Ain Baal ( ar, عين بعال) is a
Lebanese village located in the
Caza of
Tyre in the
South Governorate
South Governorate ( ar, الجنوب; transliterated: al-Janub) is one of the governorates of Lebanon. South Lebanon has a population of 500,000 inhabitants and an area of 929.6 km2. The capital is Sidon. The lowest elevation is sea-level ...
of
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 ...
. The municipality is member of Federation of Tyr (Sour) District Municipalities.
Origin of name
E. H. Palmer wrote that the name means "Elevated land on which no water falls" or "unwatered vegetation". He further added that "The word may be connected with the name
Baal
Baal (), or Baal,; phn, , baʿl; hbo, , baʿal, ). ( ''baʿal'') was a title and honorific meaning "owner", "lord" in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity. From its use among people, it came to be applied t ...
."
History
In 1875
Victor Guérin
Victor Guérin (15 September 1821 – 21 Septembe 1890) was a French intellectual, explorer and amateur archaeologist. He published books describing the geography, archeology and history of the areas he explored, which included Greece, Asia Min ...
found it had 200 Shia inhabitants.
In 1881, the
PEF's
''Survey of Western Palestine'' (SWP) described it as: "A stone-built village, containing 200
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 ...
, built in a valley ; the ground is arable, with groves of figs and olives planted round the village. The water supply is from the spring of 'Ain Ib'al,
.just north of the village there are also some
cistern
A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by ...
s.
They further noted that the village had "A perennial spring north of village; good supply of water."
On 28 July 1979
MK Uri Avneri
Uri Avnery ( he, אורי אבנרי, also transliterated Uri Avneri; 10 September 1923 – 20 August 2018) was an Israeli writer, politician, and founder of the Gush Shalom peace movement. A member of the Irgun as a teenager, Avnery sat for two ...
read a statement in
Knesset
The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (wit ...
, avoiding Israeli censorship laws, in which he recounted the case of Lieutenant Daniel Pinto who had been convicted of the murder of four villagers from Ain Baal. The incident took place in April 1978, during
Operation Litani
The 1978 South Lebanon conflict (codenamed Operation Litani by Israel) began after Israel invaded southern Lebanon up to the Litani River in March 1978, in response to the Coastal Road massacre near Tel Aviv by Lebanon-based Palestinian ...
. It had been revealed in court that he had tortured each of the victims before strangling them. He was sentenced to twenty years in prison. In September 1979 his prison sentence had been reduced to two years by Minister of Defence
Raphael Eitan.
[Middle East International No 109, 28 September 1979; p.15]
About Ain Baal
Ain Baal borders Tyre, Batolay, Bazooreye and Hanaway. Ain Baal is famous for the Sarcophagus of King
Hiram I
Hiram I ( Phoenician: 𐤇𐤓𐤌 ''Ḥirōm'' "my brother is exalted"; Hebrew: ''Ḥīrām'', Modern Arabic: حيرام, also called ''Hirom'' or ''Huram'')
was the Phoenician king of Tyre according to the Hebrew Bible. His regnal years have b ...
, King of Tyre, which is located on the borders with Hanaway. The influence of the sarcophagus King Hiram I on this village is very obvious, where you can find schools, convenience stores, barbershops and restaurants named after the king such as the Hiram Elementary School of Ain Baal. Ain Baal is also the home village of the famous Lebanese football midfielder
Roda Antar
Roda Abdelhassan Antar ( ar, رضا عبد الحسن عنتر; born 12 September 1980) is a Lebanese professional football manager and former player. Formerly captain of Lebanon, Antar scored 20 goals for his country as a midfielder.
Antar sta ...
.
References
Bibliography
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*
*
External links
*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 1
IAAWikimedia commons
Localiban
{{Tyre District
Populated places in the Israeli security zone 1985–2000
Populated places in Tyre District
Shia Muslim communities in Lebanon