Sereel ( known also as Siriil or Sir'il, ar, سرعل) is a village located in the
Zgharta District
Zgharta District ( ar, زغرتا) is a district (''qadaa'') of the North Governorate, northern Lebanon. Its capital is the city of Zgharta.
Geography
The administrative center is the city of Zgharta. The district has 101 populated areas with 30 ...
in the
North Governorate
North Governorate ( ar, الشمال, ') (Lebanese pr. ''eš šmél'') (French: Gouvernorat du Liban-Nord) is one of the governorates of Lebanon. Its capital is Tripoli. Ramzi Nohra has been its governor since May 2, 2014. The population of North ...
of
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
. It is situated in the valley of
Qozhaya
Qozhaya ( syr, ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܐܢܛܘܢܝܘܣ ܩܘܙܚܝܐ, ar, دير مار أنطونيوس قزحيا), also transliterated Qazahya is located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. It belongs to the Lebanese Maron ...
, the northern branch of the Valley of
Qadisha
Kadisha Valley ( ar, وادي قاديشا), also romanized as the Qadisha Valley and also known as the Kadisha Gorge or Wadi Kadisha (french: Ouadi Qadisha), is a gorge that lies within the Bsharri and Zgharta Districts of the North Governorat ...
.
Its population is mainly
Maronite
The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the larges ...
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 tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
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 in the 1970s, a highway was built passing through the center of Serhel and linking Beirut and Shikka on the coast to
Ehden
Ehden ( ar, إِهْدِن, 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 Range. Its residents are the people of Zgharta, as ...
and the Kadisha Gorge higher up on Mount Lebanon. The construction of this highway made the village of Serhel more accessible, and made possible the construction of a large hotel and spa, Le Tournant, on the outskirts of town.
Further reading
Serhel is described, with a front cover of the village, in ''From Lebanon to California'' by Dr. Henry J. Zeiter, Xlibris Publishers, 2005.
References
External links
Seraal Localiban
Ehden Family Tree
Zgharta District
Populated places in the North Governorate
Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon
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