Souk El Gharb sits a few kilometres south-west of Aley at about 800 metres on a separate ridge, and is best known from the Lebanese civil war — the high ground here changed hands several times in the 1980s, and Christian and Druze militias fought a series of bitter battles for the small town. Today it is quiet, partly rebuilt, and the principal reason to come is the view: the ridge offers one of the cleanest sight lines from Mount Lebanon over the southern suburbs of Beirut and the coast all the way down to Damour.
A small Greek Orthodox monastery, a few preserved Ottoman houses, and the ruined walls of buildings never repaired make the half-hour visit a sober counterpart to Aley's resort feel. Best in clear winter light when the entire coast lays out below; worst in summer haze when the city smudges into the horizon.