Bekaa Valley

Bekaa Valley or Al Biqa, region in Lebanon, 112 km (70 mi) in length and up to 26 km (16 mi) wide, about 30 km (19 mi) east of Beirut. Bekaa Valley is the most north-easterly extension of the Rift Valley that extends south through the Red Sea into Africa. It is paralleled by the Lebanon mountain range to the west and the Anti-Lebanon range to the east. The valley, with its Mediterranean climate of wet, mild winters and dry, warm summers, lies in a rain shadow of the Lebanon mountains, which results in limited precipitation, particularly in the northern section of the valley, which has an average annual rainfall of 230 mm (9 in) as compared to 610 mm (24 in) in the central valley. Two rivers originate in the valley, the north-flowing Orontes and the south-flowing Litani. Zaḩlah is the major city, lying just north of the main Beirut-to-Damascus highway that bisects the valley. Its residents are mostly Christians (Roman Catholic, Maronite, and Orthodox), while the majority of the rural residents of the valley, particularly in the north, are Shiite Muslims.

From the 1st century bc, when the area came under the control of the Roman Empire, Bekaa Valley served as a granary for the province of Syria. Currently, it contains 40 per cent of Lebanon's cultivatable land. The northern end of the valley, with its limited rain and less fertile soils, is used primarily for grazing land by pastoral nomads. Further south, more fertile soils support crops of wheat, corn, cotton, and vegetables, with vineyards and orchards centred around Zaḩlah. The valley is also noted for its production of hashish and increasing cultivation of opium poppies. Since 1957 the Litani hydroelectric project, comprised of canals and a dam at Qirawn in the southern end of the valley, has provided improved irrigation to farmers in the valley.

The most noted historical site in the valley is Baalbek (named after the Canaanite god Baal) with its impressive Roman ruins, including temples to Bacchus, Jupiter, Venus, and the Sun. For many years the ruins were the site of the Baalbek festival, which attracted performing groups from around the world. More recently, the town has been known as a centre of operation for the Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah (Party of God) militia. Syrian troops have been present in the valley since shortly after the 1975 outbreak of Lebanon's civil war. In 1982 the air force of Israel tried unsuccessfully to evict the Syrians by bombing Syrian anti-aircraft missile batteries in the valley.