Zahlé: Culture, Churches and Historic Markets

Zahlé brings together historic architecture, religious buildings and festival traditions. If you are looking for a hotel in the city, these themes can help you tailor your trip to your interests: Are you most interested in particular buildings, the history of the markets or a cultural event? Looking at the broader Bekaa destination also offers a different regional perspective.

Cityscape and Architectural History

Old houses with arches, red-tiled roofs and ornate stone façades are part of Zahlé’s historic heritage; their architecture dates back to the early 19th century. A much later monument is the statue of Our Lady of Zahlé and the Bekaa. It dates from 1968 and stands atop a 54-meter-high tower. The historic houses and the tower thus point to different periods in the city’s history.

Churches, Monasteries and Museum

Saydet ez Zalzale (Our Lady of the Earthquake) is considered Zahlé’s first church and was built around 1700. St. Michael’s Church dates from 1748 and is known for its interior arches. The Monastery of Our Lady of Deliverance dates back to around 1720. It has a tall tower and houses a Marian icon donated to the city by a king of Bavaria. The Choueirite Order built the Mar Elias Tuwq Monastery in 1755, which is known for its arches and architecture. The dates thus range from around 1700 to the mid-18th century; arches, towers and the icon each provide a distinct point of reference for the individual buildings.

The Lebanese Heritage Museum is also part of Zahlé’s cultural scene. It has a collection of ancient weapons that ranks among the largest archaeological collections in Lebanon. Here, the focus is on a collection, while the churches and monasteries mentioned above are distinguished by their architectural history and features.

Festival, Markets and Cuisine

The Festival of the Vine is considered Zahlé’s most important cultural event. Traditionally, it takes place every year in early September; the program includes daily concerts, plays, poetry readings and art exhibitions over several weeks. The festival also includes a flower festival, during which flower-decorated floats travel through the city streets. If you would like to plan your trip around the event, check the dates for the relevant edition before setting your travel dates.

The markets also tell different stories about the city’s history. Souk al-Balāt is one of Zahlé’s well-known markets; its name refers to the stone-slab paving laid in 1888. Souk Hosh al-Zarāʿneh was home to khans and workshops for handicrafts and copperware. Its buildings and murals combine Arab and Western art styles. The Berdawni River is known for the many restaurants along its banks, which have a longstanding reputation for traditional cuisine. Festival traditions, historic market life, and the connection between the river and cuisine thus stand as distinct themes.

Beyond Zahlé: the Bekaa Destination

The broader Bekaa destination also includes Anjar and the Aammiq Wetland. Anjar offers a different archaeological focus: the excavated fortified city was surrounded by walls with forty towers and covered a rectangular area measuring 385 × 350 meters. A main axis runs from north to south; the less important east–west axis divides the site with it into four equal quarters. The caliph’s great palace and the mosque are in the southeastern quarter, on the highest part of the site. Anjar is considered an outstanding example of urban planning under the Umayyad Caliphate in the 8th century. While the examples mentioned in Zahlé concern individual buildings and historic markets, Anjar focuses on the planning of a fortified city.

The Aammiq Wetland offers a different regional perspective. It lies at an elevation of about 865 meters on the western side of the central Bekaa Valley, at the foot of the eastern slopes of the Barouk Mountains. Together, Anjar and Aammiq show that the broader Bekaa destination encompasses not only archaeological urban planning but also a distinctive landscape.

Discover more destinations: Ḑahr Al Ḩarf, Zefta, Jezzîne, Batroûn, Dahr Broummana, Ehden, Douma, Beirut

For the broader travel overview: Lebanon.