Ainata
| Ainata عيناتا | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
  Ainata Location within Lebanon | |
| Coordinates: 34°11′13″N 36°04′52″E / 34.187°N 36.081°ECoordinates: 34°11′13″N 36°04′52″E / 34.187°N 36.081°E | |
| Country |
 Lebanon |
| Governorate | Baalbek-Hermel |
| District | Baalbek |
| Elevation | 1,620 m (5,310 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 1,640 m (5,380 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 1,600 m (5,200 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 3,000+ |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Dialing code | +961 |
Ainata, or sometimes known as Ainata-Al Ariz (Arabic:عيناتا الأرز) is a Lebanese village, 108 km from Beirut, located in Northern Lebanon, between the Bsharri District and the Baalbek District. Officially, Ainata is considered a village of the Baalbek District, but its inhabitants consider and prefer the village to be of the Bsharri District, mostly because its name "Ainata-Al Ariz" means "Ainata-The Cedars", in reference to the Cedars of God near Bsharri since most of the descendents are originally from Bsharri. Ainata rises 1620 meters above sea level and is sometimes considered as the highest Lebanese populated village (Although some books state that Bekaa Kafra is the highest).
Etymology
The origin of the word Ainata is Syriac and means "The eyes of water". The Most notable Family in Ainata is Rahme, where basically 99% of the inhabitants carry the same surname, having some exceptions that came and settled in the village decades ago such as : Taok and Lahoud. It is also known for its strong rough accent
Religion
100% are Christians. The Village's Church is named after the Saints Sarkis and Bakhos. Apart from having the biggest church in the Baalbek District, Ainata also has several Capella around the village. People there practice their fate rather seriously ,where you could see hundreds of people travelling to Ainata to take part in the Christmas and Easter Celebrations.
Lands
Due to harsh winter, 90% of the population live at the coast during that time. However they maintain a great pride of where they come from as Lands and homes are descended from generations to generations. Some Lands have been divided in a way that is called 3EREF in Lebanon where no official papers were signed or made, just a gentlemen's agreement. These agreements are probably hundreds of years old, and are passed by to the younger generations and are always respected and held. The Lands are mostly kept in the Rahme Family where usually the women waiving their right of inheritance to the men , if possible, in order to keep the lands in the family as women might marry someone with another surname. Due to Ainata being rich in water , its Lands are mostly fertile , hence why it is well known to produce one of the best qualities in the region when it comes to Apples and Grapes for wine yearly. However, due to the economical problems in Egypt and the Syrian war nearby, the effect on the farmers have been devastating.
During the civil war, Ainata was also known to grow Weed but has since shifted to apples,grapes ,cherries and many different sorts
Location
Ainata is located at the bottom of Mount Makmel, to the Eastern side, facing the Baalbek District, and it is almost exactly between the Bsharri district and the Baalbek District, but officially it belongs to the Baalbek District. On the west of Ainata rises a part Mount Makmel, which is between Ainata and the villages of the Bsharri district like Bsharri and Bekaa kafra. Ainata has an altitude of 1620 meters and is considered as the highest Lebanese village(although some books consider Bekaa Kafra the highest), but a very remote village in eastern Baalbek district, the village of Tfail, rises at 1450 meters, and a village called Souaqi in Miniyeh-Danniyeh District rises at 1500 meters, but because they are both very remote and have small populations, they are negligible. The nearest village would be Dar El Ahmar where both people have a special bond due to having mostly the same political views and being Christians surrounded by mostly muslims villages
Climate
Ainata has a cold climate in winter, with temperatures averaging around 0°C in January and February and temperature drops to as low as -25°C have happened a few times, though not recorded officially. Snow accumulations can reach 3 meters. In summer temperatures average 22°C but can reach 35°C, like all the villages of the Baalbek district. At night, drops to as low as 7°C can happen.
References
- Aaynata, Localiban
Capital: Baalbek | ||
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