Arqa - Definition

Arqa (originally Irqata, Arkite in the Bible) is a village near Miniara in the Akkar district of northern Lebanon, 22 km northeast of Tripoli, near the coast. It is significant for the Tell Arqa, an archaeological site that goes back to Neolithic times, and during the Crusades there was a strategically significant castle.

It is mentioned in antiquity in the Amarna letters of Egypt, as well as in Assyrian documents.

The Roman town was named Caesarea of Lebanon or Arca Caesarea. The Emperor Alexander Severus was born there.

See also

Siege of Jerusalem (1099)