Aley District
Aalay District | |
---|---|
District | |
عاليه | |
Country | Lebanon |
Governorate | Mount Lebanon Governorate |
Capital | Aley |
Area | |
• Total | 102 sq mi (264 km2) |
Population | |
• Total | 386,320 |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | +3 |
Aley (Arabic: عاليه) 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 neighboring Bhamdoune were attractive tourist locations for Lebanese emigres and local Lebanese
The district elects 5 members of parliament, of which 3 are Christians (1 Orthodox and 2 Maronite) and 2 are Druze. During the 1975-1990 Civil War in Lebanon, Aley witnessed several battles around its environs.
Villages
- Aazoneyye
- Aabey
- Aghmeed
- Ain Aanoub
- Ainab
- Ain Dara
- Ain Drafil
- Ain el Remaneh
- Ain el Saydeh
- Ain Trez
- Aitat
- Aley
- Aramoun
- Badghan
- Basateen
- Baissour
- Bdadoun
- Bechamoun - - first village to raise the Lebanese flag on 22 November 1943
- Bhamdoun
- Bkheshtey
- Bleibel
- Bmahray
- Bmakin
- Bserrine
- Bsous
- Chartoun
- Charoun
- Chemlane
- Choueifat City
- Deir Koubel
- Dfoun
- Houmal
- Kahale
- Kaifun
- Kfarmatta
- Ktaily
- Majd l Baana
- Majdlaya
- Mecherfe, Aley
- Mrayjet
- Qmatiye
- Ramlieh
- Rechmaya
- Rimhala
- Sarhmoul
- Saoufar
- Sharoun
- Silfaya
- Souk El Gharb
- Shanay
Demographics
Like the neighboring Chouf District, the Aley district is also one of the most religiously diverse areas in Lebanon. The largest religious community in the Aley district is the Druze denomination, followed by the Maronite, and Greek Orthodox Christian denominations. There are also small communities of Sunni Muslims. It is estimated that roughly 54.6% of the district is of the Druze sect, while the remaining 40.7% are Christian and 4.6% are Muslim.[1]