Sereel ( known also as Siriil or Sir'il, ) is a village located in the

Zgharta District Zgharta Alzawieh District () is a district (''qadaa'') of the North Governorate, Lebanon, North Governorate, northern Lebanon. Its capital is the city of Zgharta. Geography The administrative center is the city of Zgharta. The district has 101 p ...

in the

North Governorate North Governorate (, ') is one of the governorates of Lebanon and one of the two governorates of North Lebanon. Its capital is Tripoli, Lebanon, Tripoli. Ramzi Nohra has been its governor since May 2, 2014. The population of North Governorate is ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. It is situated in the valley of

Qozhaya Monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya, or Monastery of Qozhaya (also Qazahya; , ) is a large and important Maronite monastery. It is located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. The Monastery of Qozhaya holds significant ...

, the northern branch of the Valley of

Qadisha Kadisha Valley (), also romanized as the Qadisha Valley and also known as the Kadisha Gorge or Wadi Kadisha (), is a gorge that lies within the Bsharri and Zgharta Districts of the North Governorate of Lebanon. The valley was carved by the Kadi ...

. Its population is mainly

Maronite Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...

Catholic. The origin of the name Serhel is Syriac, meaning "the elevated wall." The town is known for its pine forest, which also has some

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

trees, in addition to a number of springs, including the Spring of Seraal. At an elevation of approximately 2,600 feet, the village has views of the lower Kadisha valley to the east and from higher up in its pine forest a view of the Sahel down to the city of Tripoli and the Mediterranean Sea. Serhel is home to a number of caves, including the cave of Bint Al-Malak ("the king's daughter"), Al-Zwayyet cave, and Ain Al-Mghara cave. Religious sites in the village include the ancient Church of the Angel Michael, dating to 1893; the Grotto of Our Lady of Salvation; the Church of Saint Georges; the Church of Mar Sarkis and Bakhos; and the Church of Mar Challita. During the presidency of

Suleiman Frangieh Suleiman Kabalan Frangieh (15 June 1910 – 23 July 1992) was a Lebanese politician who served as the 5th president of Lebanon from 1970 to 1976. Early life and education Suleiman Frangieh was a scion of one of the leading Maronites, Maronite f ...

in the 1970s, a highway was built passing through the center of Serhel and linking Beirut and Shikka on the coast to

Ehden Ehden (, Syriac language, Syriac-Aramaic:ܐܗܕ ܢ) is a mountainous city in the heart of the northern mountains of Lebanon and on the southwestern slopes of Mount Makmal in the Mount Lebanon, Mount Lebanon Range. Its residents are the people of Z ...

and the Kadisha Gorge higher up on Mount Lebanon. The construction of this highway made the village of Serhel more accessible, and facilitated the construction of a large hotel and spa, Le Tournant, on the outskirts of the town.

References

External links

Seraal
Localiban
Ehden Family Tree
Populated places in Zgharta District Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon {{Lebanon-geo-stub

Further reading

References

External links