Saadnayel Explained

Official Name:Saadnayel
Native Name:سعدنايل
Settlement Type:Town
Pushpin Map:Lebanon
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Lebanon
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Governorate
Subdivision Name1:Beqaa Governorate
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Zahlé
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population Blank1 Title:Ethnicities
Population Blank2 Title:Religions
Utc Offset:+2
Timezone Dst:+3
Coordinates:33.82°N 35.8828°W
Elevation M:910

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 Sunnis.[1] [2]

Saadnayel lies away 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, which included machine guns, mortars, and rockets, erupted 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]

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. News: Rami Ruhayem. Is Islamic State heading for Lebanon?. 8 December 2015. BBC News. 9 September 2014.
  2. News: Nour Samaha. ‘Here the dead are dead, and the living are dead’. 8 December 2015. Al Jazeera America. 26 January 2015.
  3. Web site: Saadnayel. Localiban. 8 December 2015. 13 February 2008.
  4. Book: Michael Young. The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon's Life Struggle. 13 Apr 2010. Simon and Schuster. 978-1-4391-0945-8. 226. illustrated.
  5. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 142
  6. News: Four wounded in Lebanon sectarian clashes. 8 December 2015. Al Arabiya News. 9 June 2008.
  7. News: Nour Samaha. ‘Here the dead are dead, and the living are dead’. 8 December 2015. Al Jazeera America. 26 January 2015.