Districts and towns , the capital of the Beqaa Governorate
Zahle is the largest city and the administrative capital of the
Beqaa Governorate. It lies just north of the main
Beirut–
Damascus highway, which bisects the valley. The majority of Zahle's residents are
Lebanese Christian, the majority being
Melkite Greek Catholic,
Maronite Catholic, and
Greek Orthodox Christians. The town of
Anjar, situated in the eastern part of the valley, has a predominantly
Armenian Lebanese population and is famous for its 8th-century
Umayyad Arab ruins. Further east, the town of
Majdal Anjar has a
Sunni Muslim majority. The majority of the inhabitants of the northern districts of Beqaa,
Baalbek and
Hermel, are
Lebanese Shiites, with the exception of the town of
Deir el Ahmar, whose inhabitants are
Christians. The Baalbek and Hermel districts have a
Christian and
Sunni minority, mainly situated further north along the border with Syria. The western and southern districts of the valley also have a mixed population of
Muslims,
Christians, and
Druze. The town of
Joub Janine with a population of about 12,000, is situated midway in the valley, and its population is
Sunni. Joub Janine is the governmental center of the region known as Western Beqaa, with municipal services like the
serail, which is the main government building in the area,
emergency medical services (
Red Cross), a
fire department, and a
courthouse. Other towns in the Western Beqaa district are
Machghara, Sabghine,
Kamed al Lawz,
Qab Elias,
Sohmor,
Yohmor. The towns are all a mix of different Lebanese religious confessions.
Rachaiya al Wadi, east of the Western Beqaa district, is home to Lebanon's share of
Mount Hermon and borders Syria also. The district's capital, also Rachaiya al Wadi, not to be confused with
Rachaiya al Foukhar in South Lebanon, is famous for its old renovated souk and what is known as the castle of independence in which Lebanon's pre-independence leaders were held by French troops before being released in 1943. The southern section of the district is inhabited with Druze and Christian Lebanese, while the other northern section is mainly inhabited by Sunni Lebanese. Due to wars and the unstable economic and political conditions Lebanon faced in the past, with difficulties some farmers still face today, many previous inhabitants of the valley left for coastal cities in Lebanon or emigrated from the country altogether, with the majority residing in
North America,
South America or
Australia.
Climate The region receives limited rainfall, particularly in the north, because Mount Lebanon creates a
rain shadow that blocks precipitation coming from the sea. The northern section has an average annual rainfall of , compared to in the central valley. Nevertheless, two rivers originate in the valley: the
Orontes (Asi), which flows north into Syria and
Turkey, and the
Litani, which flows south and then west to the
Mediterranean Sea. The northern end of the valley, with its scarce rainfall and less fertile soils, is used primarily as grazing land by
pastoral nomads. Farther south, more fertile soils support crops of wheat,
maize,
cotton, and vegetables, with
vineyards and
orchards centered on
Zahlé. The valley also produces
hashish and cultivates
opium poppies, which are exported as part of the
illegal drug trade. == Landmarks ==