El Ain ( ar, العين), Al Ain, or Ain is a village at an elevation of on a foothill of the

Anti-Lebanon Mountains The Anti-Lebanon Mountains ( ar, جبال لبنان الشرقية, Jibāl Lubnān ash-Sharqiyyah, Eastern Mountains of Lebanon; Lebanese Arabic: , , "Eastern Mountains") are a southwest–northeast-trending mountain range that forms most of t ...

in the

Baalbek District Baalbek District ( ar, قضاء بعلبك) is an administrative district in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate of the Republic of Lebanon, having the city Baalbek as its capital. It is by far the largest district in the country comprising a total of ...

of the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate,

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

. It is famous for agriculture and trade, located on the highway connecting Syrian borders and the

Hermel Hermel ( ar, الهرمل) is a town in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon. It is the capital of Hermel District. Hermel is home to a Lebanese Red Cross First Aid Center. Hermel's inhabitants are predominantly Shia Muslims. There is an ancie ...

area with Chtaura and

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. Its name, Ain, refers to the old water source in it.

History

In 1838,

Eli Smith Eli Smith (born September 13, 1801, in Northford, Connecticut, to Eli and Polly (Whitney) Smith, and died January 11, 1857, in Beirut, Lebanon) was an American Protestant missionary and scholar. He graduated from Yale College in 1821 and from And ...

noted El Ain's population as being predominantly

Metawileh Lebanese Shia Muslims ( ar, المسلمون الشيعة اللبنانيين), historically known as ''matāwila'' ( ar, متاولة, plural of ''mutawālin'' ebanese pronounced as ''metouali'' refers to Lebanese people who are adherents ...

.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p
144
/ref>

Geography and Agriculture

The altitude of this village ranges from 900 to 1300 meters above sea level. The village is 125 km away from

situated between the towns of Labwe and Fakiha. Its economy is restricted to agriculture (figs, olives, apples, pomegranate, apricots, peach and grapes). Many source of water are distributed all around the village.

Weather Conditions

Winters in ElAin are cold and dry, with temperatures seldom reaching freezing point (-7° to -10°). On average, it snows three to five times per season. Summers are very hot and dry, with temperatures seldom reaching 40 °C. The average annual rainfall is 230 mm (9 in).

Notable people

* Ali Hussain Sibat

References

Sources

(Mapquest)
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Bibliography

External links

Localiban Populated places in Baalbek District {{lebanon-geo-stub Shia Muslim communities in Lebanon