The History Book Club discussion

*POTENTIAL SPOILERS*

This is the glossary for House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East. This is not a non spoiler thread so any urls and/or expansive discussion can take place here regarding this book. Additionally, this is the spot to add that additional information that may contain spoilers or any helpful urls, links, etc.

This thread is not to be used for self promotion.

by Anthony Shadid

Lebanon




Lebanon (Listeni/ˈlɛbənɒn/ or /ˈlɛbənən/; Arabic: لبنان‎ Libnān or Lubnān, Lebanese Arabic: [lɪbˈneːn], Aramaic לבנאנ ), officially the Lebanese Republic[nb 1] (Arabic: الجمهورية اللبنانية‎ Al-Jumhūrīyah Al-Libnānīyah, Lebanese Arabic: [elˈʒʊmhuːɾɪjje l.ˈlɪbneːnɪjje]), is a country in the East Mediterranean. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has dictated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity.

The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than seven thousand years, predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Phoenicians, a maritime culture that flourished for over a thousand years (c.1550–539 BC). In 64 BC, the region came under the rule of the Roman Empire, and eventually became one of the Empire's leading centers of Christianity. In the Mount Lebanon range a monastic tradition known as the Maronite Church was established. As the Arab Muslims conquered the region, the Maronites held onto their religion and identity. However, a new religious group, the Druze, established themselves in Mount Lebanon as well, a religious divide that would last for centuries. During the Crusades the Maronites established strong ties with the Roman Catholic invaders, ties that influenced the region into the modern era.

The region eventually came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, a political situation that lasted for centuries. Following the collapse of the Empire after World War I, the five provinces that constitute modern Lebanon were mandated to France. The French expanded the borders of Mount Lebanon, which was mostly populated by Maronites and Druze, to include more Muslims. Lebanon gained independence in 1943, establishing a unique political system – "confessionalism" – that is a power-sharing mechanism based on religious communities. Bechara El Khoury (independent Lebanon's first President) and Riad El-Solh (Lebanon's first Prime Minister) are considered the founders of the modern Republic of Lebanon and are national heroes for having led the country's independence. French troops withdrew from Lebanon in 1946.

Before the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990), the country experienced a period of relative calm and renowned prosperity, driven by tourism, agriculture, and banking. Because of its financial power and diversity, Lebanon was known in its heyday as the "Switzerland of the East". It attracted large numbers of tourists, such that the capital Beirut was referred to as "Paris of the Middle East." At the end of the war, there were extensive efforts to revive the economy and rebuild national infrastructure.

Qana
Qana also spelled Cana (in Arabic: قانا‎) is a village in southern Lebanon located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) southeast of the city of Tyre and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north of the border with Israel. The 10,000 residents of Qana are primarily Shiite Muslim[1] although there is also a Christian community in the village.

Biblical controversy
In the Gospel of John, Jesus is said to have performed his first miracle of turning water into wine at Cana in Galilee. Some Christians, especially Lebanese Christians, believe Qana to have been the actual location of this event. However, a tradition dating back to the 8th century identifies Cana with the modern village of Kafr Kanna, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) northeast of Nazareth, Israel.

In 1994, Nabih Berri, Lebanon's Parliament Speaker and leader of the secular Shiite Amal movement, wanted to establish a Christian shrine at a cave in Qana to attract tourists and pilgrims. The government sent a 100-man company of troops to Qana to prevent potential religious conflict. This proposal was revived in 1999.

Attacks on Qana
Qana is known internationally for two separate incidents in which the Israeli Defense Forces caused civilian deaths during military operations in Lebanon.

1996 shelling of Qana: On 18 April 1996, amid heavy fighting between the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah fighters during Operation Grapes of Wrath, a Fijian UNIFIL compound in the village was shelled by Israeli artillery, killing 106 civilians and injuring around 116 others who had taken refuge there to escape the fighting. Four UNIFIL soldiers were also seriously injured.

2006 Qana airstrike: On 30 July 2006, during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, Israeli airstrikes hit an apartment building. The Lebanese Red Cross originally stated that at least 56 people were killed, 32 of whom were children. Human Rights Watch later announced that at least 22 people escaped the basement, and 28 are confirmed dead, of which 16 were children, with 13 more still missing.

After both attacks the residents of Qana built memorials to commemorate the deaths.

Bayt

The importance of the home or bayt is found throughout this book. Although it has several nuances, here it refers to the stone house built by Isber.

The Wikipedia definition is as follows:

"Bayt (بيت, בית) is the Arabic and Hebrew word for house, deriving from a common Semitic root that also gave rise to the name of the letter Bet.

