Etymology: In his book “Name of Lebanese Towns and Villages”, Aniss Freiha mentions that the origin of the name Jaj dates back to the Syriac and Hebrew word “gag” which means the summit, the crest and the rooftop. The town was probably given the name “Jaj” for its high altitude.

Location: Jaj is located in the Qada’a of Jbeil in the Mount Lebanon Mohafaza at an altitude of 1220m above sea level. The village lies 65 km from Beirut and 25 km from the Qada’a center in Jbeil. It spreads across 1169 hectares.

Jaj may be reached through two different roadways: Jbeil- Amshit- Lehfed or Batroun- Douma- Bshe’li.

Population: The number of registered inhabitants at the village’s Personal Status Register is estimated at 3400, with the majority belonging to the Maronite confession. There are around 200 houses in the village and around 20 commercial shops. The permanent residents of the village are estimated by a few hundreds only.

Voters: In the year 2000, the number of voters was 2,095 of whom 1,227 cast their ballots. This number increased to 2,275 in 2005 of whom 1,515 cast their ballots. In 2009, the number reached 2,419 with 1,575 casting their ballots. They are distributed according to the following families:

Abboud: 317, Samrani: 209, Khoury: 177, Farhat: 111, Shahine: 85, Meri’i: 57, Ounaissi: 83, Sarkiss: 72, Mozaya: 23, Andraous: 75, Suleiman: 54, Hayek: 46, Hachem: 50, Issa: 28, Ashqouti: 24, Abdallah: 5, Youhanna: 20, Bchara: 18, Fransis: 38, Sfeir: 28, Aqiqi: 22, Chdid: 31, Abd el-Nour: 21, Kiwan: 18, Awwad: 20, Karam: 18, Ghandour: 6, Rophael: 13, Rouhana: 13, Chhadeh: 9, Mouawad: 15, Nassar: 11, Saad: 9

Local authorities: Jaj municipality was established by virtue of decree No. 251, dated February 20, 1964 and issued by then Interior Minister, Kamal Jumblat. The municipal council is currently composed of 15 members, after it was 8, and headed by Fawzi Ashqouti. Its share in the independent municipal fund was LBP 125,7 million in 2008 and increased to 168,2 in 2009. the municipality has two mukhtars, Bchara Abboud and Shaker Andraous and a s member ikhtiyariah body.

Educational institutions: There was a unisex public school for both elementary and intermediate cycles, but the decreasing number of students (24 students and 14 teachers in the scholarly year 1997-1998) forced the school to shut down. There is also the Cedar’s Sports Club.

Economic activities

To earn their living, the people of Jaj seek state jobs in the army and the Internal Security Forces. They also depend on local commercial businesses and employment in the Aluminium and Iron factories. The few shops spread across Jaj supply the villagers with the provisions and the basic commodities they need. The town’s economy also depends on agriculture of apples namely.

Archeological sites: Several archeological landmarks were found in Jaj. Of these landmarks are the remnants of the Zahra temple which dates back to the era of Roman Emperor Arianos, in addition to ancient temple pillars, a church and Mard Doumit monastery.

Natural sites: Jaj gained popularity for its Cedar forest which lies 4 Km from the town and consists of around 2000 Cedar trees. History books claim that the Phoenician ships and the temple of Suleiman were made up of the town’s Cedar timber.

Challenges: The people of Jaj suffer from several problems, familiar to all Lebanese villages, like a lack of electricity and an inadequate sewage system since the grid is incomplete and there’s a huge water shortage. The immigration to foreign countries or to neighboring towns and villages such as Batroun is another problem in this village whose long and rocky route can be shortened to 4 Km if connected to Amshit-Mayfouq highway. The villagers are also claiming a linking route between the town and the Cedar forest.

Patriarchs and Bishops from Jaj

Jaj was widely known for its Maronite patriarchs (3 patriarchs) and bishops (3 bishops). The patriarchs whose patriarchal term lasted 86 years are:

Patriarch Youhanna el- Jaji (1239-1245)

Patriarch Daoud (1367-1404)

Patriarch Youhanna VIII el-Jaji (1404-1445)