Who are the Ghasasina, whose association will be officially launched in Lebanon in a few days?
- 04/27/2017
California – exclusive to Jabalna Magazine
Under the name “Al-Bayt Al-Ghassani in Lebanon,” Prince Garius Al-Nu’man Al-Shammar (El-Chemor) announces, on the eighth of May in Beirut, the launch of the Al-Bayt Al-Ghassani Association (or Al-Ghassani) branch in Lebanon, in the presence of a crowd of stakeholders.
Who are the Ghassanids?
A question was posed by “Jabalna Magazine” to one of the prominent members of the association, Sheikh Dr. Elie Garrios, who provided the site with a historical and current overview of the Ghassani House.
Historical overview
Dr. Garius says, “The Ghassanids, also known as “Bani Ghassan,” are the descendants of a group of southern Christians (sedentary, not nomadic) who migrated in the early third century from Yemen to Hauran in southern Syria, Jordan, and the Holy Land, where some of them intermarried with Roman settlers. The Hellenes were in the first Greek-speaking Christian societies, so they became among the first “cosmopolitan” states in the world, benefiting from the modernity of the West without losing their Arab roots. The term Ghassan refers to the first Ghassanid kingdom. Its rulers in the Middle East can be compared with the rule of the Habsburgs in Europe It is the only Arab dynasty that ruled the longest period of time in history, and its rule covered a large number of territories.
He adds, “The Ghassanids are said to have come from the historical city of Ma’rib in Yemen, from the kingdom of Shebaa (or Saba), known in many historical narratives, including the main scriptures.”
“At the beginning of the third century, there was a legendary dam in Marib that suffered from rupture as a result of heavy rains, in addition to the multiplication of large rats, which forced the people and the royal family to migrate and seek to live in less arid lands, as a result of which the family was scattered in different regions, on a large scale The well-known proverb “They were scattered like the people of Saba” refers to this exodus in history. The immigrants were from the southern Azd tribe, from the Kahlan tribe, from the Qahtani tribes. The actual founders of the Ghassanid dynasty were the princes of the Sabani kingdom. At that time, Prince Jifna bin Amr, one of the sons of King of Shebaa, to the north with his family and settled in Hauran (south of Damascus) where the Ghassanid state was established and he became the first king of the Ghassanids in the year 220 A.D. It is assumed that during that period the Ghassanids converted to Christianity, and the Ghassanid kings were famous for their generosity and development, and they were also known for being addicted to Poetry .
The establishment of the emirate in Lebanon
According to the information provided to us by Sheikh Dr. Garius, “Ibn Al-Shammar Jabala IV”, who was the last Ghassanid king, went to Lebanon and established the Al-Shammar family in Aqoura. It also became certain that his descendants ruled the same city before the thirteenth century, “so they were the rulers of the largest Christian city that at that time included 40 churches. In the ninth century, Emperor Nikephoros I claimed to be the head of the Ghassanid family. As is well known, he ruled the Shammar sheikhs, The last princes of the Ghassanid dynasty ruled the region until 1747 A.D. They ruled the entire rich agricultural region of Aqoura since 1211 A.D. They ruled Zawiya from 1641 to 1747 and took Kfarhata near Zgharta, their hometown.
During this period, many problems occurred between the sheikhs of Al-Shammar and the sheikhs of Al-Daher, which prompted one of the sheikhs of Al-Shammar to flee the village and take refuge in the small village of “Beit Habaq” up from Jbeil, where the Gharios family branched out from the Al-Shammar family. The Ottoman Empire recognized the titles of the Shammar family until its end in the year 1924 AD. Until now, the Lebanese Republic has also recognized the titles of Beit al-Shammar. The history of the family has been preserved and validated for centuries by the Maronite Church under the Holy See (Vatican) and the authority of the Pope.
Ghassanian House NGO
Sheikh Dr. Garius explains that for the “royal house of the Ghassanid dynasty,” it represents the historical and cultural dynasty of the Ghassanid people. It represents all the dynasties ruled by the Ghassanids from 220 AD to 1747 AD . Since the Ghassanid dynasty no longer ruled from the eighteenth century to date, the sons of the dynasty decided to establish a non-profit, non-political international organization with global, cultural, educational, and charitable goals recognized and approved by the United Nations. Its objectives are specific: preserving the historical and cultural Arab heritage, especially but not limited to, the rich heritage of the Ghassanid people, known for its memorization and broad support for democracy, peaceful relations between peoples, laws of equality for women, support for charities, and the preservation of ideals.
The Ghassani Royal House was accredited by the United Nations last year, as the United Nations Economic and Social Council granted it Special Consultative Status on July 26, 2016.
Principles of the Ghassani House
Dr. Garius points out that the Ghassanids had a series of principles under which they worked, and summarized them by saying:
We stand as a powerful agent of change with the goal of spreading equality and justice.
– We seek a world where tolerance, equality and appreciation for the dignity of every human being prevail .
– We are committed to the principles of human rights, and to reducing the suffering of individuals and groups.
– We believe that every human being should be treated according to the principles of non-violence and respect .
– We are working to promote the effective presence of minorities, so that individuals can live in safety and unity within societies .
– We hold awareness campaigns to reduce the various types of conflicts and conflicts between societies .
We carry out campaigns aimed at promoting peace, non-violence, dialogue and reconciliation.
#princegharios #elchemor #ghassanids
Original article in Arabic (it may be translated using your browser)
THE ROYAL HERALD 