View source for Zahlé

{{Short description|City in Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon}}
{{Redirect|Zahle|people with that surname|Zahle (surname)|other uses|Zahle (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox settlement
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| official_name            = Zahlé
| native_name              = {{lang|ar|     زَحْلة}}
| settlement_type          = [[List of cities and towns in Lebanon|City]]
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| image_skyline            = Zahle,Lebanon.JPG
| imagesize                = 275px
| image_caption            = Panoramic
| pushpin_map              = Lebanon <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
| pushpin_label_position   = bottom
| pushpin_mapsize          = 275
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in Lebanon
<!-- Location ------------------>
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = {{Flag|Lebanon}}
| subdivision_type1        = [[Governorates of Lebanon|Governorate]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Beqaa Governorate]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[Districts of Lebanon|District]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Zahlé District]]
| subdivision_type3        =
| subdivision_name3        =
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| subdivision_name4        =
<!-- Politics ----------------->
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_name              = Asaad Zoghaib
| area_total_km2           = 8
| area_metro_km2           = 40
| population_total         = 100,000
| population_metro         = 300,000
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| timezone                 = [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
| utc_offset               = +2
| timezone_DST             = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]
| utc_offset_DST           = +3
| coordinates              = {{coord|33|50|N|35|55|E|region:LB|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes      = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
| elevation_min_footnotes  = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_min_m          = 900
| elevation_min_ft         = 2953
| elevation_max_footnotes  = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_max_m          = 1150
| elevation_max_ft         = 3780
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| postal_code_type         = Postcode
| postal_code              = 1801
| area_code                = 8
| blank_name               =
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}}
'''Zahlé''' ({{langx|ar|زَحْلة}}) is a city in eastern Lebanon, and the capital and  largest city of [[Beqaa Governorate]], [[Lebanon]]. With around 150,000<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zahlé {{!}} Creative Cities Network|url=https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities/node/47#:~:text=Zahl%C3%A9,%20with%20a%20population%20of,pleasant%20climate%20and%20traditional%20cuisine.|access-date=2021-01-25|website=en.unesco.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-08-10 |title=Summer of shelling |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/article30210519.ece |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Frontline |language=en}}</ref> inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Lebanon after [[Beirut]] and [[Tripoli, Lebanon|Tripoli]]<ref name="SchiffYaari1986">{{cite book|author1=Zeev Schiff|author2=Ehud Yaari|author3=Ina Friedman|title=Israel's Lebanon War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WAS7AAAAIAAJ|access-date=14 April 2011|date=1 January 1986|publisher=Unwin Paperbacks|isbn=978-0-04-327091-2}}</ref><ref name="Evron1987">{{cite book|author=Yair Evron|title=War and Intervention in Lebanon: The Israeli–Syrian Deterrence Dialogue|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xQcOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA93|access-date=14 April 2011|year=1987|publisher=Croom Helm|isbn=978-0-7099-1451-8|page=93}}</ref> and the fourth-largest taking the whole urban area (the [[Jounieh]] urban area is larger).
Zahlé is located {{cvt|55|km|0}} east of the capital Beirut, close to the Beirut-[[Damascus]] road, and lies at the junction of [[Mount Lebanon]] and the [[Beqaa Valley]], at a mean elevation of 1,000 m.<ref name="The bulletin">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JbYxAQAAIAAJ |title=The Bulletin |date=September 2004 |publisher=J. Haynes and J.F. Archibald |access-date=14 April 2011}}</ref> Established in the 18th century by [[Christianity in Lebanon|Christians]], Zahlé maintains its predominantly [[Catholicism in Lebanon|Greek Catholic]] character. The city enjoys convenient accessibility via road and rail, historically leveraging its strategic location as a trade hub.<ref name=":102">{{Cite book |last1=Najem |first1=Tom |title=Historical Dictionary of Lebanon |last2=Amore |first2=Roy C. |last3=Abu Khalil |first3=As'ad |date=2021 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-2043-9 |edition=2nd |series=Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East |location=Lanham Boulder New York London |pages=345}}</ref>
Zahlé is known as the "Bride of the Beqaa" and "the Neighbor of the Gorge" for its geographical location and attractiveness, but also as "the City of Wine and Poetry".<ref name="Discover Lebanon">{{cite web|title=Discover Lebanon |url=http://www.discoverlebanon.com/en/panoramic_views/bekaa/zahle/zahleh_city_bride.php}}</ref> It is famous throughout Lebanon and the region for its pleasant climate, numerous riverside restaurants and quality [[Arak (drink)|arak]]. Its inhabitants are predominantly [[Melkite Greek Catholic]] and are known in Arabic as ''Zahlawi''.
