Anjar, Lebanon

[4] The town's foundation is generally attributed to the Umayyad caliph al-Walid I, at the beginning of the 8th century, as a palace-city.

[5] After being abandoned in later years, Anjar was resettled in 1939 with several thousand Armenian refugees from the Musa Dagh area.

Its neighborhoods are named after the six villages of Musa Dagh: Haji Habibli, Kebusiyeh, Vakif, Kheder Bek, Yoghunoluk and Bitias.

[6] During the civil war, the Syrian Army chose Anjar as one of its main military bases in the Beqaa Valley and the headquarters of its intelligence services.

Nevertheless, today Anjar is an example to many other entities in the region because of its low crime rate[citation needed], reduced air pollution, and living standards.

[citation needed] In November 2024, UNESCO gave Anjar enhanced protection to safeguard against damage to the archaeological site during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

The Protestant community school was established in 1948 by Sister Hedwig Aenishänslein as part of her missionary work in Anjar.

The biggest private employer is the company "Shams" (literally "Sun"), a local family-run business that started out as a small restaurant in the 1960s.

Ruins of Umayyad palace
An Armenian church in Anjar
The Anjar gardens provide a relatively small, but important source of income for local residents, with each household being allocated a small plot of land for farming or other purposes.