Iaal, Lebanon

Iaal is a village located approximately 12km east-south-east of Tripoli in northern Lebanon. It is located within the Zgharta district of North Lebanon. Its inhabitants are entirely Sunni Muslims and number above 1000 peoplefact|date=September 2008 (although precise figures are unattainable). Iaal lies at the foot of the Mount Lebanon range and has a road that runs up into the mountains passing along its border. The most identifiable building in Iaal is the castle/fort built on the hilltop of the village centre. The castle was built in 1816 by Mustafa Agha Barbar (the governor of Tripoli under the Ottomans since 1798) because the area was considered strategic thanks to its panoramic views, which extend all the way down to the Mediterranean coast.

It appears Iaal was inhabited prior to the arrival of Barbar- as evidenced by a census conducted by the Ottoman’s in 1555. It shows that there were 34 males in the village at that time (females were excluded from the census). However, where these villagers originated from is unknown. What can be presumably safely deduced is that the modern descendents from Iaal are a product of both Barbar and the men serving him, and those who were counted in the 1555 census. Based upon this census alone,there should be more than the few thousand people claiming an origin from Iaal today- i.e. if the population was able to grow without interference of unnatural deaths (e.g. killings) and/or significant migration and subsequent loss of identity.

The other identifiable building in Iaal is the mosque along the road that runs up into the mountains. There is a second mosque located within the confines of the castle; the 2 mosques being a testament to the villagers’ strong adherence to Sunni Islam.

The land of Iaal is fertile and sustains a variety of produce and grazing animalsfact|date=September 2008.

The majority of people who trace their ancestry to the village actually live outside of Iaal. The overwhelming majority of these migrants and their descendents live in Australia; primarily Sydney, in the local government areas of Kogarah and Liverpoolfact|date=September 2008.

External links

* http://www.tageo.com/index-e-le-v-03-d-m1172097.htm?Iaal -Iaal's location
* http://www.localiban.org/spip.php?article735 -Iaal's geographical details
* http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/About+Lebanon.nsf/SectionsBySubAlias/Iaal?OpenDocument -Iaal fortress photo
* http://www.soualjawab.com/destination/cities_1/iaal.htm -Iaal fortress details
* http://www.zgharta.com/zz/villages/iaal/iaal.html -General Iaal details
* http://www.caza-zgharta.com/zawie/zawieh%20hist.htm -1555 Iaal census