Official Name: | Zaghdraiya |
Settlement Type: | Village |
Pushpin Map: | Lebanon |
Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Lebanon |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
Subdivision Name1: | South Governorate |
Subdivision Type2: | District |
Subdivision Name2: | Sidon District |
Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
Utc Offset: | +2 |
Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
Coordinates: | 33.5256°N 35.4022°W |
Postal Code: | 2018 |
Area Code: | 07 |
Zaghdraiya (also Zeghdrâya, Zoghedraya, Zghedraia. Arabic: زغدرايا) is a town in the South Governorate in Lebanon. It is located southeast of Sidon.[1] The village is bordered with a number of villages/towns like Darb es Sim, Maghdouche, Miye ou Miye. It has a very small population and is mainly formed of very few houses and a lot of agricultural space.
The word Zaghdraiya means "castle" or "fortress" possibly due to the fact that the village is surrounded by hill tops in almost every direction.[2]
In 1875, Victor Guérin found it to be a village of 150 Metualis, who planted figs and olives in the environment.[3]
The town saw many struggles between its political party branches of various militias during the Lebanese Civil War
As of 2014, the town had 786 registered voters, the vast majority of whom were Shiites.[4] There are a small number of Palestinian refugees living in the town as well.[5]
The town is mostly an agricultural landscape with a lot of olive, lemon, fig, orange, loquat (Akkidenia), and green almond trees. the town produces grapes, green beans, and jujubes. The Siniq river passes through the village and is usually the source of irrigation of these crops. The town overlooks hills of southern Lebanon due to it being predominantly uninhabited landscapes and rarely any tall buildings.