Barelias

Barelias, or Bar Elias (Arabic: برالياس; also transliterated Bar Ilyas), is a town located in the Zahlé District, Bekaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 150,000 inhabitants (mostly Sunni Muslims) it is the second largest town, after Zahlé, in the Zahlé District. Bar Elias is a village of the Bekaa Valley, the center of Bekaa. It is known widely by its transit passes, as it is halfway between Beirut and Damascus. As the distance between the center of the northern Bekaa and the south became important because of its central valleys and on the international line of the most important economic centers and the largest commercial markets, Bar Elias has good neighborly relations with the rest of the towns and villages in the province. Easily accessible from all directions and in the center of the Bekaa Valley, Bar Elias is an open gate to all guests and visitors.