Qurnet Al Sawda, Mountain summit in North Lebanon.

Qurnat as Sawda is the summit of Jabal al Makmel, a limestone and dolomite massif in Bsharri District, North Lebanon, reaching 3,088 m. It is the highest point in Lebanon and the Levant. The summit sits on an isolated high-altitude plateau without windbreaks or forest cover, and névés, year-round snow reserves, can persist through summer.

The name derives from the Classical Syriac Qornet Sohde, "Martyrs' Peak", linked to the Mamluk campaigns against the Crusader states in the late 13th century; it survived the shift to Arabic, when it became Qurnat as Sawda', "The Black Corner". Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend places on this summit the replanting of a sacred tree by Noah after the flood, grown from a seed an angel gave Seth in Eden and placed in Adam's mouth at his death.

The name comes from Classical Syriac ܩܪܢܬ ܣܗܕ̈ܐ (Qornet Sohde), "Martyrs' Peak", retained after Syriac declined as a spoken language; in Arabic it became القرنة السوداء, "The Black Corner". The Syriac name refers to the Mamluk campaigns of the late 13th century against the Crusader states.

The climb demands good physical fitness and is best tackled during warmer months when snow melts and trails are passable. It is important to travel weather-dependent and pack in layers, as conditions on this high peak can shift quickly.

The name Qurnat as Sawda comes from the Classical Syriac Qornet Sohde, "Martyrs' Peak", a reference to the Mamluk campaigns against the Crusader states in the late 13th century; it survived the shift to Arabic, when it became "The Black Corner". In Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend, Noah replanted a sacred tree on this summit after the flood, using a seed an angel gave Seth in Eden and placed in Adam's mouth at his death.