It appears in several names, such as:

Ahl al-Bayt, the People of the House (or family), referring to the household of Muhammad or to all pious Muslims
Bayt al-Hikmah, the House of Wisdom, an Abbasid-era library in Baghdad
Bayt Lahm, the Arabic name for Bethlehem
BAYT, Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto, an Orthodox synagogue in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada.
Bayt can refer to a verse of classical Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Turkic or Urdu poetry"

Jill wrote: "Lebanon




Lebanon (Listeni/ˈlɛbənɒn/ or /ˈlɛbənən/; Arabic: لبنان‎ Libnān or Lubnān, Lebanese Arabic: [lɪbˈneːn], Aramaic לבנאנ ), officially the Lebanese Republic[nb 1] (Arabic: الجمهورية اللبنا..."

It really is a shame what this little country has gone through with such a splendid past. Thank you for adding to the glossary for us Jill.

Levant

The Levant (pron.: /ləˈvænt/, Arabic: بلاد الشام‎ Bilād ash-Shām) or Arabic: المشرق العربي‎ al-Mashrīq al-'Arabiyy), also known as the Eastern Mediterranean and Greater Syria and historically as Outremer, is a geographic and cultural region consisting of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt".[2]

The Levant consists today of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Cyprus, Hatay Province and other parts of southern Turkey, some regions of northwestern Iraq and the Sinai Peninsula.

Precise definitions have varied over time, and the term originally had a broader and less well defined usage.[3] The Levant has been described as the "crossroads of western Asia, the eastern Mediterranean and northeast Africa".[4]

Etymology

The term Levant, which first appeared in English in 1497, originally meant the East in general or "Mediterranean lands east of Italy".[5] It is borrowed from the French levant 'rising', that is, the point where the sun rises.[6] Similar etymologies are found in Greek Ἀνατολή (Anatolē, cf. Anatolia), in Germanic Morgenland (which means, literally, "morning land"), in the Hungarian Kelet, Spanish "Levante" and Catalan "Llevant" (the place of rising) . Most notably, "Orient" and its Latin source oriens meaning "east", is literally "rising", deriving from Latin orior "rise".

Early European usage

The term became current in English in the 16th century, along with the first English merchant adventurers in the region; English ships appeared in the Mediterranean in the 1570s, and the English merchant company signed its agreement ("capitulations") with the Grand Turk in 1579 (Braudel).

The English Levant Company was founded in 1581 to trade with the Ottoman Empire, and in 1670 the French Compagnie du Levant was founded for the same purpose. At this time, the Far East was known as the "Upper Levant".[3]

In 19th-century travel writing, the term incorporated eastern regions under then current or recent governance of the Ottoman empire, such as Greece. In 19th-century archaeology, it referred to overlapping cultures in this region during and after prehistoric times, intending to reference the place instead of any one culture.

Since World War I

The French Mandates of Syria and Lebanon, from 1920 to 1946, were called the Levant states.

The term became common in archaeology at that time, as many important early excavations were made then, such as Mari and Ugarit. Since these sites could not be classified as Mesopotamian, North African, or Arabian, they came to be referred to as "Levantine."

Since World War II

Today "Levant" is typically used by archaeologists and historians with reference to the prehistory and the ancient and medieval history of the region, as when discussing the Crusades.

The term is also occasionally employed to refer to modern or contemporary events, peoples, states or parts of states in the same region, namely Cyprus, Iraq, Israel, Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria (compare with Near East, Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asia).

Several researchers include the island of Cyprus in Levantine studies, including the Council for British Research in the Levant,[7] the UCLA Near Eastern Languages and Cultures department,[8] and the UCL Institute of Archaeology,[4] the last of which has dated the connection between Cyprus and mainland Levant to the early Iron Age.

Currently, a dialect of Levantine Arabic, Cypriot Maronite Arabic, is the most-spoken minority language in Cyprus. Archaeologists seeking a neutral orientation that is neither biblical nor national have utilized terms such as Syro-Palestinian archaeology and archaeology of the southern Levant.[9][10]

People

The largest religious group are the Sunni Muslim and the largest ethnic group are the Arabs, but there are also many other groups.

Until the mid-20th century, there were Jews in some parts of the Levant; now most are in Israel, joining those who returned when the Modern State of Israel was established in 1948.

There are many Christian Arabs, belonging to the Antiochian Orthodox (Greek/Eastern Orthodox), Maronite Catholic, belonging to the eastern Catholic, and Oriental Orthodox churches.

There are Assyrians, belonging to the Assyrian Church of the East (autonomous) and the Chaldean Catholic Church (Catholic).

There are largely Sunni Muslim Kurds. There are Shia Muslims (Alawite, Twelvers, and Ismailis) and Druze.

There are Armenians, mostly belonging to the Armenian Apostolic Church. There are a few Arab and Armenian Protestant Christians.

There are Latin Catholics, called Levantines or Franco-Levantines. There are also Circassians, Turks, Samaritans, Bedouins and Yazidis.

Culture

The Levant populations share not only the geographic position, but cuisine, some customs, and a very long history. The Levant Muslims, Christians, Circassians and Christian Maronite Cypriots populations speak Levantine Arabic also known as Mediterranean Arabic (شامي).

