From Our Heritage: Stories from Lebanon

From Our Heritage

Lebanese emigration to Egypt is no new story; from the most ancient times the Lebanese were in constant contact with the Egyptians, and the interests of the two peoples met time and again in more than one world — and history bears witness to it.

In the Phoenician era, for example, political, cultural, and economic relations between the two sides were at their zenith... In the year 1100 before Christ the Phoenicians discovered the American continent, and from it they used to bring the substance "salter" with which the ancient Egyptians embalmed their dead; and it is said that an Egyptian colony was carried by Phoenician ships to that continent and shared with its Phoenician discoverers in settling it.

And in our modern history there are true stories about the earliest of our emigrants to Egypt of whom we know, among them the following story:

In the year 1797, the commander Bonaparte marched from Egypt upon Syria, and his advance ended at Acre (the city of al-Jazzar), to which he laid siege. He had sought the aid of Emir Bashir al-Shihabi, but the emir did not think it wise to side with him, for fear that he might fail in his campaign and himself fall into the grip of al-Jazzar.

At the same time he saw fit to keep open a line of retreat and to win the favor of the French commander, so he secretly prompted the Lebanese to furnish provisions and supplies to his army; and the Lebanese answered their emir's wish, knowing the political cunning that lay behind it.

One day a caravan came to the French camp carrying a quantity of Lebanon's golden wine. Bonaparte tasted the wine and it pleased him, and he asked after the owner of the caravan that had brought it from Lebanon and ordered that he be brought before him. When the man stood before him, he said to him:

— Your gift has pleased me; what do you ask in return for it?

The man answered him in a tone not lacking in eloquence:

— Long live the commander... It is a custom of ours, we Lebanese, to give gifts and ask no fee or reward.

The answer pleased Bonaparte... and he pressed the man to ask for something... And seeing no way out of asking, he said:

— Then I ask his honor the commander to ease my way to travel to Egypt.

That man was Salameh Hashimeh of Bikfaya.

And a second story:

The armies of the commander Bonaparte had swept away the state of the Mamluks in Egypt and scattered them in every direction... This displeased the Ottoman State, and anxiety over India seized the English, so they concluded with Constantinople an alliance against that adventurous commander; and the consequence of it was his failure at the siege of Acre and his withdrawal from it.

No sooner had he returned to Egypt than the armies of Constantinople advanced upon it and waged against him a war after which he was forced to take ship and return to France.

Now in one of the divisions of the Ottoman army there was a bold Arnaut soldier named Muhammad Ali. Hardly had the French left the valley of the Nile, and the Mamluks returned to spread their dominion over it, than ambition crept into him and the love of adventure awoke in his soul... His devil made it seem fair to him to seize the throne of that country, and he said in his heart: — May I not, like these Mamluks, sit upon this throne?

His complete manliness had won him the affection of many of his fellow soldiers... and these were in constant revolt at the government's delay in paying their wages, so he saw that this was the point he must exploit to attain his desire. But the matter required money, and he had no money. Whence, then, was he to get it?

There was a tavern he was in the habit of frequenting, belonging to a man from Lebanon named Yusuf Kanaan. Yusuf used to receive him warmly in his tavern — perhaps it was his fear of "the Arnaut" that moved him to it — but Muhammad Ali never thought of that, and took Yusuf's warmth for friendship, and so came to count him among the

foremost of his friends.

And Yusuf noticed that something in his friend had changed... He would come to the tavern pensive and careworn, and go away as though mountains of care weighed upon him... One day he resolved to learn the secret of this change, and said to him:
— Will my friend permit me to ask what troubles him?
Muhammad Ali looked at him with the look of a man hesitating to answer, then said:
— Listen, Yusuf... I want ten thousand piasters.
Yusuf opened his eyes wide and said:
— Ten thousand piasters... and what do you need them for?
He answered at once:
— I want to rule Egypt...
He wants to rule Egypt... just like that, in all simplicity... and with ten thousand piasters... No doubt he was joking, or touched in his mind — but would Yusuf dare say that to him?
And since an answer had to be given, he said:
— May God grant you your wish... but...
The ambitious soldier did not let him finish, and said to him:
You must procure this money for me, and no excuse will be accepted from you.
And he left him and went his way...
Yusuf went home sorrowful. He had a wise mother, and she asked him what ailed him... and when he told her the story of the Arnaut she comforted him and said:
— Take my jewelry and sell it, and give the man its price, for I see that he will become a man of consequence. And your kindness will not be lost upon him.
Muhammad Ali availed himself of Yusuf's money... and carried out a military coup that brought him to power.

... He wished to satisfy his soldiers while the treasury was empty, so he ordered them to plunder the principal commercial markets of the city; and when they had done so, he summoned the plundered merchants and pledged them full compensation for their looted goods after the passage of a single month, and issued his orders that the state revenues be collected with speed.
Before the appointed term drew near, the crier was calling in the markets of the city, summoning everyone to whom Muhammad Ali Pasha owed a debt to come to him and collect it.
All the creditors came — except Yusuf. Muhammad Ali had been waiting for him before all the rest... and when he did not appear, he summoned him and said to him:

— All have come and received their debts except you... You were a friend when you lent to me, not a creditor, and that is why you did not come; and this moves me to be a friend in turn, and I shall repay your debt in full: from this moment I grant you the revenues of the Egyptian customs.
So saying, he handed him a notice that the customs money had been paid into the treasury... Nor did he stop at that, but went on: Nor do I forget your mother's kindness... She sold her jewelry to satisfy me, and by her grace I came to power — I owe it to her. And therefore, Yusuf, I open to you the door of my divan: you may come in to me whenever you wish, without asking leave, and every need of yours shall be fulfilled with me...