Before the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), this mountain town surrounded by pine woods was a prosperous mountain resort nestled in the mountains of the Aley District of Mount Lebanon, overlooking Saint George Bay and Beirut. Being located only a few kilometers away from the district capital of Aley, it is now considered one of Aley's suburbs. The villages that lie between Aley and Souk El Gharb are Bmakine and the two Ains (the modern spelling in Lebanese Arabic is a'ayn): Ain el-Sayydé (Our Lady's spring), and Ain el-Rimmané (The spring of the pomegranate). South of Souk El Gharb is located the village of Kaifun.