Saadnayel
Town in Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saadnayel (Arabic: سعدنايل) is a town in the Bekaa Valley in the Zahlé District of Lebanon. It has a population of around 20,000 Lebanese, mostly Sunni Muslims.[1][2]
Saadnayel
سعدنايل | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| |
  Saadnayel Location in Lebanon | |
| Coordinates: 33°49′12″N 35°52′58″E | |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | Beqaa Governorate |
| District | Zahlé |
| Elevation | 2,990 ft (910 m) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 |
Saadnayel lies 47 kilometres (29 mi) from Beirut.[3] The town is located strategically near the crossroads between the Beirut-Damascus highway and the main road connecting the northern and southern Beqaa.[4]
History
In 1838, Eli Smith noted Saadnayel's population being Sunni Muslim.[5]
The town has been the site of sporadic Sunni-Shia violence. In 2008, four individuals were wounded in armed clashes between anti-Syrian majority supporters and Hezbollah-led opposition in Lebanon; the clashes involved use of machine guns, mortars, and rockets in Saadnayel. Despite the army's presence, they did not intervene.[6]
Up to 35,000 refugees of the Syrian Civil War have also settled in the town.[7]