Independence of Lebanon
| Lebanese Independence Day عيد الإستقلال Eid Al-Istiqlal |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Observed by | Lebanese |
| Celebrations | Military parade, displaying the flag of Lebanon, fireworks, concerts and general celebration of Lebanese heritage |
| Date | November 22 |
| Frequency | Annual |
Lebanese Independence Day (Arabic: عيد الإستقلال اللبناني Eid Al-Istiqlal, lit. "Festival of the Independence") (French: Independence du Liban) is the national day of Lebanon celebrated on November 22 in commemoration of the end of the French Mandate over Lebanon in 1943, after 23 years of Mandate rule.
While the Lebanese have been in a constant struggle for independence from outside powers since Old Testament times, the modern struggle for Lebanese independence can be traced back to the emergence of Fakhr-al-Din II in the late 16th century, a Druze chief who became the first local leader in a thousand years to bring the major sects of Mount Lebanon into sustained mutual interaction. Fakhr-al-Din also brought western Europe back to Mount Lebanon. The French traveler Laurent ďArvieux observed massive French commercial buildings in Sidon, Fakhr-al-Din's political centre, where bustling crowds of Muslims, Maronites, Orthodox Christians and Jews intermingled. Under his rule, printing presses were introduced and Jesuit priests and Catholic nuns encouraged to open schools throughout the land. Fakhr-al-Din's growing influence, disobedience and ambitions threatened Ottoman interests. Ottoman Turkish troops captured Fakhr-al-Din and had him executed in Istanbul in 1635.
In response to a massacre of Maronites by Druze during the 1860 civil war, 6000 French troops landed near Beirut to ostensibly protect the Maronite communities. The Ottoman sultan had no choice but to approve the French landing at Beirut and review the status of Mount Lebanon. In 1861, the Ottomans and five European powers (Britain, France, Russia, Austria, and Prussia) negotiated a new political system for Mount Lebanon in a commission chaired by Mehmed Fuad Pasha, the Ottoman foreign minister. The international commission established a tribunal to punish the Druze lords for war crimes and the commission further agreed on an autonomous province of Mount Lebanon. In September 1864, the Ottomans and Europeans signed the règlement organique defining the new entity, including the French recommendation of an elected multi-communal council to advise the governor.
...
Wikipedia