== Etymology ==
[[File:Fotografi på Zahle - Hallwylska museet - 104289.tif|thumbnail|Zahlé in the 19th century]]
The source of the city's name is unclear, some historian relate it to the ancient Roman god of fertility - Zohal. Evidence of Roman presence are the ruins found. Others claim the derives from the occasional landslides that take place on [[deforestation|deforested]] hills around the town are probably at the origin of the name.<ref name=":0" />
==History==
There has been human activity in the area for at least five thousand years. In the 18th century, Zahlé was a small village of some 200 houses.<ref>[[Charles Issawi|Issawi, Charles]] (1966) ''The Economic History of the Middle East 1800–1914'' University of Chicago Press. Library of Congress Number 66-11883 p.231</ref> Its relative geographic isolation from the local centres of power in [[Mount Lebanon]] and [[Syria]] caused the village not to have any significant allies in the region to fall back on in case of conflicts or attacks. Zahlé was burned in 1777 and 1791.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Electricité de Zahlé |date=2024 |title=ZAHLE IN HISTORY |url=http://edz.com.lb/About_Zahle/Fast_Facts}}</ref>
Tradition holds that many [[Christians]] migrated from the Baalbek region in the 18th century to the newer, more secure town of Zahlé on account of the [[Harfush dynasty]]'s oppression and rapacity, but more critical studies have questioned that interpretation by pointing out that the dynasty was closely allied to the [[Orthodoxy|Orthodox]] Ma'luf family of Zahlé (where Mustafa Harfush took refuge some years later) and showing that depredations from various quarters as well as Zahlé's growing commercial attractiveness accounted for Baalbek's decline in the 18th century. What repression there was did not always target the Christian community per se. The [[Shia Islam|Shiite]] 'Usayran family, for example, is also said to have left Baalbek then to avoid expropriation by the Harfushes and established itself as one of the premier commercial households of Sidon and later even served as consuls of [[Iran]].<ref>Stefan Winter (11 March 2010). ''The Shiites of Lebanon under Ottoman Rule, 1516–1788''. Cambridge University Press, Page 166.</ref>
At the end of the 18th century, Zahlé had one thousand inhabitants and two hundred houses. By 1820, Zahlé's population had grown to 5,000. By 1850 it was 7,000 to 8,000 and the town had become the commercial centre for the [[Beka'a]] and main depot for the local grain harvest. Some of the factors for the expansion included the [[Egyptians|Egyptian]] Occupation (1831–41), which lead to the opening of the country to European trade, the [[Crimean War]] which had caused grain shortages in Europe and the expansion of silk production in Mount Lebanon.<ref>Issawi p.227</ref>
Besides controlling the [[grain trade]], Zahlé became a centre for livestock from the [[Syria (region)|region of Syria]] and produced leather, woven and dyed goods, trading with [[Aleppo]], [[Damascus]] and [[Beirut]]. By the 1860's and 1870's the local merchants were prosperous but were still dependent on banks in Beirut for credit for their transactions.<ref>Issawi, p.231</ref>
On 7 September 1975, during the [[Lebanese Civil War|civil war]], the [[Lebanese Forces]] militia, at that time led by [[Elie Hobeika]] agreed to 100 [[Syrian army|Syrian]] soldiers and 20 intelligence officers taking up strategic positions in the town.<ref>[[Middle East International]] No 258, 13 September, Publishers [[Christopher Mayhew|Lord Mayhew]], [[Dennis Walters]] MP; [[Jim Muir]] pp.8-9</ref>
