Arqa
Arqa (originally
Irqata,
Arkite in the
Bible) is a village 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 Tell al-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.