Iaal, Lebanon
Encyclopedia
Iaal is an ancient village
located approximately 12 km south-east of Tripoli
, 85 km from Beirut
and 5 km from Zgharta
. It is located within the Zgharta District
of the North Governorate
of Lebanon
. Iaal lies at the foot of the Mount Lebanon
range and has a road that runs up into the mountains passing through its borders. The most identifiable building in Iaal is the castle/fort built on the hilltop of the village centre. The Fortress of Iaal
was built in 1816 by Mustafa Agha Barbar
(the governor of Tripoli under the Ottomans from 1798) because the area was considered strategic thanks to its panoramic views, which extend all the way down to the Mediterranean coast. The other identifiable building in Iaal is the mosque
along the road that runs up into the mountains, called "Masjid al-Taqwa
" (Arabic for "Mosque of Piety"), built in 1994. There is a second mosque located within the confines of the castle; the 2 mosques being a testament to the villagers’ strong adherence to Sunni Islam
.
The land of Iaal is fertile (sustaining a variety of produce and grazing animals) and has resulted in making the town famous for its olive tree
gardens.
; primarily Sydney
, in the Local Government Areas of the Municipality of Kogarah
(where they own and run a mosque in the suburb
of South Hurstville
) and the City of Liverpool. Most people from Iaal (at the time) also immigrated to Latin America
during the late 19th and early 20th century. However, these immigrants fully assimilated into their new environments and lost all connections with their homeland.
Some common surnames of people from Iaal include: Affouf, Al-Choukairy, Al-Hage, Ardati, Ayyoub, Dennaoui, Diab, Dib, Elmir, Hadid, Halbouni, Hammoud, Hussein, Issa, Khidr, Merhi, Nasser, Subkhi, Taleb.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
located approximately 12 km south-east of Tripoli
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
, 85 km from Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
and 5 km from Zgharta
Zgharta
Zgharta, or Zghorta is a large town in North Lebanon, with an estimated population of around 70,000.Zgharta is about 150 metres above sea level and lies between the rivers of Jouit and Rashein...
. It is located within the Zgharta District
Zgharta District
Zgharta District is a district of the North Governorate, Lebanon.The administrative center is the town of Zgharta. The district has 57 populated areas with 30 municipalities covering 37 villages. Some areas share the same municipality such as Ehden/Zgharta, Kfarsghab/Morh Kfarsghab or...
of the North Governorate
North Governorate
North Governorate is one of the governorates of Lebanon. Its capital is Tripoli.-Districts:The North Governorate is divided into districts, or aqdya...
of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. Iaal lies at the foot of the Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon , as a geographic designation, is a Lebanese mountain range, averaging above 2,200 meters in height and receiving a substantial amount of precipitation, including snow, which averages around four meters deep. It extends across the whole country along about , parallel to the...
range and has a road that runs up into the mountains passing through its borders. The most identifiable building in Iaal is the castle/fort built on the hilltop of the village centre. The Fortress of Iaal
Iaal Fortress
Iaal Fortress is a huge defensive castle located in Iaal in the Zgharta District of the North Governorate of Lebanon. Built in 1816 by the Ottoman Governor of Tripoli Mustafa Agha Barbar, it sits on a high hill overlooking a wide panoramic view. Barbar was appointed Governor of Tripoli by the...
was built in 1816 by Mustafa Agha Barbar
Mustafa Agha Barbar
Mustafa Agha Barbar was a governor of the Ottoman provinces of Tripoli, Lebanon and Latakia, Syria for the Ottomans. He ruled between 1800–08, 1810–20 and 1821-35.-Name:...
(the governor of Tripoli under the Ottomans from 1798) because the area was considered strategic thanks to its panoramic views, which extend all the way down to the Mediterranean coast. The other identifiable building in Iaal is the mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
along the road that runs up into the mountains, called "Masjid al-Taqwa
Taqwa
Taqwá is the Islamic concept of the fear of God.-Etymology:The term taqwá comes from the Arabic root W-Q-Y from the 8th stem verb, ittaqá "be wary, Godfearing."...
" (Arabic for "Mosque of Piety"), built in 1994. There is a second mosque located within the confines of the castle; the 2 mosques being a testament to the villagers’ strong adherence to Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
.
The land of Iaal is fertile (sustaining a variety of produce and grazing animals) and has resulted in making the town famous for its olive tree
Olive Tree
The Olive Tree was a denomination used for several successive centre-left Italian political coalitions from 1995 to 2007.The historical leader and ideologue of these coalitions was Romano Prodi, Professor of Economics and former leftist Christian Democrat, who invented the name and the symbol of...
gardens.