The current population is not accurately known, since no census has been conducted in Lebanon since 1932, but estimates from 2017 are of a population of 386,362 people in the town proper,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zaḥlah (District, Lebanon) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/lebanon/admin/al_biq%C4%81_/51__za%E1%B8%A5lah/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref> making it the country's fourth largest. (The locals tend to give figures of 200,000 or 300,000 inhabitants, which, however, are misleading and completely unrealistic.) The [[urban area]] includes the neighbouring towns of [[Saadnayel]], [[Taalabaya]], [[Chtaura]] and Jdita to the southwest, which have come to form a single urban entity since the late 1990s due to unplanned growth, and is home to about 100,000 people. The [[metropolitan area]] extends over much of the [[Zahlé District]] and additionally comprises:
* the town of [[Kab Elias]] to the southwest
* the town of [[Bar Elias]] to the south
* the villages of Furzol, Ablah and [[Niha, Zahlé|Niha]] to the northeast
* and the towns of [[Riyaq]], Haoush Hala and Ali en Nahri to the east
with a total population close to 200,000.
==Demographics==
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2017}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Zahlé, Lebanon
|label1 = [[Melkite Christianity in Lebanon|Melkite Greek Catholic]]
|value1 = 52
|color1 = Orange
|label2 = [[Maronite Christianity in Lebanon|Maronite Catholic]]
|value2 = 9
|color2 = Red
|label3 = [[Greek Orthodox Christianity in Lebanon|Greek Orthodox]]
|value3 = 8
|color3 = Yellow
|label4 = [[Shia Islam in Lebanon|Shia]]
|value4 = 4
|color4 = MediumSeaGreen
|label5 = [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunni]]
|value5 = 23
|color5 = Skyblue
|label6 = Other Christian Minorities
|value6 = 4
|color6 = Indigo
}}Zahlé is one of the largest predominantly [[Christianity in Lebanon|Christian]] town in [[Lebanon]] and the [[Middle East]] (with Christians once forming around 90% of its total population during the French occupation) and the one with the largest number of [[Catholic]]s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://monthlymagazine.com/article-desc_4526_ | title=Is Zahle the "Capital of Catholicism" in the East? }}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=August 2021}} While several Middle Eastern cities (including [[Damascus]], [[Cairo]] and [[Amman]]) have larger Christian communities, these do not constitute a majority. In Lebanon, [[Beirut]] also has a larger Christian population than Zahlé (in the city proper), but most of this population belongs to the [[Lebanese Greek Orthodox Christians|Greek Orthodox]] confession. [[Jounieh]] is also bigger than Zahlé, and was also overwhelmingly Christian before the French withdrawal.
The Christian population of Zahlé has the following approximate composition:
* 65% [[Melkite Greek Catholic]]
* 15% [[Lebanese Maronite Christians|Maronite]]
* 10% [[Lebanese Greek Orthodox Christians|Greek Orthodox]]
* 10% belonging to various minorities, most notably the [[Syriac Orthodox Church|Syriac Orthodox]]
Only two Muslim families remained inside Zahlé during the civil war: Hindi and Zrein. Zahlé's [[Islam in Lebanon|Muslim]] minority (around 27% of the population) is concentrated in the neighborhoods of [[Karak Nuh]] (where Noah's tomb is allegedly located) and Haoush al-Umara, specifically, in an area named "Hay al-watani", on the northeastern and southwestern edge of town, respectively. Sixty-two percent of Muslims in the area are [[Lebanese Shia Muslims|Shia]], while the remaining 38% are [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunnis]]. In the past the town also had a [[Druze]] minority and even a small [[Lebanese Jews|Jewish]] population, most of which, however, emigrated during the [[Lebanese Civil War]].
