Beirut 1915: Jamal Pasha and the Great Famine That Killed a Third of Mount Lebanon

In 1915, as World War I raged, Mount Lebanon was struck by a famine that killed an estimated 200,000 people — a third of its population. This episode explores the deliberate policies of Ottoman governor Jamal Pasha (also known as 'the Butcher'), who imposed a blockade on the predominantly Christian mountain region, diverted food supplies to the army, and exploited the Allied naval blockade as cover. We follow the story through the eyes of relief workers like the American missionary William S. Buckler and the Syrian Relief Committee, and examine how the famine reshaped Lebanese identity, fueled anti-Ottoman sentiment, and laid the groundwork for the push for Greater Lebanon after the war. We also touch on the role of the Druze leader Shakib Arslan and the controversial figure of Michel Sursock, whose grain hoarding was seen as wartime profiteering. This episode uncovers a tragedy that is often overshadowed by the war in Europe but remains seared into Lebanon's collective memory.

#LebanonHistory #JamalPasha #GreatFamine #MountLebanon #WorldWarI #OttomanEmpire #Beirut #SyrianReliefCommittee #WilliamSBuckler #ShakibArslan #MichelSursock #BiladAlSham #Mutasarrifiyya #Maronite #Druze #History #FexingoHistory #MiddleEastHistory

Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo