Such Arqa

Such Arqa , `Arqa or Arka is an archeological site located close to the village of Miniara at the Lebanon at 12 km at the North-East of Tripoli.

History

The place is strategic because it makes it possible to control the roads carrying out of Tripoli towards Tartous and Homs. The area is well sprinkled, it is an alluvial plain coastal, undoubtedly favorable to human colonization for a long time. The river passes to the foot of the hill of Such Arqa which comprises vestiges going back to the Neolithic era.

Antiquity

Arqa was called Irqata , its inhabitants are called Arkites or Arqiens in the Bible according to the translations.

The old ones of the City-state of Irqata sent a letter to the Pharaon of Egypt Akhénaton to request its assistance against the attacks of the Apirou S. This missive belongs to the Lettres of Amarna which are of the shelves of a diplomatic nature, found on the site of Such el-Amarna in Egypt.

Roman period

Pline Old the quotes Arca with the cities of the Décapole, but it does not do one of them of them.

Arca ( Arca Cæsarea ) was the birthplace of the Roman Emperor Sévère Alexandre in 208.

Period of the crusades

As of the first crusade, Raymond of Saint-Gilles makes the head office of Arqa and that in spite of benevolence of the Arab governors of Tripoli. It cannot take the city. It is only in 1108, that his/her cousin Guillaume the Jordan, count of Cerdagne takes the city after three weeks of seat.

In 1167, Nur AD-DIN, benefits from the captivity of the count de Tripoli Raymond III, tries to take Arqa. The king of Jerusalem Amaury I {{er}} makes gift of Arqa to the Hospitaliers.

In 1171, the Atabeg of Mosul again returns to besiege the fortress which resists.

The citadel of Arqa was taken with the Templiers at the time of the collapse of the Comté of Tripoli in 1266 by Baybars.

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