Zahlé has been a land of emigration since the early 20th century, with most people emigrating to South America, mainly [[Colombia]], [[Venezuela]], [[Brazil]] and [[Argentina]]. During the civil war in the 1970s and 1980s, a new flow of migrants left the town for the United States, Canada, [[Australia]] and Brazil. 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 Colombia and Brazil.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}
== Economy ==
[[File:Zahle Grapes.jpg|thumb|Zahlé 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 surrounding landscape.<ref name="Beqaa Wineries">{{Cite web|title=Beqaa Wineries|url=https://www.living-lebanon.com/visit-lebanon/beqaa-valley/zahle-surroundings/89-sights-activities-zahle/wineries|access-date=2021-01-25|website=Living Lebanon|language=en-gb}}</ref> 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,<ref name="Beqaa Wineries"/> and the numerous distilleries producing [[Arak (drink)|arak]], the local liquor which Zahlé is famous for.
Zahlé saw at a time a prosperous commercial activity due to its location midway between Beirut and Damascus.<ref name="Naff">{{cite book|author=Alixa Naff|authorlink=Alixa Naff|title=A social history of Zahlé: the principal market town in nineteenth-century Lebanon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1nhGcAAACAAJ|access-date=14 April 2011|publisher=University of California}}</ref> Paradoxically, it regained some of that activity during the civil war, when the growing instability in Beirut led to a decentralization of the economy. Furthermore, taxation was nonexistent due to the collapse of State authority, which Zahlé took advantage of to expand its industrial and commercial sectors.{{Citation needed|date=February 2017}}
A number of companies and state bodies have their headquarters for the Beqaa region in Zahlé, including the [[Banque du Liban|Central Bank of Lebanon]] and the Lebanese [[Chamber of Commerce]].
==Education==
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:
* [[Lebanese University]]
* [[Saint Joseph University]]
* [[Holy Spirit University of Kaslik]]
* [[Antonine University]]
* [[American University of Science and Technology]]
* The National Technical Institute
== Transportation ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2017}}
Zahlé is connected to [[Beirut]] ({{convert|55|km|0}} to the 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]], Syria, is {{cvt|73|km|0}} to the southeast, and is normally reached within one-and-a-half hours, excluding the waiting time at the border. Despite continuously undergoing works and repairs, the Beirut-Damascus road remains in poor condition, and is due to be replaced by a new, multimillion-dollar highway as the main international route;<ref>{{Cite web |last=The OPEC Fund for International Development |title=Pan-Arab Highway Project-OPEC Fund for International Development |url=https://opecfund.org/operations/list/pan-arab-highway-project |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=opecfund.org |language=En}}</ref> however, the completion date is still unclear.
Zahlé is also connected to [[Baalbek]] ({{cvt|36|km|0}} to the northeast) by the trans-Beqaa road, which continues further north towards [[Homs]], Syria.
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 Manara roundabout at the town's entrance. Zahlé's [[railway station]] was located in Muallaqa, but was abandoned after all rail transport in Lebanon stopped during the civil war.
There were plans to convert the nearby [[Rayak Air Base]] (located {{cvt|10|km|0}} to the East of Zahlé), into a civil airport serving the town and the whole valley. A regional airport could prove vital when the road to Beirut is closed because of heavy snowfall. However, the project froze in the early 2000s, after the runway extension had been initiated.
