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Alkhiam
is a town located in the South of Lebanon and is designated "an area of
outstanding natural beauty" and rightly so, with its location of top of
a hill, rolling countryside, evening parties and weddings. Al khiam is
750 meters above sea level, 100km away from Beirut. It is close to
several rivers namely: wazani (25 mins by car), Litani (30 mins),
Hasbani( 30 mins).
To
the west, on a parallel ridge are the Lebanese Christian towns of
Marjayoun and Qleia, with a lush valley of fruit farms and tobacco
plantations in between. To the east looms the high mountain range which
includes the Shebaa Farms. Al-Khiam itself has a population of 15,000
inhabitants, the large majority of them Shia Muslims, although there
are also some Orthodox and Maronite Christians. The village was known
for being one of the few mixed Christian-Muslim areas in south Lebanon.
Many
nations, tribes and armies successively visited and occupied the town
and camped in the area so they gave it its present name Al khiam which
means tents in Arabic. On the town’s highest hill the French built a
well-fortified barracks that the Lebanese army took over in 1943 after
the Independence of Lebanon. These barraks became a very famous
notorious detention centre during the Israeli occupation. The site
became a memorial to the liberation struggle and a symbol of the
victory against the occupation. Thousands of people came from across
the Arab and Euorpean countries and beyond to visit the jail, their way
pointed out by brown "heritage site" road signs, and placards set up by
alkhiam council telling the story of the resistance. However, hardly
anything is left of the prison now. It was pulverised during the
Israeli bombardment in July 2006.
Alkhiam
is truly a town for all reasons with many people returning several
times a year from the gulf: Kuweit, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates,
Quatar and many European countries.
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