From Our Heritage

How Emir Fakhr al-Din worked, by sword and cunning, to con-solidate Lebanon's existence and build its sovereignty

The battle of Anjar was one of the great battles in the history of the Lebanese Emirate, and one of the decisive battles in which victory was written for this Emirate's first hero, the builder of the edifice of its power, its glory, and its independence: the great Emir Fakhr al-Din al-Ma'ni II.

By the year 1623, Emir Fakhr al-Din had spread the canopy of his rule over most of the eyalets and sanjaks of Arabistan — the name Arabistan then denoted the lands stretching from Aleppo in the north to al-Arish of Egypt in the south, and from the river Euphrates in the east to the coast of the Mediterranean in the west — and he had come to dream of annexing what remained of these lands to his emirate; and Constantinople was compelled to grant him the title of Sultan of the Land in recognition of him.

It was natural that so great an emir should have rivals and enviers... among them Emir Yunus al-Harfush, lord of Baalbek. It so happened that the latter intrigued with Mustafa Pasha, the wali of Damascus, to remove Fakhr al-Din from the sanjak of Safad and have the governorship of that sanjak assigned to himself; and since the wali hated Fakhr al-Din, he

granted him his wish.

Word of this reached Fakhr al-Din, and he wrote to Mustafa Pasha, saying:

"I have learned that Emir Yunus al-Harfush has offered a thousand gold pieces more for the sanjak of Safad; I offer a hundred thousand more for the lands of Baalbek and the Bekaa..." But the wali of Damascus paid no heed to his letter and his offer.

So the Ma'ni Emir had no choice but to let the sword decide... He refused to surrender the sanjak of Safad, and Mustafa Pasha counted this a rebellion against his orders; he gathered his armies from every quarter and marched, making for Lebanon, where Ibn al-Harfush and his partisans had assembled to join him.

Fakhr al-Din did not hesitate to reply in kind. He wrote to his son, Emir Ali, to meet him with his men at Qabb Elias, and likewise to his brother, Emir Yunus, and to the Lam'i muqaddams and other partisans; and they came to him with their men and their arms.

At Qabb Elias was Emir Hasan, son of Emir Yunus al-Harfush, to whom the Emir had married one of his daughters, to strengthen the ties between himself and his family, and to whom he had given a house at Qabb Elias to live in... The young man thought to invite his father-in-law to a banquet held in his honor, and the Emir accepted the invitation with his chief commanders and his retinue. When he had settled in his place,

he said to his son-in-law:

— What ails your father, Hasan, that he sets himself against us in enmity?... We have ever sought his friendship, and our daughter, your wife, is nothing but the pledge of our friendship. Can it please him that our fortune should pass away, when we are its rightful people, so that strangers may enjoy it?

When the young Emir made no answer, he went on:

— We, Husayn, care nothing for intrigues... Many have fought us with them, and they were not honorable in their warfare... No — he is no honorable man who leans upon a foreign sword to fight the sons of his own country... And we have never once drawn the sword but to raise the standing of our homeland... Does your father deny that?

Anger showed in his eyes, and he said sharply:

— If he does, the edge of this sword will compel him to acknowledge it.

Emir Husayn had to say some-thing, so he said:

— Pardon, my lord... You have made me hear what I did not need to hear in order to show my loy-alty... I remain the captive of your favor, and it is honor enough for me to be your daughter's husband. Has word ever come to you that I thought of rising against you?

But Fakhr al-Din was too shrewd to be taken in by such "loyalty." He said:

— No; and I am certain that you will fight at my side.

At this the Harfush Emir's face went pale, and he said in confusion:

— Does my lord have need of my sword?

Fakhr al-Din smiled and answered:

— To prove your loyalty...

Emir Husayn grew still more confused, and said:

— My lord... to draw the sword in your service is a duty... but there is another duty, a natural duty, which