat=32&srt=npan&col=aohdq&geo=-124  World Gazetteer: Lebanon, largest cities and towns and statistics of their population]</ref>, which makes it the 8th largest city in Lebanon. The population is mostly [[Christian]]. Zahle is called the bride of the [[Bekaa Valley]]. It is famous for its clean air, its resorts and its food.
* {{flagicon|Lebanon}} '''[[Zahlé]]''', [[Lebanon]]

==General==
The city is situated 45 km to the East of the Lebanese capital [[Beirut]]. It is the only predominantly Christian city in the Middle East. Famous for its old churches, outdoor restaurants, unique food and a water powered ice factory in Wadi El Arayesh. It's possible to drive a car from Zahlé to Beirut in 30 to 60 minutes, depending on traffic.  Zahle is on average 900 meters above sea level.

== Zahlé in History ==
{{Unreferenced|date=June 2007}}
Zahlé was founded about 300 years ago by Toufic Saliba in an area whose past reaches back some five millennia. In the early 18th century the new town was divided into three separate quarters, each of which had its own governor.
The city enjoyed a brief period as the region's first independent state in the 19th century when it had its own flag and anthem.
Zahlé was burned in 1777 and 1791, and it was burned and plundered in 1860.
But during the rule of the Mutasarrifiah, Zahlé began to regain its prosperity. The railroad line which came through in 1885 improved commerce and the town became the internal "port" of the Beqaa and Syria. It was also the center of agriculture and trade between Beirut and Damascus, Mosul and Baghdad. Considered the birthplace of the Lebanese army, Zahlé has played a major role in the political life of the country.



== Zahlé's Bardouni Restaurants ==

The Bardouni is a river that flows out of Mount Sannine and down through Zahlé. It is also a name synonymous with Lebanon's famous mezze and the delights of outdoor dining.
The Bardouni restaurant tradition began over a hundred years ago with a few simple riverside cafes. Today it is a virtual bazaar of tree-shaded eating places known as "casinos", every one more inviting than the next. Not surprisingly, competition is fierce, so each establishment outdoes itself with fountains, pools, and cooling shade to tempt potential customers.
Here you can enjoy the traditional Lebanese mezze as it is served nowhere else. To add to the sense of timelessness, delicious mountain bread is baked before your eyes and a man in baggy trousers and fez is on hand to pour Lebanese coffee. He can also provide diners with a hubble-bubble (water pipe). On the cliffs above the Bardouni are the restaurants of Kaa el Reem, also known for their excellent food and atmosphere.  

The river [[Bardaouni]] which crosses the city is shallow, especially during summer.

== Wine and Arak ==

Zahlé's association with the grape is pervasive, for it lies at the heart of an area that has been making wine since early antiquity. At the city's southern entrance the statue of a graceful female personifies wine and poetry, but you don't have to look far to see evidence of the real thing. The hills north of town with names like Wadi Hadi, Harqat, Bir Ghazour and Tell Zeina are covered with the neat rows of vineyards that supply Zahle's wine and [[arak]] industries.
Many of the wines have been formally recognized abroad for their fine quality–equal to some of the best in Europe.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} A tour of Zahlé's Ksara winery is a good way to see how wine and arak are made. Of special interest here are the extensive underground caves built around a natural grotto known and enlarged by the Romans

== Local Celebrations ==

Each year between the 10th and 20th of September Zahlé mounts its week-long " Festival of the Vine", a celebration shared with the city's " Flower Festival".  In a carnival-like atmosphere "Miss Vine" is elected and cars are decorated with flowers representing national symbols.

Zahlé is also famous for its [[Blessed Sacrament|Corpus Christi]] festival which dates back to 1825 when the town was spared the ravages of a contagious disease. Corpus Christi is celebrated on the first Thursday of June with a torch-light parade held on the eve of the festival. The next morning a mass takes place at Our Lady of Najat Church, followed by a procession of townspeople carrying the "Holy Bread" through the streets.

Christian pilgrims and tourists also visit the tower of [[Our Lady of Bekaa]] for panoramic views of the [[Beqaa Valley]].

==Meaning of name==
It is speculated that the name ''Zahlé'' is derived from the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] verb {{lang|ar|زحل}} ''zahhala'', which means ''to push away, to dislodge, to displace''. The occasional landslides which take place in the area around the city may have been the origin of its name.{{Fact|date=[[5 June]] [[2007]]}}

==Zahlé Families==
*Abdayem
*Abou Khater
*Abou Sleiman
*Abou Takka
*Abou Zeidan
*Abras
*Ammoury
*Asar
*Bou Zaidan
*Braidy
*Bsaybes
*Chaachaa
*Chammas
*Chedid
*Choueiri
*Cortas
*Fadel
*Frenn
*Geha
*Ghattas
*Ghorra
*Haidar
*Hajj-Chahine (El)
*Hakim (El-Hakim)
*Harika(abou dib)
*Hatem
*Hindi
*el-Hawzi (Housey)
*Ibrahim
*Jreissati
*Kandalaft
*Karak
*Kassarjeh (Kassarjé)
*Kassouf
*Kfoury
*Khalaf
*Khazzaka
*Khoury
*Koury (variant of Khoury)
*Kraytem
*Louis
*Ltaif (Lteif)
*Maalouf (one of the 7 founding family that created Zahle)
*Maksoud
*Matli
*MOUTRAN
*Mezeraaneh (Mezeraané)
*Mimassi (Mimessi)
*Nabhan
*Naddour
*Nader (Neder)
*NAHAS 
*Nammour
*Nasrallah
*Nehmeh (Nehmehé)
*Noumair (Nmeir)
*Rahman
*Ray
*Ramia
*Remaili 
*Saadi
*Sabbouha
*Saliba
saif
*Sarrage
*Saikaly
*Skaf (Skef)
*Srour
*Sadek
*Stanbouli
*Tabbah
*Tarchichi
*Teeny
*Tenn
*Tohme
*Turk
*Youssef
*Zaatar
*Zalaquett
*Zarzur
*Zino
*Zgheib (Zougheib)
*Zrien

==External links==
*[http://www.middleeast.com/zahle.htm mideast.com/zahle]
*[http://www.lebanon.com/tourism/zahle.htm tourism]

[[Category:Settlements in Lebanon]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Lebanon]]

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