Bmahray (), is a village in the

Aley District Aley () is a district (''qadaa'') in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon, to the south-east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The capital is Aley. Aley city was previously known as the "bride of the summers" during the 1960 and 1970s, when Aley and neighbor ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. It lies 41 km south-East of

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

at an altitude of 1215m above sea level.

Demography

Bmahray's residents are

Maronite Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

and

Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...

communities. The 2010 municipal elections census counted 1018 registered voters, The village's religious buildings are Saint George Maronite church and a Druze

Khalwa Khalwa () – in Arabic – is to be alone with a thing, with it, or to it. It can also mean: * Khalwa (Sufism), a Sufism concept for solitude * Khalwa (structure), a place of seclusion * Khalwa (school), a Quranic school in Sudan * Khalwa, Madhya P ...

. Bmahray's main families are: * Bou Zakhem *Bou Malhab / Bou Malham * Al Abanni * Saab * Abou Chahine * Abou Ghanem * Moukamer * Daou * Jreidy * Nakhle * Rabah * Malkoun

Geography

Bmahray is located on the western face of

Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon (, ; , ; ) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It is about long and averages above in elevation, with its peak at . The range provides a typical alpine climate year-round. Mount Lebanon is well-known for its snow-covered mountains, ...

. According to the national local development resource Center (Localiban), the village has a total municipal area of .

Archaeology

Bmahray contains the remains of Roman monuments and rock sarcophagi.

Economy

Bmahray has no schools, no hospitals or medical institutions and no institutions counting more than 5 employees. Before the

Lebanese civil war The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

, the main source of income for the villagers was horticulture, especially apples; the lack of water for irrigation failed attempts to revitalize this economic activity.

Government and politics

Some residents are affiliated with March 14 Movement with others affiliated to the

Free Patriotic Movement The Free Patriotic Movement (, ) is a Lebanese political party. Founded by Michel Aoun in 1994, the party is currently led by Aoun's son-in-law Gebran Bassil since 2015. History Background For many years, while Michel Aoun was and exiled i ...

, and the

Progressive Socialist Party The Progressive Socialist Party () is a Lebanese political party. Its confessional base is in the Druze sect and its regional base is in Mount Lebanon Governorate, especially the Chouf District. Founded by Kamal Jumblatt in 1949, the party ...

. The mayor is Joseph Malkoun since 1998.

Environment

Bmahray was one of the first villages to become part of the Shouf Cedar Biosphere Reserve. It has one million square meters of cedar trees, as well as at least three million square meters of pine trees.

References

External links

*
Bmahray
Localiban {{Aley District Populated places in Aley District Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon Druze communities in Lebanon Melkite Christian communities in Lebanon