In Israel Hebrew, English and Russian are spoken by the Jews who also observe laws, traditions and customs of Judaism. Small Greek and Armenian communities have retained their own languages and customs based usually on their religion.

Source: Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levant



Dark Green = Countries and regions located at the Levant region. (Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Cyprus and Hatay)

Medium Green = Countries and regions sometimes included in the Levant region. (Iraq and Sinai)

Pale/Lightest Green = Entire territory of countries whose regions are included in the Levant region. (Turkey and Egypt)

History of the Levant:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_...

Marjayoun

Marjayoun more properly "Jedaidat Marjayoun" is famous as the place of orgin of many distinguised Lebanese emigrants and their families, such as the first jet ace, Major James Jabara, of Korean war frame, and for Mrs. Kerr's Self Help Center. It is important locally as the largest Lebanese town of the South Beqaa and as the district headquarters, as well as being the market center of the region. It has always been an army garrison town, guarding the nearby (8 kms.) Palestinian frontier, and being in a commanding position on its hillside, provides many scenic views of the surrounding countryside.

But that it also holds interesting antiquities is generally unknown.

The name itself may come from the ancient lost city of Iyyon by later confusion with ayoun, the Arabic plural for "spring". "Marj" of course is simply "plain", thus "Plain of the Springs". The plain proper extends south from the present town to the Palestinian frontier and is surrounded on three sides by hills. Near the north end of the plain and less than two kilometers below the town is Tell Debbin, thought to be the actual site of the lost Iyyon.

This text is from Bruce Condès "See Lebanon - Over 100 Selected Trips, With History and Pictures". Harab Bijjani Press, Beirut, Lebanon 1960 - not in goodreads

http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/900/...

Robert Fisk: Untold story of the massacre of Marjayoun leaves blame on both sides of the border

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/c...

Israel takes Lebanese town of Marjayoun
10 AUG 2006 07:46 - KARAMALLAH DAHER

http://mg.co.za/article/2006-08-10-is...

Reclaiming What Was Lost:
A Conversation with Anthony Shadid

http://www.ou.edu/wlt/03_2012/intervi...

The border of Lebanon and Israel...a picture that speaks volumes.

Yes it does.

Makeshift Camps Growing in Lebanon for Syrian Refugees


Syrian refugee boys make their way in flooded water at a temporary refugee camp in the Lebanese town of Al-Faour, near the border with Syria, January 8, 2013 - AP

---------------------------------------------------------

Article dated today April 1, 2013

Jamie Dettmer
April 01, 2013
Voice of America

BEKAA VALLEY, LEBANON — According to a new United Nations report, about 400,000 Syrians have registered as refugees across Lebanon, but many more are undocumented. More than 95,000 refugees are in the Bekaa Valley alone, straining the resources of local communities.

The pace of the refugee influx from Syria into Lebanon is picking up as fighting intensifies around the capital of Damascus.

The Lebanese government has opted not to follow Syria’s other neighbors in setting up official refugee camps. Syrians mostly rent accommodation or are taken in by Lebanese families.

But with the flow of refugees rising rapidly, tent camps are beginning to sprout up. In Bar Elias in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, there are 11 tents for 70 refugees

Twenty-eight-year-old Abir Abo Ras has been in the makeshift camp for 20 days and gave birth two weeks ago. She has complications from the labor, has been bleeding, and is short of food for her newborn daughter.

“She’s very hungry and I cannot give her my milk," she said. "I weighed her yesterday and she is a half-kilo less.”

Jazeya Kassab, a 38-year-old mother of five from the city of Homs, says she had no choice but to come to Lebanon last month after government soldiers seized her husband and an air strike destroyed her house. Three of her children are with her but the two eldest stayed behind to find information about their father. "Nobody brought any blankets, and only one box of food,” she said.

Sana Abo Ras, a 25-year-old mother of two small boys from the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, says children recover slowly from the trauma of war and fleeing their homeland.n"When we came here the children used to wake up when they heard a dog barking or because of the jets there they used to wake up shivering. And we used some kind of medicine to help them sleep at night," she said.

The winter has passed in Lebanon, bringing warmer days. But the elderly and children in the camp remain wedged between wasteland and ramshackle concrete houses. The violence inside Syria makes it too dangerous to return home.

---------------------------------

You can see exactly where they are on the Lebanon map posted by Jill in message 2. (Bekaa Valley)

History of Lebanon Under Ottoman Rule

The Ottoman Empire at least nominally ruled Lebanon from its conquest in the sixteenth century until the end of World War I in 1918.

The Ottoman sultan, Salim I (1516–20), invaded Syria and Lebanon in 1516. Salim I, moved by the eloquence of the Lebanese ruler Amir Fakhr ad Din I (1516–44), decided to grant the Lebanese amirs a semiautonomous status. The Ottomans, through the Maans, a great Druze feudal family, and the Shihabs, a Sunni Muslim family that had converted to Christianity, ruled Lebanon until the middle of the nineteenth century. It was during Ottoman rule that the term Greater Syria was coined to designate the approximate area included in present-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Israel.

