Saadnayel

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]