Semaan led his herd of a thousand goats across the rugged mountains, leaving his village of Bsharri, situated at an altitude of 1,550 meters, and heading toward the other side of the mountains overlooking the Bekaa Valley, with its green plains, pastures, and milder climate, before the winter snows isolated Bsharri from the world for several months, as was his annual custom.
Just as the snow began to recede and it was time to return to his village, an unforeseen event temporarily halted his journey. When the obstacle was finally cleared, he was met with an early snowfall, leaving him stranded as the roads back to Bsharri were blocked. He decided to stay until the following spring. He built a hut for himself and his family in a semi-deserted area called Barqa, using barren stones and hard juniper wood. This wood comes from a perennial resinous tree that grows in Lebanon at altitudes ranging from 1,400 to 2,800 meters above sea level.
These trees once covered the mountain slopes, but the Ottomans cut down most of them to use their timber for building railway tracks due to their hardness and resistance to decay. The landowners noticed the unusual shepherd, his family, and their goats on their territory.
Their leader, from the Harfoush clan, sent his soldiers to expel them. The Harfoush clan was the most prominent Shiite clan to rule the Bekaa Valley in the 17th and 18th centuries, tracing its lineage to the Khuza’a tribe, whose influence extended throughout the Bekaa Valley. Semaan learned of the approaching soldiers and fled, hiding in a nearby cave. The soldiers ordered the mother and her children to leave the area immediately, demolished their small hut, and gave them some time to gather their flock of goats.
The mother, Warda, asked them to stay a little longer and share her food. Driven by hunger, they accepted her invitation. Emboldened, she decided to slaughter one of her goats and a sheep for them. They were overjoyed by her hospitality and, deeply moved by her generosity despite their mistreatment of her in terms of destroying her home and frightening her children, they consulted among themselves. They decided to allow her to stay until her husband returned and agreed to inform their leader of their request. Semaan returned from his hiding place after the soldiers had left and decided to remain in the area, never to return to Bsharri.
The region was beautiful and fertile, with rich pastures and a milder climate than that of his village. This took place in 1840. Today, thanks to Warda’s wisdom, the town of Barqa in the Baalbek-Hermel district has a population of approximately 3,000, with Maronites making up over 85 percent of the residents. All are members of the Ja’ja’ family, and like the rest of the Bekaa Valley, they consider themselves part of the “tribes.”
Many bear Arabic names such as Hisham, Hamdan, and Rakan. Barqa is now known as a tourist destination, especially for hiking and mountaineering enthusiasts. Located just 11 kilometers from the town of Deir al-Ahmar, Barqa is famous for its apple, cherry, and almond orchards, as well as its vineyards, which are cultivated by local Muslim residents and sold to Maronites for the production of high-quality Barqa wine. The town is also home to several well-known Maronite churches, schools, and production facilities.
By Ahmad alsarraf
e-mail: [email protected]
e-mail: [email protected]
