Miziara Profile Altitude: 800m Distance from Beirut: 109km Getting there From Beirut, take the highway to Chekka tunnel, Amioun, Kousba, Tourza, Jbaa, Ehden, Miziara.

Miziara

We learn that our ancestors left Bekfaya in 1652 and settled in Richta'mout where they constructed houses and a church, which still exists today. This was during the period when the Hamade's shiite, and in accordance with them planted mulberry and grapevines. The arrangement between our ancestors and the Hamades was broken for some reason, which was followed by sever persecution.

The Metawli ransacked the properties and cut down the mulberry and grapevines. We determine that for these reasons our ancestors left Richta'mout, to the other side of the valley to establish a new town: Miziara.

But the persecutions continued until the arrival of the "Mir Youssef Chehab" children. The time was right to take an active part that cost two men their lives. The region was now in the hands of the inhabitants of Bcharre and Zgharta. The miziarians were able, with what money they had saved over the years, to buy the territories belonging to the new proprietors. The region had been passed from the hands of the Hamades to the Maronites.

Miziarians weren't fully content with this achievement and waited for another opportunity.

The opportunity presented itself when "Youssef Bek Karam" rose up against the Turks. In collaboration with other patriots, they decided to establish the New Lebanon and above all, Free. A big number of volunteers, around 100, actively joined the military operations of Youssef Karam. This resulted in a high number of deaths in the villages.

It was natural, through courage, determination and the high number of miziarians volunteers that a few reaches positions of command, which was the case of Sarkis Chidiac and Elias el Khoury. At the time of the 1861 events, the number of miziarians soldiers had reached the thirties, integrated in the army that the hero of Lebanon had organized to help the persecuted Christians of the Chouf.

The Turks vowed to take revenge on those villagers. Starting from 1914 and during the remainder of the First World War, the Turkish troops did everything to exterminate them. They chopped down trees, imprisoned the inhabitants and prohibited starved and ill mountaineers access to Tripoli's hospitals. Hundreds of villagers disappeared, and they had only one solution, "Leave Miziara for the countries of Africa and Latin America.

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