Ain Dara (), is a village about from

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 ...

, in the governorate 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, ...

, 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 ...

. Ain Dara Municipality has an area of , with a population of approximately 8000 persons (1700 emigrants). It had 3,874 registered voters in 2010. Originally a Druze village, Ain Dara today is a mixed Druze and Christian village, with a Christian majority, as per the recent registered voters. Ain Dara is located on a southward facing slope overlooking the pine forests of the Safa valley with an average altitude of above sea level. It is close to Mount

Barouk Barouk () is a village in the Chouf District of Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon. Barouk is located 52 kilometers southeast of Beirut. Its average elevation is 1000 to 1200 meters above sea level and its total land area consists of 2,762 hecta ...

, which is famous for its

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

forest. Its altitude gives it cool summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. Some well-known places surrounding Ain Dara are

Hammana Hammana () is a town in Lebanon, about 26 km (16 miles) east of Beirut. At an altitude of 1200 m (about 4000 ft) above sea level, Hammana is in the Mount Lebanon Governorate in the district (or Caza) of Baabda. Hammana is bordered by th ...

and Mdeirej to the north, Aghmeed and

Bmahray Bmahray (), is a village in the Aley District in Lebanon. It lies 41 km south-East of Beirut at an altitude of 1215m above sea level. Demography Bmahray's residents are Maronite, Druze and Greek Catholic communities. The 2010 municipal electi ...

to the south, Dahr-el-Baydar to the east and Saoufar to the west. Ain Dara is known for the famous

Battle of Ain Dara The Battle of Ain Dara occurred in the village of Ain Dara, in Mount Lebanon in 1711, between the Qaysi and Yamani, two rival tribo-political factions. The Qays were led by Emir Haydar of the Shihab dynasty and consisted of the Druze clans of ...

that took place in 1711 between the two major parties of the time; the Qaysis and the Yemenis, resulting in a total Qaysi victory under the leadership of Emir Haidar Chehab; a victory that decisively established the Chehabi rule for the next 150 years. On May 27th, 1860, a group of 3000 Maronites decided to attack the Druze in the Druze heartland. On their way, they fought a group of 600 Druze forces in Ain Dara. The Christians lost and the Druze came out with a significant and decisive victory. Later on, on July the 2nd, the Druze attacked Zahle, the last Christian stronghold (they had attacked other Christian villages after their victory at Ain Dara). They defeated the Christians in Zahle, taking control of Mount Lebanon. When news of the fall of Zahle reached Damascus, the Damascenes celebrated “as if the empire had conquered Russia” Source: the Arabs, a history by Eugene Rogan, page 94-5

Places of worship

* Druze Khalwat: Khalwat Zeitouni, Atallah Ain Dara also contains five churches : * Saint George (gerges) Maronite Church (The oldest church in the village 1890 AD) * Saint Mary (al saydeh) Maronite Church * Saint George (gawergios) Orthodox Church, Father Ghassan Haddad. * Saint Elie (elias) Orthodox Church, Father Ghassan Haddad * Church of the Assumption, Orthodox Church, Father Ghassan Haddad * Aindara Evangelical Baptist Church.

Nature and cultural attractions

Natural and Cultural Attractions are: * El-Okeili Historical Square * Ancient Churches: Mar Gerges - Maronite Church, Mar Gerges Orthodox Church * Druze hermitage site: Makam Shaykh Badereddin El Enderi (The first Shaykh Akl of the Druze) * Qoubat Al-Sitt * Ancient village of Tayroush * Natural water sources: Ain Barakeh, Ain Al Tarcha, Ain Majed, Ain Al-Kakbi, Ain Al-Tamam, Hafr Al Tannour, Bahsasa, Ain Al Bustan, Ain Al Hammam, Ain Al Wosta * Al Dayaa Grottos * Pine Forest

Families

Families of Ain Dara include: Atallah, Bader, Bou Faissal, Faisal, Haddad, Haidamous, Wehbeh, Yammine, Zakharia, Zeitouni

Additional information

Ain Dara has 3 schools: - 1 public and 2 private. There are no hospitals in Ain Dara.

References

External links

Ain Dara
localiban {{Aley District Populated places in Aley District Druze communities in Lebanon Eastern Orthodox Christian communities in Lebanon Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon