Beirut 1887: The Sursock Palace and the Silk Baron Who Shaped a City

The 1932 Census That Fixed Lebanon's Sects

In 1932, under the French Mandate, Lebanon conducted its first and only official census. The results were never updated, and they still shape Lebanese politics today. This episode unpacks how the census was designed, who it left out, and why the numbers became political dynamite. We look at the role of High Commissioner Henri Ponsot, the Maronite Patriarch's push for a Christian majority, the exclusion of Lebanese emigrants, and how the delicate balance between 18 recognised sects was frozen in time. The census paved the way for the 1943 National Pact but also planted the seeds of sectarian gridlock. A story of statistics, power, and unintended consequences. #Lebanon #1932Census #FrenchMandate #HenriPonsot #Maronite #Sunni #Shia #Druze #Sectarianism #LebanesePolitics #NationalPact #Beirut #MiddleEast #Census #History #FexingoHistory #MandateHistory #LebaneseSects Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Beirut 1875: The Silk Boom That Built a City

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the transformative silk boom of 1875 that turned Beirut from a small port town into a thriving commercial hub. They discuss how French merchants and Lebanese farmers created a global supply chain, the role of the Mutasarrifiyya system in protecting the industry, and the social changes brought by new wealth — including the rise of the Sursock family and the construction of iconic buildings like the Sursock Palace. The episode also touches on the decline of silk when Japanese competition and World War I disrupted trade, and how this early globalisation shaped Lebanon's modern economy and identity. #LebanonHistory #Beirut #SilkBoom #Mutasarrifiyya #Sursock #19thCentury #GlobalTrade #OttomanEmpire #MountLebanon #FrenchMerchants #SilkRoad #BeirutPort #SursockPalace #Kisrawan #Sericulture #EconomicHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Beirut 1941: The Forgotten Battle That Determined Lebanon's Fate

In June 1941, as World War II raged across the Mediterranean, a little-known but decisive battle unfolded on the outskirts of Beirut. This episode takes you to the Litani River, where Australian, British, Free French, and Indian troops clashed with Vichy French forces loyal to the Nazi-aligned regime. We follow the story of the 7th Australian Division's crossing under fire, the role of the French destroyer Chevalier Paul, and the strategic importance of the Beirut International Airport. We explore how the battle shattered Vichy control over Syria and Lebanon, set the stage for Free French rule, and ultimately paved the way for Lebanese independence in 1943. Key figures include General Henri Dentz, General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson, and the little-known Druze leader Sultan al-Atrash, who saw an opportunity in the chaos. We also touch on the controversial aftermath: the Free French betrayal of promises for sovereignty and the rise of the Lebanese national movement. Drawing on military records, memoirs, and diplomatic cables, this episode sheds light on a pivotal moment in Lebanon's modern history that is often overshadowed by the 1975 civil war. #Beirut1941 #WWIIMediterranean #VichyFrance #FreeFrench #7thAustralianDivision #LitaniRiver #SultanAlAtrash #HenriDentz #BeirutBattle #LebanonIndependence #SyriaLebanonCampaign #ChevalierPaul #Druze #LebaneseHistory #MiddleEastWWII #FexingoHistory #History #War Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The 1938 Alexandretta Crisis That Lost Lebanon Its Coast

Long before Lebanon's civil war or the Green Line, the country lost its most valuable port. In 1938, the Sanjak of Alexandretta—today's İskenderun—was a flashpoint of imperial ambition, sectarian tension, and Great Power politics. Lucas and Luna explore how the region's Sunni Arab and Alawite populations were courted by Turkey's Kemalist government, how French High Commissioner Henri Gouraud's earlier decisions set the stage, and how the League of Nations brokered an 'internal autonomy' that became a Trojan horse for annexation. They examine the role of local strongman Tayfur Sökmen, the secret Franco-Turkish agreement of 1921, and the final plebiscite that stripped Lebanon of its northern coast, Antioch, and key trade routes. What did this loss mean for Lebanon's economy, its sectarian balance, and its sense of identity? This episode digs into a forgotten border war that still echoes in Turkish-Syrian tensions today. #Alexandretta #İskenderun #Hatay #TayfurSökmen #HenriGouraud #TreatyOfAnkara #FrancoTurkishWar #LeagueOfNations #Sanjak #Maronite #Alawite #Sunni #KemalAtatürk #Lebanon #Syria #Turkey #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Beirut 1921: The Treaty of Ankara and Lebanon's Lost Coast

When the guns of World War I fell silent, a new war of maps began. In 1921, the Treaty of Ankara between France and the new Turkish Republic redrew the northern border of what would become Lebanon, carving away the sanjak of Alexandretta — today's İskenderun — and cutting off historic trade routes to Anatolia. Episode 172 of The Story of Lebanon takes you to the Qalamoun Mountains, where French negotiators and Kemalist delegates haggled over villages and railway lines while Maronite Patriarch Ignatius Elias III pleaded to keep the Christian communities of the north inside Greater Lebanon. We explore the forgotten Franco-Turkish War, the secret diplomacy of Henri Gouraud, and the quiet tragedy of a border that still haunts Lebanese memory. #TreatyOfAnkara #AlexandrettaSanjak #İskenderun #HenriGouraud #KemalAtatürk #FrancoTurkishWar #QalamounMountains #MarIgnatiusEliasIII #GreaterLebanon #Borders #1921 #MandateSyria #FrenchMandate #NationalPact #LebanonHistory #MiddleEastHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]