title: Saadnayel
text: # Saadnayel
  
  Saadnayel (Arabic: سعدنايل) is a town in the Bekaa Valley in the Zahlé District of Lebanon. It has a population of around 52,500, mostly Sunnis.
  
  Saadnayel lies 47 kilometres (29 mi) away from Beirut. The town is located strategically near the crossroads between the Beirut-Damascus highway and the main road connecting the northern and southern Beqaa.
  
  ## History
  
  In 1838, Eli Smith noted Saadnayel's population being Sunni Muslim.
  
  The town has been the site of sporadic Sunni-Shia violence.
  
  Up to 35,000 refugees of the Syrian Civil War have also settled in the town.
  
  