== Main sights ==
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2021}}
=== Berdawni Promenade ===
[[File:Berdawnicafe.jpg|thumb|left|Cafes along the Berdawni River]]
The banks of the Berdawni River have long been a place where people of Zahlé and other parts of Lebanon come to socialize.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Profile of Berdawni - Berdawni - Zahle Lebanon - Berdawni.com |url=http://www.berdawni.com/default.htm |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=www.berdawni.com}}</ref> The town's most popular attraction is a {{convert|300|m|0|adj=on}} promenade along the river, referred to as "Al Wadi" ("the valley"). Sheltered between the ravine's limestone cliffs, it is lined up with large outdoor restaurants, cafes and playrooms, and shaded by trees. These restaurants specialize in traditional Lebanese [[meze]] served with [[Arak (drink)|arak]]. The promenade is closed during late fall and winter, when cold winds from the mountain sweep through the ravine.<ref name=":1" />
[[File:Casino-arabi.jpg|thumb|A Lebanese restaurant]]
=== Our Lady of Zahlé and Bekaa ===
[[File:Our Lady of Bekaa.jpg|thumb|Our Lady of Zahlé and Bekaa. Taken in the 1970s]]
Located on a hilltop to the southwest of Zahlé, this is a {{convert|54|m|ft|0|adj=mid|-high}} concrete tower, entirely clad in white marble, and topped with a {{convert|10|m|ft|0|adj=mid|-tall}} bronze statue of the Virgin Mary, the work of an Italian artist. It is by far Zahlé's most prominent structure—visible from most of the city and from several miles around in the central Bekaa Valley. At its base is a chapel that can seat a little over a hundred people. The top of the tower features sweeping views over Zahlé and the Bekaa Valley.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Zahle (Zahlé): Uncover the Charm of Bekaa Valley in Lebanon {{!}} Egypt Uncovered Travel |url=https://www.egypt-uncovered.com/blog/zahle-lebanon |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=www.egypt-uncovered.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Lady of Zahle {{!}} BAM By Agenda Culturel |url=https://www.bamleb.com/guide/religious-sites/our-lady-of-zahle |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=www.bamleb.com}}</ref>
=== Town Hall (Old Serail) ===
[[File:Old Serail.jpg|thumb|The Old Serail, turned into the prison of Zahlé in 1991, serves today as the town hall.]]
This [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] building was constructed in 1850 to serve as the town's [[Seraglio|Serail]]. Located just downhill from Our Lady of Zahlé and Bekaa, 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 [[Seat of government|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.
=== The Catholic Cathedral (Our Lady of Salvation) ===
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 {{convert|40|m|ft|-high|adj=mid}} 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 ===
The grand 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.<ref name="Mannheim2001">{{cite book|author=Ivan Mannheim|title=Syria & Lebanon handbook: the travel guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9LHVdWLc7gC&pg=PA584|access-date=14 April 2011|date=1 July 2001|publisher=Footprint Travel Guides|isbn=978-1-900949-90-3|pages=584–}}</ref> An ambitious restoration project in the mid-1990s was able to bring it back to its former glory. The hotel closed in February 2011 due to a conflict between its direction and the Catholic Church (its effective owner since 1999) and reopened later in 2013.
=== Memshieh Park ===
Situated across the street from Grand Hotel Kadri, Memshieh 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 {{cvt|25|m|0}} 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 ===
Zahlé in itself offers little archaeological interest;{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} however, the [[Château Ksara]] winery is worth a visit for its maze of vaults which dates back to [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] times. The suburb of [[Karak Nuh]] also features a curiosity: a {{convert|40|m|ft|0|adj=mid|-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).<ref name="Mannheim2001"/>
Furthermore, there are several ancient sites of interest in nearby locations:
* In [[Qabb Ilyas]] ({{cvt|12|km|0}} to the southwest): rock sculptures of three deities that seem to be of Roman origin<ref name="AmericaJerusalem1907">{{cite book|author1=Archaeological Institute of America|author2=American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem|author3=American School of Classical Studies at Athens|author4=American School of Classical Studies in Rome|author5=American School for Oriental Study and Research in Palestine|title=American journal of archaeology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t7ArAQAAIAAJ|access-date=14 April 2011|year=1907|publisher=Macmillan Co.}}</ref>
* In [[Anjar, Lebanon|Anjar]] ({{cvt|18|km|0}} 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.<ref name="Mannheim2001"/>
* Above the village of Furzol ({{cvt|8|km|0}} to the northwest): a series of rock-cut Roman tombs in the limestone cliffs<ref name="Mannheim2001"/>
* In [[Niha Bekaa|Niha]] ({{cvt|11|km|0}} to the northwest): two exquisite Roman temples bearing [[Phoenicia]]n architectural elements (just outside the village), and two others in need of restoration (higher up, in the area referred to as "the Fortress").
