Aaichiyeh ( ar, عيشية ) is a village in Jezzine District in Southern Lebanon. It is located 82 kilometers far from

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 ...

and on altitude of 750 meters, and is accessible by the roads of Nabatieh-Jezzine and Marjayoun-Jezzine. Its population is approximately 4000 people as of 2008.

Etymology

The name "aïchiye" (''العيشية )'' goes back to the word "live", which is the symbol of comfortable living and the surrounding pine trees and nature.

Religious sites

There are 2 churches in Aïchiye: Mar Antonios (مار انطونيوس) Church, and the Church of the Lady (السيدة العذراء). They were built prior to the Lebanese Civil war (1975-1990) and were both renovated at the conclusion of the conflict.

Agriculture and nature

Aichiyeh's soil is fertile, which makes its inhabitants dependent on raising livestock, bees, chickens, and growing olives and fruits such as grapes, peaches and apricots. The spring provides irrigation of cultivated lands. In the past, the villagers planted tobacco, a widespread crop at the time. Aïchiye is known for its abundance in oak and pine trees

History

Phoenician vases were found, indicating a previous

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

n settlement. The Aichiyeh massacre in 1976 inflicted by Palestinian militias killed many men and depopulated the village for the time being, until a portion of its residents came back to settle in their homes following the conflict. Today, Aichiyeh's people strongly support the lebanese armed forces with good and strong relations between them . During the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon the

IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...

had an army base in Aichiyeh. On 6 August 1994 two Israeli soldiers were killed by Hizbollah in Aichiyeh.Middle East International No 484, 6 August 1994, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Editor Michael Adams; August chronology p.14

References

External links

Aaychiyeh
Localiban

References

Populated places in the Israeli security zone 1985–2000 Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon Populated places in Jezzine District {{Lebanon-geo-stub