Metawali
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Metawali refers to the Shia Muslim community with a significant presence in North Lebanon (Kesrawan and Batroun) and in the south, in the Beqaa and the coastal towns south of Beirut.[1]
According to Sir Richard Francis Burton, the Metawali are of Persian descent and generally follow the tenets of the Shia faith; however, their worship practices include pilgrimage to the ruins of a temple honouring Ishtar (Ashtaroth) at Apheca where they address their vows to the Sayyidat al-Kabirah, ("the Great Lady").[2] As such, they are sometimes accused by Orthodox Muslims of heresy.[2]
[edit] History
The jurisdiction of the Ottoman Empire was merely nominal in the Lebanon. Baalbek in the 18th century was really under the control of the Metawali.[3]
Seven Metawali villages that were included within the boundaries of the British Mandate of Palestine were depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and repopulated with European Jews.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Lebanon (From Semitic laban", to be.... Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
- ^ a b Sir Richard Francis Burton (1885). "Terminal Essay" (In his translation of The Arabian Nights. People with a History. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
- ^ About Baalbek. Trip Atlas. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
- ^ Danny Rubinstein (06/08/2006). The Seven Lost Villages. Haaretz. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
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