Zahlé

Zahlé (also transliterated Zahleh; Lebanese Arabic: زحلة  pronounced [ˈzaħle]; Armenian:Զահլէ) is the capital and largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 50,000 inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous city in Lebanon after Beirut, Tripoli and Baalbek, and the fifth largest taking the whole urban area (Jounieh urban area being larger). It is situated 55 km (34 mi) east of the capital Beirut, close to the Beirut-Damascus road, and lies at the junction of the Lebanon mountains and the Beqaa plateau, at a mean elevation of 1,000 meters. Zahlé is known as the "Bride of the Beqaa" and "the Neighbor of the Gorge" due to its geographical location and attractiveness, but also as "the City of Wine and Poetry" It is famous throughout Lebanon and the region for its pleasant climate, numerous riverside restaurants and quality arak. Its inhabitants are predominantly Greek Catholic and known as Zahlawis.