Ainata
|
Ainata عيناتا |
|
|---|---|
| Village | |
 Ainata
|
|
| 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).
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
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.
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
...
Wikipedia