Ottoman administration, however, was only effective in urban areas, while most of the country was ruled by tribal chieftains, based largely on their ability to collect taxes for the sultan. The system of administration in Lebanon during this period is best described by the Arabic word iqta', which refers to a political system, similar to other feudal societies, composed of autonomous feudal families that were subservient to the emir, who himself was nominally loyal to the sultan; therefore, allegiance depended heavily upon personal loyalty.

It was precisely this power structure, made up of fiefdoms, that allowed Bashir II, an emir from the Shihab dynasty in the Druze and Maronite districts of Mount Lebanon, to become the most powerful figure in Greater Syria during the first part of the 19th century. It was during this period that Lebanon saw increasing class and religious antagonisms that would define Lebanese social and political life for decades to come.

Jill, thanks for the postings. Nice extra background for the book.

You are quite welcome,Kathy. I think we need to know as much about the area and its history as possible to fully appreciate Shadid's journey.

Syrian jets 'attack' Lebanese town

Residents of Arsal say two or three missiles hit the area, and houses have been affected. No casualties reported so far.

A Syrian jet has flown 20 kilometres into Lebanon and fired a missile at the outskirts of the border town of Arsal, witnesses said.

Residents of Arsal have told Al Jazeera that two or three missiles hit the area, and houses have been affected.

There has been no reports of casualties so far. This is the first time Syrian warplanes hit the town of Arsal.

The Syrian army launched another attack last month on a border town with Syria, roughly 15 km away from Arsal.

Michel Suleiman, the Lebanese President, called last month's attack an "unacceptable violation" of Lebanese sovereignty.

LBCI, a local television channel reported that that a helicopter hit a bordering area facing Arsal with two missiles.

Arsal hosts more than 20,000 Syrian refugees, which is almost half the half the population of Arsal.

Jill and Bentley,
Thank you so much for all of this background information. It is really helpful.

Jill has done a great job and I just add what is in the news.

The politics of Lebanon are in flux but the article below gives an overview of how the governments is set up, since the re-emergence of the country in 1943.

Politics in Lebanon

Since the emergence of the post-1943 state and after the destruction of the Ottoman Caliphate, national policy has been determined largely by a relatively restricted group of traditional regional and sectarian leaders. The 1943 National Pact, an unwritten agreement that established the political foundations of modern Lebanon, allocated political power on an essentially confessional system based on the 1932 census. Seats in parliament were divided on a 6-to-5 ratio of Christians to Muslims, until 1990 when the ratio changed to half and half. Positions in the government bureaucracy are allocated on a similar basis. The pact also by custom allocated public offices along religious lines, with the top three positions in the ruling "troika" distributed as follows:

The President, a Maronite Christian;
The Speaker of the Parliament, a Shi'a Muslim, and
The Prime Minister, a Sunni Muslim.

Efforts to alter or abolish the confessional system of allocating power have been at the centre of Lebanese politics for decades. Those religious groups most favoured by the 1943 formula sought to preserve it, while those who saw themselves at a disadvantage sought either to revise it after updating key demographic data or to abolish it entirely. Nonetheless, many of the provisions of the national pact were codified in the 1989 Ta'if Agreement, perpetuating sectarianism as a key element of Lebanese political life.

Although moderated somewhat under Ta'if, the Constitution gives the President a strong and influential position. The President has the authority to promulgate laws passed by the Parliament, to issue supplementary regulations to ensure the execution of laws, and to negotiate and ratify treaties.

The Parliament is elected by adult suffrage (majority age for election is 21)[2] based on a system of majority or "winner-take-all" for the various confessional groups. There has been a recent effort to switch to proportional representation which many argue will provide a more accurate assessment of the size of political groups and allow minorities to be heard. Most deputies do not represent political parties as they are known in the West, and rarely form Western-style groups in the assembly. Political blocs are usually based on confessional and local interests or on personal/family allegiance rather than on political affinities.

The parliament traditionally has played a significant role in financial affairs, since it has the responsibility for levying taxes and passing the budget. It also exercises political control over the cabinet through formal questioning of ministers on policy issues and by requesting a confidence debate.

Lebanon's judicial system is based on the Napoleonic Code. Juries are not used in trials. The Lebanese court system has three levels—courts of first instance, courts of appeal, and the court of cassation. There also is a system of religious courts having jurisdiction over personal status matters within their own communities, e.g., rules on such matters as marriage, divorce, and inheritance.

