Osseiran family

The Osseiran Family (Arabic: عائلة عسيران‎) of Lebanon, like the Haidar and Suleiman families of the Bekaa region, are descended from the Bani Assad tribe of Southern Iraq.

According to the late Lebanese writer and historian Ahmed Abu Saad, the distant ancestors of the Osseiran family migrated to the Levant and first settled in the ancient city of Baalbeck in the 17th century. After a feud with the Emirs of the Harfush clan, who were in control of Baalbeck, the direct ancestor of the Osseirans migrated to Sidon, where he started the family known by his name, Osseiran.

Little is known of the early generations of the Osseiran family, except that they were generally in trade. In the mid-19th century, they acquired large fortunes through commerce and gradually bought vast lands throughout what is now Southern Lebanon, or Jabal Amel. They also acquired (in 1849) the consulate of the Kingdom of Persia in Sidon.

Al-Hajj Ali Osseiran, grandfather of the co-founder of modern Lebanon Adel Osseiran, was at once the consul of Persia and Effendim of the Ottoman Empire, a title granted him by the Turkish Sultan.

Al-Hajj Hassan Osseiran, a cousin of al-Hajj Ali, was a man of learning and philanthropy, and had several children who took up diplomatic posts in different Levantine cities. All this is mentioned by Abu Saad in his book about the families of Lebanon.

Of the five sons of the Effendim, Abdullah, Rashid, Rida, Najib, and Kamil, three died of the plague during World War I. They had been implicated in the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottomans.

It is said, though not proven, that during the famine of the Great War the Osseirans opened up their storehouses of grain to feed the hungry people.

In the 1930s, most of the Osseirans gave up their Persian nationality to become Lebanese citizens. The descendants of the Osseirans who were abroad at the time continued to carry Iranian passports until the early 1990s.

The Osseirans were distinguished by the fact that they were generally better educated than most of their contemporaries, having attended missionary schools and having knowledge of foreign languages, including Persian, Turkish, and French.

The Osseiran family has produced a number of pioneers and distinguished professionals in different fields including politics (e.g., Najib Osseiran, Rashid Osseiran, Adel Osseiran, Samih Rashid Osseiran and Ali Adel Osseiran, religion (e.g., Sheikh Mohamad Osseiran) and (Père Afif Osseiran). In medicine, there was Dr. Sharif Osseiran and Dr. Fouad Osseiran. Other Osseirans distinguished themselves in law, journalism, like Zouhair Osseiran, literature such as Leila Osseiran, education and in art, as well as many other disciplines. Today, important figures among them are not only in Lebanon but are found in all of the Arab world, Europe, Canada and the United States.

See also

• Bani Assad
• Adel Osseiran
• Ali Osseiran
• Sheikh Mohamad Osseiran
• Ayad Allawi
• Ahmed Chalabi

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