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The Story of Bchaaleh
Nine centuries of written history, and far older roots: the tale of a mountain village that never forgot where it came from.
A lofty and revered place
Bchaaleh, also written Bchaali or Bchaala, carries a name of Aramaic-Syriac origin. One reading gives "the high, great and lofty place"; another, from Beit Chaali, gives "the place of glorification and adoration". Some have linked it to Canaanite roots meaning "house of God", and a few to the Arabic word for a flame.
What is certain is that the name is much older than the Arab conquest: the Crusaders already knew the village as Bet Zaal.
On the western slope of Mount Lebanon
Bchaaleh lies on the western slopes of the Mount Lebanon range, in the highlands of the Batroun District, North Lebanon. Its land covers about 40 km² and borders Douma, Nahla, Assia, Racha, Hadtoun and Tartej.
The village sits on a plateau that falls from east to west by some 500 metres before opening out to the north and south. The centre stands at about 1,250 m; the Saleeb summit park reaches about 1,370 m, and the highest point about 1,430 m. From here the view runs down the valleys to the Mediterranean.
Nine centuries in a few moments
Under the Crusaders, Bet Zaal belongs to the Lordship of Batroun, part of the County of Tripoli.
The Ottomans enter Lebanon. Bchaaleh becomes one of the villages of the Batroun district under Tripoli.
Abou Rizk al-Bchaalani rises to great influence as steward to the governor of Tripoli, before falling victim to court jealousy in 1654.
His son Younes is seized by the governor and dies a martyr rather than renounce his faith.
Tannous el-Chidiac, sheikh of Bchaaleh, fights bravely in the Lehfed popular uprising against unjust taxes.
Youssef Bey Karam, the hero of Lebanon, takes refuge at Mar Yaacoub near the Hosn and calls Bchaaleh "little Ehden".
The villagers finish rebuilding St Stephen's church, passing its stones from hand to hand.
Emigrants from Bchaaleh found the Bchaalany Society in Los Angeles, California.
The Sports and Cultural Club of Bchaaleh is founded.
Olives, silk and grapes
For centuries Bchaaleh lived from its land. Olives and silk were its main wealth, and every September hundreds of tonnes of its grapes travelled down to the markets of Tripoli on the backs of mules.
The village was also a cradle of faith and learning. In 1625 a young man named Habib from Bchaaleh was among the first Lebanese students sent to the Maronite College in Rome, and the village later gave the Church bishops Gerges and Youhanna Habkouk and many priests, poets and teachers.
NextOlive Trees of NoahBehind him stood three strongholds: his own courage, Bchaaleh, and its fortress.Said of Youssef Bey Karam during his stay near the Hosn, 1866