- Battle of Ain Darra
The Battle of Ain Dara took place in the town of
Ain Dara in 1711. It was between theKaysi and theYemeni Druze with the Kaysis victorious.Background
Traditionally there had been two branches of
Druze living in theJabal Amel region. The Yemeni Druze were headed by theHamdan andAl-Atrash families and the Kaysi Druze were headed by theJumblatt andArslan families. They continued 1,100 years of Yemeni vs Kaysi wars that were also fought inTunisia ,Sicily andSpain .The most triumphant
Kaysi victory occurred during this battle. In 1711, they launched a surprise attack on the Yemeni Druze who were waiting for reinforcement from theWali ofDamascus . They were able to diminish the Yemeni Druze power in Lebanon and force them to settleJabal ad-Duruz in theHauran region of Syria.Effects on the future of Lebanon
Lebanon until that time was still a feudal region ruled by families that controlled tribes and maintained a power balance. After the defeat of the Yemeni Druze and their banishment to Jabal ad-Duruz they became more dependent on the
Ottoman Empire for support. In the other hand, theKaysi Druze depended heavily on their strategic alliance with theMaronite Christian s to fight for the Kaysi cause.The Fall of the Ottomans
The Yemeni Druze ended up losing their power in the region with the
Young Turks revolt andWorld War I , paving the way for the creation of the concept of theGreater Lebanon and the complete influence of the Kaysi Druze among the Druze community in Lebanon.ources
* Almaqhafi, Awwad: "Qabayl Wa Biton Al-Arab"
* Almsaodi, Abdulaziz: "Tarikh Qabayl Al-Arab"External links
Sources
* [http://www.druzehistoryandculture.com/ History and sites of the Druze]
* [http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/L/Joshua.M.Landis-1/Joshua_Landis_Druze_and_Shishakli.htm Rise and fall of the Syrian Druze]
* [http://www.druzestudies.org/ Institute of Druze Studies] , San Diego, California
* [http://www.druzenet.org/ Druzenet] , English publications
* [http://www.religioustolerance.org/druse.htm Druse, Druze, Mowahhidoon] described at the OCRT site
* [http://dorar.net/melal.asp?art_id=381 Arabic Site about Druze] with sample from their scriptures
* [http://www.ismaili.net/Source/1325.html Druze Catechism]
* [http://59.1911encyclopedia.org/D/DR/DRUSES.htm 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article]
* [http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9363131/Druze Encyclopedia Brittanica Concise Article about Druze]
* [http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9031268/Druze Encyclopedia Brittanica Concise Longer Article about Druze]
* [http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Druze.html Druze] by Pam Rohland
* [http://www.semp.us/biots/biot_176.html SEMP - Who are the Druze?]Communities
* [http://www.druzechat.org/ Druze Chat]
* [http://www.druzenews.com/ Druze News] Druze News from Lebanon, Israel and the Druze world.
* [http://www.lebdruze.com/ Lebanese Druze Online Community]
* [http://www.druze.com/ American Druze Society - National]
* [http://www.druze.org/ American Druze Society - Michigan]
* [http://www.druze.net/ Canadian Druze Society]
* [http://www.druze.org.au/ Australian Druze Community]
* [http://sa.druze.org.au/ South Australian Druze Community]
* [http://www.druze.org.il/ Israeli Druze Online - in Hebrew]
* [http://www.europeandruzesociety.com/ European Druze Society]
* [http://www.druzecafe.com/ Meeting Druze from all over the world]
* [http://www.mmouka.com/ Druze Articles]Other links
* [http://www.hackwriters.com/Druze.htm Druze: A small peace of Israel] from hackwriters.com
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