7 Lebanese Villages With Odd Names, And How We Got To Lala Land!

Did you know these villages even existed?

1. Bareesh

Located in Tyre, Bareesh is a word of Syriac origin that translates to “the president’s house”. Some speculate that it also has a Phoenician origin that means Cypress tree.

2. Lala

A village in West Bekaa! There are two stories surrounding its name: the first being that it is a name for God, and the second says that there was a convent in the village on a hill and each time the sun would shine through its wonderful windows the people would say, “la2la2 el deir” (the convent sparkled).

3. Bziza

This one is located in Koura and its name is quite unusual. One of the stories surrounding the name is that the name comes from a compound Syriac word “bet azziza”, azzizz, or Aziz, which is the name of a Semitic god. The word “bet” means house, so the village bcomes “the house of God”.

4. Tannoura

Next on the list is Tannoura in Rachaya. The story behind the name originates from both Syriac and Aramaic languages, and the word itself is divided into two parts: “ten” which means smoke or fire, and “nora” which means light.

5. Kherbet Rouha

Another village with a quirky name is Kherbet Rouha in Rachaya. It was originally called “Al Ruha” (which is an Aramaic-Syriac word), meaning “the vast of the land”.

6. Kfarshakhna

Kfarshakhna is located in Zgharta, and its of Syriac origin meaning “the field of serenity”.

7. Btekhnay

The last village on the list is located in Metn’s Baabda district, derived from the Syriac word “Beit Kheni”, which means beit khaseb or, fertile house in Arabic, which is contracted to “Beit Khoni,” meaning house of arches. It also has a second meaning, “Beit Honi,” Arabic for the home of comfort.