| El Assaad الأسعد | |
|---|---|
| Emirs (Princes) of Belad Bechara and Bakaweit of South Lebanon | |
 El Assaad Headquarters 1749-1893 | |
| Country | Jabal Amil, Lebanon |
| Place of origin | Najd |
| Founded | 1706 |
| Founder | Ali Al-Saghir Nasif al-Nassar |
| Final ruler | Kamil Bey El Assaad (El-Esat) |
| Titles |
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El-Assaad or Al As'ad (Arabic: الأسعد) is an Arab feudal political family who originated from Najd and is a main branch of the Anizah tribe.[1] Unrelated to Syrian or Palestinian al-Assads, the El-Assaad dynasty that ruled most of South Lebanon for three centuries and whose lineage defended the local people of the Jabal Amel (Mount Amel) principality – today southern Lebanon – for 36 generations, they also held influence in Balqa in Jordan, Nablus in Palestine, and Homs in Syria during Ottomans rule.
Key figures in their history include Sheikh al Mashayekh (Chief of Chiefs) Nasif al-Nassar ibn al-Waeli,[2] who governed during the Arab caliphate, and Sabib Pasha El-Assaad,[3] who navigated Ottoman conquests. Ali Bek El-Assaad ruled over Belad Bechara, a part of Jabal Amel, while Ali Nassrat Bek served as an Advisor of the Court and held a superior position in the Ottoman Empire's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Moustafa Nassar Bek El-Assaad served as the Supreme Court President of Lebanon during the colonial French administration, and Hassib Bek, also a supreme court Judge, played a significant role in legal proceedings across the Levant.[4][5]
The patriarchy originated when Bedouin Ali al-Saghir (Saghir, the Young) travelled from the Najd. They were proclaimed as El-Assaad (the Most Rejoiceful) by their adopting people of Jabal Amel after liberating Sidon and Tyre, its ancient and biblical capitals from Byzantine tyrants. Ali's tribe, the Anazzah (of Bani Wael) also the tribe of al-Saud royalty, travelled northwest in search of arable farmland.
During the El-Assaad era, provincial governors operated with the consent of local clans. In exchange for their protection and support of trade against external threats, these governors were granted Khuwwa, a voluntary crop-sharing system. This arrangement ensured the preservation for the freedom of individuals against imperial taxation regimes. However, as domestic ideological conflicts, foreign interventions, and corruption escalated, the El-Assaad regime struggled to maintain its control, leading to a rapid deterioration of stability and governance.[6]
El-Assaads are now considered "Bakaweit" (title of nobility plural of "Bek" granted to a few wealthy families in Lebanon in the early 18th century), and are considered princes or heirs to the family's dynasty to some.
- ^ Fouad Ajami, The Vanished Imam: Musa al-Sadr and the Shi'a of Lebanon (Itahac: Cornell University Press, 1986) p. 69
- ^ Philipp, Thomas (2013). Acre: The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian City, 1730–1831. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231506038.
- ^ M. Firro, Kais (2006). "The Shi'is in Lebanon: Between Communal 'Asabiyya and Arab Nationalism, 1908-21". Middle Eastern Studies. 42 (4): 535–550. doi:10.1080/00263200600642175. JSTOR 4284474. S2CID 144197971.
- ^ Gharbieh, Hussein M (1996). Political awareness of the Shi'ites in Lebanon : the role of Sayyid #Abd al-Husain Sharaf al-Din and Sayyid Musa al-Sadr. Durham Theses, Durham University (Doctoral). Durham University. pp. 3–293.
- ^ Nucho, Emile N. (1972). "The Shi'i Matawila of Lebanon: A Study of their Political Development in Historical Perspective". McGill University. Institute of Islamic Studies (1): 15,134. Archived from the original on 2023-04-12. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
- ^ Grimblat, Francis (1988). "LA Communauté Chiite Libanaise et Le Mouvement National Palestinien 1967–1986". Guerres Mondiales et Conflits Contemporains. 151 (151): 71–91. JSTOR 25730511.
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