Serraaine El Faouqa

Saraain El Faouqa (Arabic: سرعين الفوقا) is a village located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) northeast of Rayak in Baalbek District, Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon.^[1] Most of its inhabitants Shia Muslims and a minority are Maronites.^[2]

Saraain El Faouqa سرعين الفوقا Serain, Serain Al Fawka, Saarain
Village
Country	Lebanon
Governorate	Baalbek-Hermel
District	Baalbek

Saraain El Faouqa

Shown within Lebanon
Alternative name	Serain, Serain Al Fawka
Location	6 kilometres (3.7 mi) northeast of Rayak, Lebanon
Coordinates	33.87864°N 36.09288°E / 33.87864; 36.09288
Type	Surface site and Roman temple
History
Periods	Mousterian, Levalloiso-Mousterian, Shepherd Neolithic, Ancient Rome
Site notes
Excavation dates	1946
Archaeologists	Henri Fleisch
Public access	Yes

Archaeology

There is an archaeological site located on the right of the road from Rayak, immediately before the village. It was discovered by Henri Fleisch in 1946 and mentioned by L. Burkhalter in a list of prehistoric sites published in 1948.^[3] Various small bifaces, flakes and cores were found that were originally assessed to be Mousterian by Burkhalter. Fleisch was said to "deplore the lack of typology" to distinguish the assemblage, but suggested some pieces were similar to Levalloiso-Mousterian and the Shepherd Neolithic tools found at Rayak North and Fleywe.^[1]

Roman Temple, quarry and tombs

The village of Sarain El Faouqa is suggested to have been built on the remains of a Roman quarry. There is a Roman temple on the left within the village that is included in a group of Temples of the Beqaa Valley. There are also numerous rock-cut tombs visible nearby. Although the walls of the temple cella have long since disappeared, the podium still remains. Further remains were found when a house that had been built on the temple was demolished, revealing part of a cast door frame, a block from the ceiling and parts of a column base and shaft.^[4][5]