Lebanese political institutions often play a secondary role to highly confessionalized personality-based politics. Powerful families also still play an independent role in mobilizing votes for both local and parliamentary elections. Nonetheless, a lively panoply of domestic political parties, some even predating independence, exists. The largest are all confessional based. The Free Patriotic Movement, The Kataeb Party, also known as the Phalange Party, the National Bloc, National Liberal Party, Lebanese Forces and the Guardians of the Cedars (now outlawed) each have their own base among Christians and it's controversial as to which group has the largest popularity. Amal and Hezbollah are the main rivals for the organized Shi'a vote, and the PSP (Progressive Socialist Party) is the leading Druze party. While Shi'a and Druze parties command fierce loyalty to their leaderships, there is more factional infighting among many of the Christian parties. Sunni parties have not been the standard vehicle for launching political candidates, and tend to focus across Lebanon's borders on issues that are important to the community at large. Lebanon's Sunni parties include Hizb ut-Tahrir, Future Movement, Independent Nasserist Organization (INO), the Al-Tawhid, and Ahbash. In addition to domestic parties, there are branches of pan-Arab secular parties (Ba'ath parties, socialist and communist parties) that were active in the 1960s and throughout the period of civil war.

There are differences both between and among Muslim and Christian parties regarding the role of religion in state affairs. There is a very high degree of political activism among religious leaders across the sectarian spectrum. The interplay for position and power among the religious, political, and party leaders and groups produces a political tapestry of extraordinary complexity.

In the past, the system worked to produce a viable democracy. Events over the last decade and long-term demographic trends, however, have upset the delicate Muslim-Christian-Druze balance and resulted in greater segregation across the social spectrum. Whether in political parties, places of residence, schools, media outlets, even workplaces, there is a lack of regular interaction across sectarian lines to facilitate the exchange of views and promote understanding. All factions have called for a reform of the political system.

Some Christians favor political and administrative decentralization of the government, with separate Muslim and Christian sectors operating within the framework of a confederation. Muslims, for the most part, prefer a unified, central government with an enhanced share of power commensurate with their larger share of the population. The reforms of the Ta'if agreement moved in this direction but have not been fully realized.

Palestinian refugees, predominantly Sunni Muslims, whose numbers are estimated at between 160,000-225,000, are not active on the domestic political scene. Nonetheless, they constitute an important minority whose naturalization/ settlement in Lebanon is vigorously opposed by most Lebanese, who see them as a threat to Lebanon's delicate confessional balance.

On September 3, 2004, the Lebanese Parliament voted 96-29 to amend the constitution to extend President Émile Lahoud's six-year term (which was about to expire) by another three years. The move was supported by Syria, which maintained a large military presence in Lebanon.

Following the withdrawal of Syrian troops in April 2005, Lebanon held parliamentary elections in four rounds, from 29 May to 19 June. The elections, the first for 33 years without the presence of Syrian military forces, were won by the Quadripartite alliance, which was part the Rafik Hariri Martyr List, a coalition of several parties and organizations newly opposed to Syrian domination of Lebanese politics.
Source: Wikipedia

The planting of the olive tree by Shadid at Isber's house is representative of his heritage. Below is some interesting information about the olive tree.

The Old Olive Trees of the Middle East

The olive tree, Olea europaea, is very hardy: drought-, disease- and fire-resistant, it can live to a great age. Its root system is robust and capable of regenerating the tree even if the above-ground structure is destroyed. The older the olive tree, the broader and more gnarled the trunk becomes. Many olive trees in the groves around the Mediterranean are said to be hundreds of years old, while an age of 2,000 years is claimed for a number of individual trees; in some cases, this has been scientifically verified

The town of Bshaale, Lebanon claims to have the oldest olive trees in the world (4000 BC for the oldest), but no scientific study supports these claims. Other trees in the towns of Amioun appear to be at least 1,500 years old.

There are dozens of ancient olive trees throughout Israel and Palestine which age has earlier been estimated to be 1,600–2,000 years old, however this estimates could not be supported by current scientific practices. Ancient trees include two giant olive trees in Arraba and five trees in Deir Hanna, both in the Galilee region, which have been determined to be over 3,000 years old, although there is no available data to support the credibility of the study that produced these age estimates and as such the 3000 years age estimate can not be considered valid. All seven trees continue to produce olives. Several trees in the Garden of Gethsemane (from the Hebrew words "gat shemanim" or olive press) in Jerusalem are claimed to date back to the time of Jesus.

What beautiful specimens Jill. That is so impressive that they live that long. Olive trees which date back to Jesus - that is amazing.

I knew they were old but had no idea they were that old. They also were (and still are) part of the economic base of Lebanon and some other Middle East countries through the fruit, oil, leaf, and wood.

Beautiful and an ancient soul.

The Flag of Lebanon
The present Lebanese flag was adopted just prior to independence from France in 1943. Seeking independence, the actual flag was first drawn by member of parliament Henri Pharaon in the Chamber of deputies Saeb Salam's house in Mousaitbeh by the deputies of the Lebanese parliament. It was adopted on December 7, 1943, during a meeting in the parliament, where the article 5 in the Lebanese constitution was modified.

