Etymology

In his book entitled Names of Lebanese Towns and Villages, Lebanese author Anis Freiha suggests that the word A’rsal has Aramaic origins meaning the tent set up on rooftops or in the fields. Other speculations assume that the word signifies the elevated throne of God or the throne of Jupiter who, according to a legend, used to hunt in this town in the ancient past.

Location

A’rsal is located towards the farthest eastern north of the Beqa’a Mohafaza in the Qada’a of Baalbeck, 125 km from Beirut and 60 km from Zahle. It is situated at 1100 m above the sea level and parts of its terrain are as high as 2610 m. It stretches across an area of 31 500 hectares, which makes it one of Lebanon’s largest municipalities, accounting for 3% of the country’s total area. A’rsal may be reached through Beirut- Zahle- Baalbeck – Labwi- A’rsal. It is bordered by Syria to the east, Hadath and Labwi to the west, Fakiha, Ras Baalbeck and el-Qa’a to the north and Nahli and Younine to the south.

Population and Houses

The registered population at A’rsal is estimated at 28 000 people, the majority of whom reside in the town. People in A’rsal belong to the Sunni community and are distributed over 5500 houses in three major neighborhoods, the northern- largest one- the southern and the eastern, which is a small quarter introduced in 2005.

Voters

The number of A’rsal’s initial registered voters stood in 2013, before the voter list updates, at 14 590 compared to 12 964 in 2009, 11 232 in 2005 and 9819 in 2000. The voter population will have thus grown by 4 777 people in 13 years, i.e. by 48.6%, which is a relatively high percentage, given the national percentage which was estimated at 25.6%.

A’rsal’s voters are distributed over the following families, of which El-Houjeiry and El-Flaiti dominate the largest share:

• El-Houjeiry:4880 voters
• El-Flaiti:1860
• Ezzeddine:1255
• Braidi:950
• Rayed:950
• Karnabi: 555
• Atrash:540
• Aoude: 461
• Zaarour: 345
• Amoun:322
• Hmayd:191
• Smayli: 182
• Ghdadi: 273
• Behluk: 145
• Sultan: 140
• Jebbawi: 137
• Nouh: 135
• Deddeh: 121
• Khalaf: 111

Local Authorities

A’rsal’s municipality was established in 1952 but it was not until 1998 that the first municipal elections were held, resulting in the formation of a council consisting of 18 members, a number that has risen to 21. The town’s share of the Independent Municipal Fund stood at LBP 1.571 billion in 2011 down from LBP 1.712 billion in 2010 and up from LBP 1.440 billion in 2009. The town is home to 12 Mukhtars, 6 in the northern neighborhood, 5 in the southern and 1 in the eastern. There is also a Sunni religious court in A’rsal.

NGOs

NGOs and agricultural cooperatives amount to 17 in A’rsal and most of them were established in the past few years. They are listed below, from most recent to the oldest:

• Green Prairie Association established in 2010
• Coop for the Production and Marketing of A’rsal’s Cherries and Fruits: 2009
• Utopia Charitable Association: 2008
• Zaidan El-Houjeiry’s Association: 2008
• Association for Philanthropy and Altruism: 2008
• Tomorrow’s A’rsal: 2007
• Charity and Social Renaissance Association: 2007
• Social and Human Development Association: 2007
• Women’s Cooperation Association: 2006
• Livestock Farmers Coop: 1999
• Rural Pantry Coop: 1999
• Social Guidance Association: 1994
• People of A’rsal Association: 1993
• Rural Development Association: 1990
• A’rsal’s Charity Association: 1988
• Public Agricultural Coop: 1984

Economic Life

A’rsal’s residents earn their living through one of the following:

• Enrollment in the Lebanese Army and the Internal security Forces
• Working in mining quarries. A’rsal is home to 60 quarries, 100 crushers and 126 rock cutting operations, providing around 300 jobs to the town’s people.
• Smuggling operations between Lebanon and Syria, which gain momentum at specific times of the year.
• Agriculture, mainly growing wheat and fruit trees (peach, cherry, apricot, apple…)

Educational Institutions

A’rsal hosts 14 schools, of which 5 are public, 4 are private and 5 are free private schools. All schools combined have 3768 students and 265 teachers (academic year 2009-2010).

Source: Schools’ Guide issued by the the Educational

Problems

The town faces a number of problems highlighted below:

• Inflow problems in its sewage system, which results in water pollution. This plight is likely to escalate amid the urban sprawl and the absence of immediate solutions.
• Lack of access to health care as the town has only one public dispensary and 5 private ones lacking proper equipment. The health situation has deterioted recently due to dramatic increase in the number of Syrian refugees.
• Most quarry workers suffer from physical disabilities caused by the accidents they encounter at workplace.
• Social and economic strains imposed by the Syrian arrivals.