Fakiha

Bearing a name appropriate to the usage of a significant amount of its land, the village of Al-Fakiha (literally "fruits") lies in the North East section of the Bekaa Valley Governorate. The village itself is separated into three neighborhods: "Jdaydi", "Zaytoun" and "Fakiha", the grouping adopting the name of the third one. The "Fakiha" sub-village itself is mostly suburbia, with houses built in very close proximity of each other, if not on top of each other or connected in some other way, which would explain the close-knit community that has developed in the village, regardless of the distinct two major religions present (Sunnite Muslim and Melkite Greek Catholic Church).

The "Zaytoun" (literally "olives") is a much more spaced section, with the houses built more modernly and spaciously, each boasting a large block of land (at least 2-3 acres).The land is used to its full potential, with the agriculture including an abundance of olive groves, orchards of apricot and fig trees, and a variety of other fruits and vegetables depending on the whim of the farmer and his intention of use of the crops. Within the "Zaytoun" is a branch of the "Omar El-Mokhtar" educational facilities called "Al-Qayrawaan". It is one of the few in the area that supports a K-9 English/Arabic curriculum with highly qualified staff; the sciences, mathematics and a language subject being in English and the humanities and a language subject being in Arabic and extra-curriculum subjects available. The community present in the "Zaytoun" share the closeness of that of the "Fakiha" despite the more spaced housing, however its population is completely of the Sunnite Muslim faith.

The last of the three sections is the "Jdaydi" sub-village. This section is similar in structure to the "Zaytoun" the difference being the less spacious housing and land allotments. The community in the "Jdaydi" is not as close-knit as the former two, with the tendency to form social groups more noticeable, especially among the youth. The population is a mixture of Sunnite Muslim, and the Catholic church.

Being in direct contact with the major road that connects Lebanon to Syria and, in turn, to the rest of the Arab world, the "Fakiha" has flourished commercially and culturally, and is a major contributor in the field of teaching across the entire Bekaa Valley. Not only have its inhabitants spread across the country, but a significant amount of them have immigrated to many countries including Brazil, Australia, America, Canada, France, Argentina and other countries all over the world.

External links

* [http://family.kallas.com/ Kallas Family Website]