One theory is that since Henri Pharaon was a long-time consul in Vienna, Austria and was an avid friend and founder of the "Austro-Lebanese Association of Friendship", the colors could have been inspired by the red-white-red Flag of Austria. The Austrian flag is the second oldest in the world, dating to the 13th century when it first probably appeared after the Siege of Acre during the Third Crusade.

It was designed to be a neutral flag, not allied to any one of Lebanon's religious groups. The red stripes symbolize the pure blood shed in the aim of liberation. The white stripe symbolizes peace, and the white snow covering Lebanon's mountains. The green cedar, (Species: Cedrus libani or Lebanon Cedar) symbolizes immortality and steadiness.

This cedar is referenced many times in the Bible: "The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon" (Psalms 92:12). There is also some reference in W. Smith's 1980 book on the colours: "The red and white colours are those associated, respectively, with the Qaysites and Yemenites, opposing clans that divided Lebanese society between 634 and 1711 AD". However, that explanation is poorly known (not to mention quite unheard of) in the Lebanese tradition.

It is a common mistake to draw the branches of the cedar and the tree trunk in brown or black which could be seen as unconstitutional. The cedar should be fully green regarding the provisions in the Constitution.

Cemento tiles

Tiles used in Lebanese homes which resemble the Muslim prayer rug.

The style of many of the Lebanese homes of the present time. Notice the Moorish influence.

Thank you, Jill for all this information. The religious factionalism, in particular, seems a recipe for further disaster in what was once such a beautiful place.

How true, Ann. And one of the beautiful things for which the country is famous are the beautiful cedars of Lebanon........ so many of which have been destroyed by war.

That's a beautiful picture, Jill. Those cedars have been famous for centuries.

Shadid mentions Mount Hermon. It is a beautiful snow covered mountain. In fact, I found out that there are ski resorts in Lebanon - news to me!

Here is a picture of Mount Hermon:

Jill and Ann, the pictures and other information really enhance the reading of the book - thank you!

Jill wrote: "How true, Ann. And one of the beautiful things for which the country is famous are the beautiful cedars of Lebanon........ so many of which have been destroyed by war.

"
Beautiful photos Ann and Jill.

Thanks Ann for the photo and to Donna and Bentley for the comments. When we read about a country or region of which we are not particularly familiar, I think it helps to be able to see more than a word picture of some of the things mentioned.

Thanks. I agree, Jill. After all a picture is worth a thousand words. :)

It is indeed, Kathy. Frankly,I didn't know that Lebanon was so beautiful.

Hezbollah

Hezbollah, Arabic Ḥizb Allāh (“Party of God”), also spelled Hezbullah or Hizbullah , militia group and political party that first emerged as a faction in Lebanon following the Israeli invasion of that country in 1982.

Shīʿite Muslims, traditionally the weakest religious group in Lebanon, first found their voice in the moderate and largely secular Amal movement. Following the Islamic revolution in Shīʿite Iran in 1979 and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, a group of Lebanese Shīʿite clerics formed Hezbollah with the goal of driving Israel from Lebanon and establishing an Islamic state there. Hezbollah was based in the predominately Shīʿite areas of the Biqāʿ Valley, southern Lebanon, and southern Beirut. It coordinated its efforts closely with Iran, from which it acquired substantial logistical support, and drew its manpower largely from disaffected younger, more radical members of Amal. Throughout the 1980s Hezbollah engaged in increasingly sophisticated attacks against Israel and fought in Lebanon’s civil war (1975–90), repeatedly coming to blows with Amal. During that time, Hezbollah allegedly engaged in terrorist attacks including kidnappings and car bombings, directed predominantly against Westerners, but also established a comprehensive social services network for its supporters.

Hezbollah was one of the few militia groups not disarmed by the Syrians at the end of the civil war, and they continued to fight a sustained guerrilla campaign against Israel in southern Lebanon until Israel’s withdrawal in 2000. Hezbollah emerged as a leading political party in post-civil war Lebanon.

On July 12, 2006, Hezbollah, in an attempt to pressure Israel into releasing three Lebanese jailed in Israeli prisons, launched a military operation against Israel, killing a number of Israeli soldiers and abducting two as prisoners of war. This action led Israel to launch a major military offensive against Hezbollah. The 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 Lebanese and the displacement of some 1,000,000. Fighting the Israeli Defense Forces to a standstill—a feat no other Arab militia had accomplished—Hezbollah and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, emerged as heroes throughout much of the Arab world. In the months following the war, Hezbollah used its prestige to attempt to topple Lebanon’s government after its demands for more cabinet seats were not met: its members, along with those of the Amal militia, resigned from the cabinet. The opposition then declared that the remaining cabinet had lost its legitimacy and demanded the formation of a new government in which Hezbollah and its opposition allies would possess the power of veto.

