Bcheale

Bsheale

بشعله
Bsheale بشعله
Village
	Bsheale Location within Lebanon
	Coordinates: 34°12′13″N 35°49′25″E / 34.20361°N 35.82361°E
Country	Lebanon
Governorate	North Governorate
District	Batroun District
Elevation	1,311 m (4,301 ft)
Population (2020)
• Total	2,800 registered voters 1,800 residents
Time zone	UTC 2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC 3 (EEST)
Dialing code	9616715
Website	www.bchaaleh.com

Bchaaleh (alternatively spelled Bcheale, Bchealeh or Bshaaleh) is a village in the Batroun District of the North Governorate in Lebanon.^[1]^[2]

It had 1,456 eligible voters in the 2009 elections, and the residents mainly belonged to the Maronite Church.^[3] The village is notable for being home for the Sisters Olive Trees of Noah, twelve olive trees believed to be among the world's oldest.^[4]

Geography

The village of Bchaaleh stands on a promontory, with views of the sea and across Douma. It is home to traditional houses and to Saint Stephan church, one of the largest in the region of Batroun. To the north-east of the village, a citadel is built on the ruins of a medieval fortress, erected itself on Phoenicians ruins destroyed by the Romans.^[5]

Centennial olive trees

Commemorative plaque given to the village of Bchaaleh on the occasion of the dating of the village's olive trees in 1999

Twelve olive trees still live in the village of Bchaaleh, at more than 1200m above sea level. It is said that they are the oldest olive trees in the world.^[6] Different studies and research present data on the age of the Sisters Olive Trees of Noah in Bchaaleh. Some claim they are "between five and seven thousand years old".^[7]

Etymology

Syriac origin, "Beit Chaali", meaning "the place of glorification and adoration".

Solar power

In 2017 Bchaaleh installed a solar farm, and managed to avoid the worst effects of the 2021 Lebanese blackout.^[8]

References

^ Stefan Wild (1973). Libanesische Ortsnamen. Franz Steiner Verlag. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
^ Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft. Orient-Institut (1967). Beiruter Texte und Studien. F. Steiner in Kommission. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
^ "Municipal and ikhtiyariah elections in Northern Lebanon" (PDF). The Monthly. March 2010. pp. 18, 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
^ Kornei, Katherine (9 March 2024). "These May Be the Oldest Olive Trees in the World". The New York Times.
^ "Bchaaleh | Les Plus Beaux Villages du Liban". Retrieved 3 December 2020.
^ Kornei, Katherine (9 March 2024). "These May Be the Oldest Olive Trees in the World". The New York Times.
^ Bechealeh's ancient trees still producing high-end olive oil, article in The Daily Star (Lebanon)
^ Lebanon crisis: How one village keeps the lights on thanks to solar power by Elizabeth Fitt, 30 October 2021, Middle East Eye

External links

[Wild1973-1] Stefan Wild (1973). Libanesische Ortsnamen. Franz Steiner Verlag. Retrieved 8 September 2012.

[Orient-Institut1967-2] Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft. Orient-Institut (1967). Beiruter Texte und Studien. F. Steiner in Kommission. Retrieved 8 September 2012.

[muni-3] "Municipal and ikhtiyariah elections in Northern Lebanon" (PDF). The Monthly. March 2010. pp. 18, 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2021.

[4] Kornei, Katherine (9 March 2024). "These May Be the Oldest Olive Trees in the World". The New York Times.

[5] "Bchaaleh | Les Plus Beaux Villages du Liban". Retrieved 3 December 2020.

[6] Kornei, Katherine (9 March 2024). "These May Be the Oldest Olive Trees in the World". The New York Times.

[7] Bechealeh's ancient trees still producing high-end olive oil, article in The Daily Star (Lebanon)

[8] Lebanon crisis: How one village keeps the lights on thanks to solar power by Elizabeth Fitt, 30 October 2021, Middle East Eye

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