Baakleen, birth place of Amir Fakhereddine Al Maani, stands proudly on Mount Lebanon overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Location : Mount Lebanon, Shouf District, 45 KM SE of Beirut
Altitude : 850 - 920 meters
Population: 17,000
Area : 14 square Kilometers
Number of homes : 2,870
Bordering Towns: Deir El Kamar, Beit Eddine, Aynbal, Deir Dourit,Symkanieh, and Jahlieh
Baakleen holds an important place in Lebanon’s history. The roots of Lebanon as we know it today go back to Baakleen. Around the year 1120 A.D., Amir Maan Ibn Rabeaah, the great grandfather of Amir Fakher Eddine Al Maani the second who established “Lubnan Al Kabeer”, settled in Baakleen with his tribe. He was supported by his in-laws, the Tanoukhyeen. Amir Maan was married to the daughter of Amir Noaaman Al Tanoukhy. Historians agree that Baakleen was the capital of the Maani Emirate.
Due to water shortages in Baakleen, the Maani Amirs were attracted to Neighboring Deir Al Kamar (according to Druze archives,