In his book on the origins and interpretation of the names of Lebanese towns and villages, author Anis Fraiha mentions three possible origins for the name Bzal:

-    The name is a variation of the Syriac root ‘psal’, which means sculpture and digging, a fact evidenced by the presence of sculptures in the town

-    The name may be derived from the word ‘bet zalia’, meaning a ‘house of bamboo’

-    The name may have descended from the root ‘bazah’, meaning ‘to scorn and disdain’

 

The town of Bzal is located in the Qada’a of Akkar at an altitude of 500 meters above the sea level. It spreads across 800 hectares and is 120 kilometers from Beirut and 30 kilometers from Tripoli. It may be reached via Tripoli, Mennieh, El-Abdeh and Berqayel.

 

The registered population in the personal status records of the town is estimated at roughly 2500. The residents are distributed in 480 houses and belong to the Sunni community.

 

Registered voters amounted to 2032 in 2000, 602 of whom exercised their voting right. In 2009, the number of voters increased to 1456 with 984 casting their ballots. Currently, the electorate consists of 1710 voters. They are distributed among the following families: 

-    Moussa: 560

-    Abdallah: 196

-    Othman: 190

-    Mohammad: 180

-    Taleb: 169

-    Hassan: 57

-    Deeb: 51

-    Mahmoud: 47

-    Nassif: 47

-    Khodr: 43

 

The town has a municipal council consisting of 12 members, a 3-member Ikhtiyariah body and a Mukhtar. Its share of revenues from the Independent Municipal Fund stood in 2011 at LBP 162 million, rising to LBP 186 million in 2012.

 

Bzal is home to a public middle school. In the scholarly year 2012-2013, the school accommodated 254 students and 28 teachers and staff.

 

In addition to serving in the military, the residents of Bzal rely on agriculture to earn a living. They grow olive trees, fig trees and grapes and keep cows and bees. Some make their living in the town’s stone factories.

 

The lack of a sewage network in the town leaves its neighborhoods exposed to flows of wastewater. Yet, Bzal’s main problem remains the disputes between the town’s largest families and their exchange of fire, resulting in deaths and injuries and reinforcing resentment and hostilities between residents.