Two more sites worth visiting are a more distant trip away:
* [[Kamid al lawz|Kamed al Lawz]] ({{Cvt|32|km}} to the south) is the most important [[Bronze Age]] settlement in Lebanon, with finds from the Phoenician, [[Persia]]n, Hellenistic, Roman and [[Byzantine]] periods having been uncovered as well.<ref name="Robertson2008">{{cite book|author=George P. Robertson|title=War Against Islam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UszW2N8iT2oC&pg=PA255|access-date=14 April 2011|date=June 2008|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-4092-0159-5|pages=255–}}{{self-published source|date=August 2021}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}}
* The  Roman archaeological complex of [[Baalbek]] (another [[World Heritage Site]]) is located {{cvt|36|km|0}} to the northwest.
== Culture ==
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 [[café]]s at virtually any time of the day. The city is known as "the City of Wine and Poetry".
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 pageant|beauty queen]], and the next afternoon, the festival closes with arguably its most popular event: a parade of [[Float (parade)|floats]] held on the town's main avenue.
The other central aspect of the local culture is religious devotion. Zahlé is still a very Catholic and conservative town,{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}} and many of its inhabitants display a pride with their religious identity.
[[Elijah|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]].
== Climate ==
Zahlé has a [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Csa'') with continental influences.
{{Weather box
|width = auto
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| location = Zahlé
| Jan high C  =8.5
| Feb high C  =10.1
| Mar high C  =14.0
| Apr high C  =18.2
| May high C  =22.8
| Jun high C  =27.1
| Jul high C  =30.0
| Aug high C  =30.3
| Sep high C  =27.6
| Oct high C  =23.1
| Nov high C  =16.6
| Dec high C  =11.4
| Jan mean C  = 3.5
| Feb mean C  = 4.9
| Mar mean C  = 8.6
| Apr mean C  =12.7
| May mean C  =17.4
| Jun mean C  =21.3
| Jul mean C  =23.7
| Aug mean C  =23.7
| Sep mean C  =21.2
| Oct mean C  =17.1
| Nov mean C  =11.4
| Dec mean C  = 6.0
| Jan low C  =-1.4
| Feb low C  =-0.3
| Mar low C  = 2.7
| Apr low C  = 6.3
| May low C  =11.0
| Jun low C  =15.0
| Jul low C  =17.7
| Aug low C  =17.6
| Sep low C  =15.2
| Oct low C  =11.4
| Nov low C  = 5.2
| Dec low C  = 1.1
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm  =88
| Feb precipitation mm  =84
| Mar precipitation mm  =65
| Apr precipitation mm  =36
| May precipitation mm  =20
| Jun precipitation mm  =2
| Jul precipitation mm  =0
| Aug precipitation mm  =0
| Sep precipitation mm  =4
| Oct precipitation mm  =20
| Nov precipitation mm  =43
| Dec precipitation mm  =70
|Jan humidity =78
|Feb humidity =75
|Mar humidity =65
|Apr humidity=58
|May humidity=52
|Jun humidity=46
|Jul humidity=46
|Aug humidity=50
|Sep humidity=52
|Oct humidity=54
|Nov humidity=61
|Dec humidity=72
| source = <ref name="Climate-Data.org">{{cite web
|url = https://en.climate-data.org/location/47455/
|title = Climate: Zahlé
|publisher = Climate-Data.org
|access-date = August 25, 2018}}</ref>
}}
== People ==
* [[Shakira]], Colombian-Lebanese Singer
* [[Said Akl]], poet, philosopher and politician
* [[Fouad El Turk]], poet, former Lebanese ambassador to the [[United Nations]] and head of the Forum of Lebanese Ambassadors