Late the following year, efforts by the National Assembly to select a successor at the end of Lebanese Pres. Émile Lahoud’s nine-year term were stalemated by the continued power struggle between the Hezbollah-led opposition and the Western-backed government. A boycott by the opposition—which continued to seek the veto power it had been denied—prevented the assembly from reaching a two-thirds quorum. Lahoud’s term expired in November 2007, and the presidency remained unoccupied as the factions struggled to reach a consensus on a candidate and the makeup of the new government.


In May 2008, clashes between Hezbollah forces and government supporters in Beirut were sparked by government decisions that included plans to dismantle Hezbollah’s private telecommunications network. Nasrallah equated the government decisions with a declaration of war and mobilized Hezbollah forces, which quickly took control of parts of Beirut. In the following days the government reversed the decisions that had sparked the outbreak of violence, and a summit attended by both factions in Qatar led to an agreement granting the Hezbollah-led opposition the veto power it had long sought.

In July 2008 Hezbollah and Israel concluded an agreement securing the exchange of several Lebanese prisoners and the remains of Lebanese and Palestinian fighters in return for the remains of Israeli soldiers, including the bodies of two soldiers whose capture by Hezbollah had sparked the brief war two years earlier.

In November 2009, after months of negotiations following National Assembly elections, Hezbollah and its allies agreed to form a unity government with Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s March 14 bloc. Tension arose in 2010, following reports that the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon, investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri, had focused its investigation on senior Hezbollah officials and that it would soon issue indictments. Nasrallah condemned the tribunal as politically biased and compromised by forged evidence, and he called for the Lebanese government to stop cooperating with the investigation. The March 14 bloc continued to support the tribunal, resulting in a tense standoff. After attempts by Syria and Saudi Arabia to mediate between the two sides failed, Hezbollah forced the collapse of the unity government by withdrawing its two ministers and nine allied ministers from the cabinet. In January 2011 Najib Mikati, a Sunni billionaire, was nominated to be prime minister after receiving the backing of Hezbollah and its allies in parliament. Mikati’s appointment, a sign of Hezbollah’s increasing political strength, triggered protests by supporters of the March 14 bloc, who charged that the new government would be too closely aligned with Iran and Syria, Hezbollah’s principle supporters. In June 2011, after five months of deliberations, Mikati announced the formation of a new 30-member cabinet, with 18 of the posts filled by Hezbollah allies. No posts were assigned to members of the March 14 bloc.

In late June 2011 the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon issued arrest warrants for four suspects in the killing of Rafiq al-Hariri, who were identified by Lebanese officials as Hezbollah commanders and operatives. In response, Nasrallah denounced the tribunal and vowed never to turn over the four suspects.

Thank you for that information, Jill. As always, I feel so sorry for ordinary people caught up in this political quagmire. Things don't look very positive for the future, do they?

As you pointed out, Hezbollah not only has a military arm, but it also provides social services for its people. I think that is an important part of their attraction.

I think people see it as the dual role of protector (whether from Israel or other neighbors) and an organization that cares for its people. That type of identity will hold the people close as it is the lesser of the evils.

My Syrian friend's aunt used to make labneh for me all the time. It is the same as that made in Lebanon and it is delicious.



Lebanese Yogurt

Yogurt, strained or not, is an important element in Levantine cuisine, eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For breakfast it is eaten with olive oil, cheese, olives and bread.[citation needed] One famous Levantine dish is labneh mixed with crushed dry mint leaves, garlic, salt and sliced cucumbers. Laban can be eaten sweet or salted, and used for stuffed vegetables, meat stew, and fried kibbe.

Labneh is most commonly made of cows' milk, which is available all year, but also from goats' milk from April to September. It is either eaten alone or used as a filling for pita sandwiches. It can also be served as a light dish at dinner. Labneh is used as a spread on pita bread or Marouq bread. Olive oil, vegetables, mint, thyme, garlic or other spices are usually added to dishes and sandwiches.

Labneh bil zayit 'labneh in oil' consists of small balls of dry labneh kept under oil, where it can be preserved for over a year. As it ages it turns more sour.

Labneh malboudeh is drained labneh

Nice addition, Jill. Very similar to Greek tzaziki, I think.

The link below leads to the home page of the US Embassy in Beirut and contains news from Lebanon as well as other information useful for those thinking of traveling to that country. Interesting.

http://lebanon.usembassy.gov/

Below find the link for the American Embassy in Beirut which provides local news and other information for travelers wanting to visit Lebanon.

http://lebanon.usembassy.gov/

You're making me hungry, Jill, with that description of labneh!

It is delicious with flat bread!

Jill wrote: "It is delicious with flat bread!"

You have convinced me to try cooking now. Trying to decide between two lebanese cookbooks. I collect cookbooks like all other books. Eating always adds to the experience!

by Kamal Al-Faqih (no photo)

by Salma Hage (no photo)

Let us know if you come up with a good recipe.

Goodness gracious Jill - you are making me hungry.

An acquaintance of Shadid who moved on to bigger and better things.



