Beirut 1881: The Silk Merchant Who Became a Rebel

This episode tells the story of Yusuf al-Khazin, a Maronite silk merchant from the Khazin feudal family who, in 1881, turned against the Ottoman authorities and led a brief but dramatic uprising in Mount Lebanon. Frustrated by Ottoman taxation and the decline of the silk trade due to competition from Asian markets, al-Khazin rallied Maronite peasants in Kisrawan. The rebellion was quickly suppressed by Ottoman troops, but it exposed the tensions between the old feudal class and the centralizing Ottoman state under Sultan Abdulhamid II. Lucas and Luna explore how al-Khazin's revolt fits into the broader story of Lebanon's economic and political transformation in the late 19th century, touching on the silk boom's collapse, the role of the Khazin family, and the changing relationship between Mount Lebanon's communities and Istanbul.

#Lebanon #OttomanEmpire #MountLebanon #YusufalKhazin #Kisrawan #Maronite #SilkTrade #Beirut #1881 #SultanAbdulhamidII #Revolt #KhazinFamily #19thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #MiddleEast #Taxation #PeasantUprising

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