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 bycar), 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.