Michel Aouen

Michel Naim Aoun (Arabic: ميشال عون‎) (born 30 September 1933) is a former Lebanese Army Commander and now a politician and leader of the Free Patriotic Movement.

From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, Aoun served as Prime Minister of the legal faction of the two rival governments contending for power at that time. He declared "The Liberation War" against the Syrian Occupation on 14 March 1989. On 13 October 1990, the Syrian forces invaded Beirut killing hundreds of unarmed soldiers and civilians. General Aoun fled to the French embassy, and was later allowed to travel to France. He returned to Lebanon on 7 May 2005, eleven days after the withdrawal of Syrian troops. In 2006, as head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hezbollah. He visited Syria in 2009. Aoun is a Member of Parliament. He leads the Free Patriotic Movement party which has 27 representatives and is the second biggest bloc in the parliament.

Link to the I Like to Learn Quiz on the Middle East - lots of fun and learn the locations of all of the countries in this area:

http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2lear...

After WWI when the Ottoman Empire was being divided, Lebanon came under the control of the French through this treaty/agreement

The Sykes-Picot Agreement

The Sykes–Picot Agreement, officially known as the Asia Minor Agreement, was a secret agreement between the governments of the United Kingdom and France, with the assent of Russia, defining their proposed spheres of influence and control in the Middle East should the Triple Entente succeed in defeating the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The negotiation of the treaty occurred between November 1915 and March 1916. The agreement was concluded on 16 May 1916.

The agreement effectively divided the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire outside the Arabian peninsula into areas of future British and French control or influence. The terms were negotiated by the French diplomat François Georges-Picot and British Sir Mark Sykes. The Russian Tsarist government was a minor party to the Sykes–Picot agreement, and when, following the Russian Revolution of October 1917, the Bolsheviks exposed the agreement, 'the British were embarrassed, the Arabs dismayed and the Turks delighted.'

Territorial allocations

Britain was allocated control of areas roughly comprising the coastal strip between the sea and River Jordan, Jordan, southern Iraq, and a small area including the ports of Haifa and Acre, to allow access to the Mediterranean. France was allocated control of south-eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.[citation needed] Russia was to get Istanbul, the Turkish Straits and the Ottoman Armenian vilayets. The controlling powers were left free to decide on state boundaries within these areas.[6] Further negotiation was expected to determine international administration pending consultations with Russia and other powers, including the Sharif of Mecca.

One thing that I have noticed is how small Lebanon is in comparison to some of its bullish neighbors like Syria.

Religion in Lebanon as Represented by the Population of Beirut

Beirut is one of the most cosmopolitan and religiously diverse cities of Lebanon and all of the Middle East. The city boasts significant Christian and Muslim communities. There are nine major religious groups in Beirut: Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Armenian Apostolic, Armenian Catholic, Protestant, Sunni Muslim, Shia Muslim, and Druze. Family matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance are still handled by the religious authorities representing a person's faith (the Ottoman "millet" system). Calls for civil marriage are unanimously rejected by the religious authorities, but civil marriages held in another country are recognized by Lebanese civil authorities. Until the mid-20th century, Beirut was also home to a Jewish community in the Bab Idriss sector of Zokak el-Blat. In the 2009 Lebanese general elections, 435,462 people voted in Beirut: 192,910 (45%) were Sunni Muslims, 60,202 (14%) Shia Muslims, 46,744 (11%) Armenian Apostolic Orthodox, 42,728 (10%) Greek Orthodox Christians, 24,800 (6%) Maronite Catholics, 18,923 (4%) Greek Catholics, 9,623 (2%) Armenian Catholics, 6,883 (1%) Protestants, 21,806 (5%) other Christians, 5,374 (1%) Jews, 5,251 (1%) Druze, 218.

Before the civil war the neighborhoods of Beirut were fairly heterogeneous, but they became largely segregated by religion since the conflict. East Beirut has a mainly Christian population with a small Muslim minority, while West Beirut has a Muslim majority with small minorities of Christians and Druze. Since the end of the civil war, East and West Beirut have begun to see an increase in Muslims and Christians moving into each half. The southern suburbs are populated largely by Shia Muslims, while the eastern and northern suburbs are largely Christian. Northern Beirut has also had a large Lebanese Protestant community since the 19th century.

The city has five dioceses within its territory. The Maronite Catholic Church has had an episcopal see since 1577, currently under Archbishop Paul Youssef Matar, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, under Archbishop Cyril Salim Bustros. It also has the Armenian Catholic Church under the jurisdiction of Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, as well as the Chaldean Catholic Church which has had a presence in the city since 1957. It also has the Syriac Catholic Church under the jurisdication of Ignatius Joseph III Yonan.
The city is also home to a small number of Latin Rite Roman Catholics in the form of an apostolic vicariate with Archbishop Paul Dahdah, OCD, as the apostolic vicar.

Beirut on the Mediterranean Sea