Bar Elias
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Bar Elias بر الياس |
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|---|---|
 Bar Elias
|
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| Coordinates: 33°50′N 35°55′E / 33.833°N 35.917°ECoordinates: 33°50′N 35°55′E / 33.833°N 35.917°E | |
| Country |
 Lebanon
|
| Governorate | Bekaa Governorate |
| District | Zahlé District |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mawas Araji |
| Area | |
| • City | 7 km2 (3 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 35 km2 (14 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • City | 40 000 |
| • Metro | 75 000 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 (UTC) |
Barelias, or Bar Elias (Arabic: برالياس; also transliterated Bar Ilyas), is a town located in the Zahlé District, Bekaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 60,000 inhabitants (mostly Sunni Muslims) it is the second largest town, after Zahlé, in the Zahlé District. Bar Elias is a village of the Bekaa Valley, the center of Bekaa. It is known widely by its transit passes, as it is halfway 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, Bar Elias has good neighborly relations with the rest of the towns and villages in the province. Easily accessible from all directions and in the center of the Bekaa Valley, Bar Elias is an open gate to all guests and visitors.
Bar Elias is 900 m above sea level, at a distance of 51 km from Beirut via Damascus-Chtoura. It is spread over both sides of the international line between Beirut and Damascus over the exterior 4 km. A lovely green plain extends across distances up to Anjar to the east, Zahlé to the west, Kafr Zabad and Addalhamiah to the north, and Almarj to the south.
It consists of a vast land area of about 35000 dunums (3500 hectares), of which about 7000 dunums is residential and the rest agricultural.
The town is situated 52 km (32.31 mi) to the east of the Lebanese capital Beirut. It is possible to drive a car from Bar Elias to Beirut in 60 to 75 minutes, depending on traffic volume.
Bar Elias is located in the East of Lebanon. Its weather is known for its dryness. It rarely rains in Bar Elias in the summer, there is indeed a lack of humidity. The summers are very warm, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius. The winters are rather cold, also characterized by heavy snows. The rivers "Litani and Ghzayil" flow just around the outskirts of the town.
Bar Elias' population has steadily grown since its founding. 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 7-10,000 people. The population continued to grow throughout the twentieth century. Today, Bar Elias is home to about 60-80,000 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 Zahlé province, where Bar Elias is located in, has a Christian majority. Unlike the Christians in Zahlé 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 with Zahlé and the Phalanges... a reputation well known in the Bekaa to date.
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Wikipedia