Arsal

Arsal
Aarsal, Ersal 'Irsal
Town and Municipality
Arsal is located in Lebanon
Arsal
Arsal
Location in Lebanon
Coordinates: 34°10′46″N 36°25′15″E / 34.17944°N 36.42083°E / 34.17944; 36.42083
Country Lebanon
GovernorateBaalbek-Hermel
DistrictBaalbek
Area
 • Total122.37 sq mi (316.94 km2)
Elevation
5,090 ft (1,550 m)
Population
Estimate
 • Total50,000[1]
Time zoneEST+7
Ain Choaab
Alternative nameAin Chaub
Location3 km (1.9 mi) east of Labweh
TypeRock shelter
History
CulturesNatufian
Site notes
Excavation dates1970, 1976
ArchaeologistsBruce Schroeder
Public accessYes

Arsal (also spelled Aarsal, Ersal or 'Irsal; Arabic: عرسال), is a town and municipality situated east of Labweh, 124 kilometres (77 mi) northeast of Beirut, in Baalbek District of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon.[2] The population is predominantly Sunni Muslim.

It is a traditional town situated on the slopes of the Anti-Lebanon mountains.[3] It is known for its local hand-made carpet industry.[4] The area is known to be one of the few places in the Anti-Lebanon with a good water supply.[5] The Lebanese Ministry of Tourism brochure suggests that the name Arsal or Ersal means "God's Throne" in Aramaic. It documents several rock-cut benches (mastabas) in the village, numerous historical monuments in the nearby hills and an ancient fortified structure in the nearby Wadi Al-Toun of unknown date.[2]

  1. ^ "Hizbollah role blurs boundary of Syria conflict". Financial Times.
  2. ^ a b Ministry of Tourism Promenade Brochure - Baalbek Al-Hermel Archived July 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ American University of Beirut (1995). Research report. The University. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  4. ^ Dominique Auzias; Jean-Paul Labourdette; Guillaume Boudisseau; Christelle Thomas (16 May 2008). Liban. Petit Futé. pp. 230–. ISBN 978-2-7469-1632-6. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  5. ^ William Bayne Fisher (1966). The Middle East: A Physical, Social and Regional Geography. Methuen. Retrieved 23 September 2012.