History
It appears Iaal was inhabited prior to the arrival of Barbar, as evidenced by a census conducted by the Ottoman’s in 1555. It shows that there were 34 males in the village at that time (females were excluded from the census). However, who these villagers were and where they originated from is unknown. What can be presumably safely deduced is that the modern descendants from Iaal are a product of both Barbar and those serving him, and those who were counted in the 1555 census. Based upon this census alone, there should be more than the few thousand people claiming an origin from Iaal today- i.e. if the population was able to grow without interference of unnatural deaths (e.g. killings) and/or significant migration and subsequent loss of identity.Climate
Iaal’s climate is typical of a Mediterranean plain village - with heavy rains, mild winters and hot, dry, arid summers. Its annual rainfall is 810mm. It has the following average temperatures for each month of the year:People
Its inhabitants are entirely Sunni Muslims and number above 1000 people (although precise figures are unattainable). They are also all related to one another through the relations of common ancestors. The majority of people who trace their ancestry to the village actually live outside of Iaal. The overwhelming majority of these immigrants and their descendants live in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
; primarily Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, in the Local Government Areas of the Municipality of Kogarah
Municipality of Kogarah
The Municipality of Kogarah is a Local Government Area in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The centre of the municipality is located 14km SSW of the Sydney central business district and west of Botany Bay....
(where they own and run a mosque in the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of South Hurstville
South Hurstville, New South Wales
South Hurstville is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. South Hurstville is located 18 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. South Hurstville is in the local government area of the Municipality of Kogarah...
) and the City of Liverpool. Most people from Iaal (at the time) also immigrated to Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
during the late 19th and early 20th century. However, these immigrants fully assimilated into their new environments and lost all connections with their homeland.
Some common surnames of people from Iaal include: Affouf, Al-Choukairy, Al-Hage, Ardati, Ayyoub, Dennaoui, Diab, Dib, Elmir, Hadid, Halbouni, Hammoud, Hussein, Issa, Khidr, Merhi, Nasser, Subkhi, Taleb.
Notable people
Some notable people born in or descending from Iaal include:- Abdallah Elmir- one of the Board of Directors and the General Coordinator of the Future Movement of Australia (FMA).
- Ahmad Elmir- Iaal Municipal Council Mayor, elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2010.
- Sam Elmir- current councillor in the East Ward of the Kogarah Municipal Council, elected in 2008.
- Ammar Nasser- President of Iaal Charitable Association Inc. (ICAI).
- Khoder Nasser- manager of sporting superstars Anthony MundineAnthony MundineAnthony Mundine is an Australian professional boxer and former rugby league footballer.He is the current interim WBA Light Middleweight Champion boxer, former two-time WBA Super Middleweight Champion, former IBO Middleweight Champion and New South Wales State of Origin representative footballer....
, Sonny Bill WilliamsSonny Bill WilliamsSonny William 'Sonny Bill' Williams is a New Zealand rugby union player and former rugby league player. He is only the second person to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for the country in rugby league. In rugby union he usually plays as a centre...
, Cory PatersonCory PatersonCory Paterson is an Australian professional rugby league player. He currently plays for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League . He previously played 77 NRL matches for the Newcastle Knights...
and Quade CooperQuade CooperQuade S. Cooper is a New Zealand born Australian rugby union player.He currently plays for the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby competition and the Australia national rugby union team, generally as fly-half.-Career:...
. - Yasser Nasser- former president of the Australian Federation of Islamic CouncilsAustralian Federation of Islamic CouncilsThe Australian Federation of Islamic Councils was founded in 1964 as an umbrella group for various Islamic groups or councils, and is considered Australia's most important Islamic organisation. The mission of AFIC is to provide service to the community in a manner that is in accordance with the...
(AFIC).
Trivia
- Politically, the villagers of Iaal are mostly aligned with the Future Movement.
- Neighbouring and nearby communities to Iaal include JdaydehJdaydehJdaydeh is a village in Zgharta District, in the Northern Governorate of Lebanon. Its population is Maronite Catholic....
, KfaryachitKfaryachitKfaryachit is a village located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. Its population is Maronite Catholic....
, KhaldiehKhaldiehKhaldieh is a village in Zgharta District, in the Northern Governorate of Lebanon. Its population is Maronite Catholic....
, Morh KfarsghabMorh KfarsghabMorh Kfarsghab is a village located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon....
and SakhraMiziaraMiziara is a village located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. The village is home to the Marian shrine, Our Lady of Miziara, Mother of Mercies....
. - Iaal is the southernmost Sunni Muslim settlement in the entire North Governorate of Lebanon.
External links
- Iaal's geographical details
- Current Iaal weather forecast
- General Iaal details
- Iaal Charitable Association Inc. (ICAI): Serving the greater Iaal community from Australia in the name of God, est. 1963.