* [[Charles Elachi]] (from nearby [[Riyaq]]), director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in NASA
* [[Elias Hrawi]], president of Lebanon 1989–1998
* [[Joseph Raya]], Melkite Greek Catholic archbishop and civil rights activist
* [[Louis Khalil]], Lebanese priest of the [[Maronite Church]]
* [[Najwa Karam]], Lebanese singer and actress
* [[Wael Kfoury]], Lebanese singer and actor
* [[Isabel Bayrakdarian]], Armenian-Canadian operatic soprano
* [[Karl Sharro]], Lebanese-Iraqi architect and writer based in London<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/02/11/karl-sharros-acid-tinged-satire-of-the-middle-east | title=Karl Sharro's Acid-Tinged Satire of the Middle East | magazine=[[The New Yorker]] | date=4 February 2019 }}</ref>
* [[Mário Zagallo]], Brazilian footballer and manager, is of Lebanese ancestry from Zahlé
==Twin towns – sister cities==
Zahlé is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Bordeaux]], France, since 2006<ref name="Bordeaux twinnings 2">{{cite web|url=http://www.cncd.fr/frontoffice/bdd-recherche-resultat.asp?searchField=bordeaux&x=36&y=14|title=Bordeaux-Atlas français de la coopération décentralisée et des autres actions extérieures |access-date=29 July 2013|work=Délégation pour l'Action Extérieure des Collectivités Territoriales (Ministère des Affaires étrangères)|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207152951/http://www.cncd.fr/frontoffice/bdd-recherche-resultat.asp?searchField=bordeaux&x=36&y=14|archive-date=7 February 2013}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
* [https://www.jstor.org/stable/4327124?seq=1&Search=yes&term=lebanon&term=zahle&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dzahle%2Blebanon%26wc%3Don%26acc%3Don&item=1&ttl=106&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=nullThe View From Zahle: Security And Economic Conditions In The Central Bekaa 1980-1985]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=qmYSAAAAYAAJ&q=ZahleZahleParliamentaryParliamentaryPapers&pg=RA1-PA161]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=mvE8V9Sw81kC&q=Zahle+Syria+attackSyria%27sTerroristWar&pg=PA57 on Lebanon and the Peace Process, "Bashir Gemeyel and Syria Fight Over Zahle"]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=rDMUXvVOTnMC&q=foundation+of+zahleLebanon%3AaHistoryof&pg=PA49 Conflict and Consensus, "Zahlé and Dayr Al-Qamar, two market towns during the civil war of the 1860s."]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=3FEsAAAAIAAJ&q=foundation+of+zahleTheCatholicEncyclopedia%2C&pg=PA745 "Zahlé and Forzol"]
* ''Dictionary of the Names of Towns and Villages in Lebanon'', Anis Freiha, 1976
* {{cite book |last=Hage Chahine |first=Carlos and Nevine |title=[[C'etait Zahle]] |publisher=Imprime au Liban |year=2008}}
* {{cite book |last=Maroun Hlal |first=Elize |title=[[Maths et Physiques: Réponses vites et incorrectes!]] |publisher=Imprime au Liban (CSJ) |year=2018}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Zahlé}}
* [http://www.middleeast.com/zahle.htm mideast.com/zahle]
* [http://www.lebanon.com/tourism/zahle.htm tourism]
{{Zahle District}}
{{Archaeological sites in Lebanon}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahle}}
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Lebanon]]
[[Category:Christian cities in Lebanon]]
[[Category:Melkite Christian communities in Lebanon]]
[[Category:Populated places in Zahlé District]]
[[Category:Tourism in Lebanon]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Lebanon]]