In the 1950s, the populous town was known for gathering intellectuals and prominent personalities[5] like the poet
Said Akl.
On April 13, 1975, it witnessed the serious church shooting and
Bus Massacre security incidents, between the local Christian
Kataeb party and the
Arab Liberation Front militants and
Palestinians, which sparked the 15-year-long civil war.[6]
In February 1990 General
Aoun launched an unsuccessful campaign to dislodge
Samir Geagea’s
Lebanese Forces (LF) from East Beirut. Ain El Remmaneh became the scene of intense fighting and artillery exchanges which caused extensive damage and many casualties. The district fell to Auon’s
soldiers on 15-16 February with LF fighters escaping by way of Syrian controlled West Beirut.[15]
Bus massacre
On April 13, 1975, a
bus passing through Ain Al-Remmaneh, transporting
Arab Liberation Front guerilla fighters and
Palestinians returning from a festival, heading to their camp in
Tel al-Zaatar, was gunned down by militiamen of the
Kataeb party, killing all the 27 passengers except the driver, which marked the start of the
Lebanese Civil War.[8][9][16] The incident happened just hours after 4 Christians were killed outside a nearby church[8] during a child's baptism in Ain El-Remmaneh in an assassination attempt of the Phalangist (Kataeb) leader
Pierre Gemayel.[17][18][19]
Etymology
Ain El Remmaneh means "the water spring of the pomegranate tree", for the area was known to be covered with pomegranate and citrus trees before it was wiped out during the civil war.[14]
Overview
Ain El Remmaneh is managed by the municipality of Furn Al Chebbak, which also manages Tahwitet El Nahr (tahwita).[20] It is surrounded by
Sin El Fil from the north,
Chiyah from the South,
Hazmieh from the East and
Beirut from the West. Its strategic location has transformed it into an important urban area, with industrial and educational significance.[20]