Iaal ( ar, ايعال, also spelt as Ī`āl, Iäal, Izal or I’aal) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in northern Lebanon.

Etymology

The name ''Iaal'' is derived from the sound

donkeys The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...

make when braying. This was chosen in honour of the preeminent role donkeys played in logistics connecting the coastal and mountain regions through Iaal. The village's alternative name, ''Izal'', has its origin in

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

Location

Iaal is located approximately south-east of

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

, 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 from

Zgharta Zgharta ( ar, زغرتا, syc, ܙܓܪܬܐ), also spelled Zghorta, is a city in North Lebanon, with an estimated population of around 50,000. It is the second biggest city in Northern Lebanon after Tripoli. Zgharta is about 150 metres above sea ...

. It is situated within the

Zgharta District Zgharta District ( ar, زغرتا) is a district (''qadaa'') of the North Governorate, northern Lebanon. Its capital is the city of Zgharta. Geography The administrative center is the city of Zgharta. The district has 101 populated areas with 30 ...

of the North Governorate 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 li ...

. Iaal lies at the foot of the

Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon ( ar, جَبَل لُبْنَان, ''jabal lubnān'', ; syr, ܛܘܪ ܠܒ݂ܢܢ, ', , ''ṭūr lewnōn'' french: Mont Liban) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It averages above in elevation, with its peak at . Geography The Mount Le ...

range and has a road that runs up into the mountains (parallel to

Wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...

Iaal) passing through its borders. Neighbouring and nearby communities include Jdaydeh, Kfaryachit, Khaldieh,

Morh Kfarsghab Morh Kfarsghab ( known also as Morh Kfar Sghab, Murh Kafarsghab or Mrah Kfarseghab; ar, مرح كفرصغاب, pronounced ) is a village located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. Murh Kfarsghab is the winter dwelling ...

and Sakhra. Iaal is one of five predominantly Sunni towns in the Zgharta District.

Buildings

The most identifiable building in Iaal is the castle/fort built on the hilltop of the village centre: the Fortress of Iaal It was built in 1816 by

Mustafa Agha Barbar Mustafa Agha Barbar El Korek (1767 – 28 April 1835) was an Ottoman Syrian statesman and military officer who was governor of the Ottoman province of Tripoli, ruling between 1800–08, 1810–20 and 1821-35. Name The middle word in his name, A ...

(the Ottoman governor of Tripoli from 1798) because the area was considered strategic thanks to its panoramic views, which extend all the way down to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

coast. The other identifiable building in Iaal is the

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

along the road that runs up into the mountains called Masjid al-Taqwa (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

for ''Mosque of

Piety Piety is a virtue which may include religious devotion or spirituality. A common element in most conceptions of piety is a duty of respect. In a religious context piety may be expressed through pious activities or devotions, which may vary among ...

''), built in 1994.

History

It appears that Iaal was inhabited prior to the arrival of Barbar, as evidenced by a census conducted by the Ottomans in 1555 showing 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 Barbar, those serving him and those who were counted in the 1555 census. Based upon the 1555 census alone, there should be more than the few thousand people currently claiming an origin from Iaal, i.e. if the population was able to grow without the interference of many unnatural deaths (e.g. killings) and/or significant migration and subsequent loss of identity.

Agriculture

The land of Iaal is watered by Iaal Dam and its outflow of Wadi Iaal. This makes it fertile, sustaining a variety of produce and grazing animals, and has resulted in making Iaal famous for its

olive tree The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' 'M ...

gardens.

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 . Its average monthly temperatures are shown below:

People

Its inhabitants number about 1,000 people (although precise figures are unattainable). In 1988 Iaal had a total population of 903, and in 1998 its population increased by almost 20% to 1,082 people. However, these figures relate to all registered citizens originating from the village, including both residents in Lebanon and those who emigrated abroad. The people of Iaal are also all related to one another through 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

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, primarily

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, in the

local government areas A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The phrase i ...

of the

Municipality of Kogarah The City of Kogarah was a local government area in the St George region of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The centre of the city is located south-west of the Sydney central business district and west of Botany Bay. ...

(especially the

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

of South Hurstville) and the City of Liverpool. This diaspora community also runs the Iaal Charitable Association Inc. During the late 19th and early 20th century, most people from Iaal (at the time) emigrated to

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

; however, these emigrants 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, Habib, Hadid, Halbouni, Hammoud, Hussein, Ibrahim, Issa, Jameel, Khidr, Mahrees, Merhi, Nasreddine, Nasser, Shehaddy, Subkhi and 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 The Future Movement ( ar, تيار المستقبل) is a Lebanese political party affiliated with the Sunni sect. The party was founded as a coalition in 1995 led by Rafic Hariri but was officially founded in 2007. The party is led by Saad Harir ...

of Australia (FMA). (Politically, the villagers of Iaal are mostly aligned with the

in Lebanon.) *Ahmad Elmir - Iaal Municipal Council Mayor (2004–2016). *

Bianca Elmir Bianca "Bam Bam" Elmir (born 24 July 1982) is an Australian Boxing, boxer from Canberra, ACT. She has been the Australian Flyweight Champion and the Oceania Boxing Bantamweight Champion. Since starting to box in 2009, Elmir has aimed for one th ...

(daughter of Ahmad) - Australian boxer *Sam Elmir (son of Abdallah) - councillor in the East Ward of the Kogarah Municipal Council (2008–2012), councillor in the Blakehurst Ward of the

Georges River Council Georges River Council is a local government area located in the St George region of Sydney located south of the CBD, in New South Wales, Australia. The Council was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of the Kogarah City Council and Hurstvi ...

(2017–), Georges River Council Deputy Mayor. * Rahma el-Dennaoui - Australian girl who went missing in 2005 *Mohamed Hage - Australian Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry NSW chairman. *

Khoder Nasser Khoder Nasser is an Australian sports agent and boxing promoter who currently represents Sonny Bill Williams and Quade Cooper.

(son of Yasser) - sports manager. *Yasser Nasser - former President of the

Australian Federation of Islamic Councils The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), founded in 1964 as Australian Federation of Islamic Societies (AFIS) and also known as Muslims Australia, is a not-for-profit umbrella organisation to represent Sunni Muslims across Australi ...

(AFIC).

References

External links

* *
General Iaal details
zgharta.com.
Iaal Charitable Association Inc. (ICAI)
Serving the greater Iaal community from Australia in the name of God, est. 1963.
Ehden Family Tree
{{Authority control Sunni Muslim communities in Lebanon Populated places in the North Governorate Zgharta District