Aalma ash-Shaab
Municipality in Lebanon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aalma ash-Shaab (alternatively spelled Aalma ech Chaab; Arabic: علما الشعب, romanized: ʿAlmā ash-Shaʿb) is a municipality in the Tyre District, in Southern Lebanon.
Aalma ash-Shaab
علما الشعب 'Alma ash Sha'b | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
  Aalma ash-Shaab Location within Lebanon | |
| Coordinates: 33°06′14″N 35°10′58″E | |
| Grid position | 167/278 PAL |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | South Governorate |
| District | Tyre |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Chadi Nayef Sayah[1] |
| Population (2015)[2] | |
• Total | 1,080 |
| Time zone | GMT +3 |
Etymology
According to E. H. Palmer, ’Alma means "a coat of mail", while Shảub means "mountain spurs".[3]
According to Anis Freyha in his dictionary of Lebanese settlement names, עלם ('A-L-M), the root of the name 'Alma, is Semitic and could mean "the hidden" or sexual maturity, the same as in Phoenician, Aramaic and Hebrew.[4]
History
Late Ottoman period
In 1875, during the late Ottoman period, Victor Guérin found here a village with 350 inhabitants, mostly Greek Catholics and Maronites.[5]
In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it: "A large Christian village, containing about 500 inhabitants. The houses are clean and well built. There are two chapels, and the place seems increasing in size. It is situated on a ridge, with figs, olives, and pomegranates and arable land around. To the east and north the land is covered with brushwood. There is a spring within reach, and about thirty rock-cut cisterns in the village."[6]
French Mandate period
During the transition to the French Mandate following World War I, the border regions of South Lebanon experienced significant security instability and inter-communal violence. On May 15, 1920, armed Shia Muslim and tribal irregulars operating in the western border sector launched a major assault on the Maronite Christian village of Aalma ash-Shaab.
The village was subjected to heavy pillaging, property destruction, and the systematic seizure of livestock. Approximately seven local residents were killed while attempting to defend the perimeter. The targeted violence forced the majority of the village's population to abandon their homes and flee toward the coast of Tyre, where they sought humanitarian and military protection from French naval vessels anchored offshore.[7]
Contemporary
In 2009, there were 400 members of the Saint-Élie (Elijah) parish of the Melkite Church in the village.[8]
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Shia Islamist group Hezbollah joined the conflict by launching rocket and drone attacks on the occupied Shebaa Farms and Israel from areas in southern Lebanon. As a result, at least 800 residents have fled the village out of fear of getting caught in the crossfire, with only about 100 remaining. Israel has conducted retaliatory strikes targeting what they claim is "Hezbollah infrastructure", which according to the deputy mayor destroyed several structures in the village.[9] In March 2026, the brother of the town's parish priest was killed in an Israeli strike,[10] and most of the village's residents were evacuated north.[11]
Demographics
In 2014, Christians made up 98.06% of registered voters in Aalma ash-Shaab. 42.62% of the voters were Maronite Catholics and 39.19% were Greek Catholics.[12]
Climate
| Climate data for Aalma ash-Shaab, elevation 385 m (1,263 ft) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 15.8 (60.4) |
16.1 (61.0) |
18.8 (65.8) |
21.7 (71.1) |
25.6 (78.1) |
28.2 (82.8) |
29.5 (85.1) |
30.6 (87.1) |
28.5 (83.3) |
26.5 (79.7) |
22.7 (72.9) |
18.3 (64.9) |
23.5 (74.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.1 (53.8) |
12.5 (54.5) |
14.3 (57.7) |
16.6 (61.9) |
20.2 (68.4) |
22.7 (72.9) |
24.1 (75.4) |
25.5 (77.9) |
23.7 (74.7) |
21.7 (71.1) |
18.2 (64.8) |
14.6 (58.3) |
18.8 (66.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 9.5 (49.1) |
9.6 (49.3) |
10.3 (50.5) |
12.3 (54.1) |
15.3 (59.5) |
17.6 (63.7) |
19.2 (66.6) |
21.0 (69.8) |
19.8 (67.6) |
18.1 (64.6) |
14.8 (58.6) |
11.8 (53.2) |
14.9 (58.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 186 (7.3) |
158 (6.2) |
70 (2.8) |
32 (1.3) |
10 (0.4) |
1 (0.0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
4 (0.2) |
31 (1.2) |
73 (2.9) |
184 (7.2) |
749 (29.5) |
| Source: FAO[13] | |||||||||||||