Beirut 1915: The Famine That Killed a Third of Mount Lebanon

During World War I, the people of Mount Lebanon endured a famine so brutal that it killed nearly a third of the population. This episode tells the story of the Great Famine of 1915–1918, a man-made catastrophe caused by an Allied naval blockade, Ottoman wartime policies, and a locust plague that stripped the land bare. We trace how the region, already dependent on silk exports and grain imports, was slowly strangled: the blockade cut off food from Syria, Ottoman authorities confiscated crops for the army, and swarms of locusts devoured what little remained. Lucas and Luna discuss the role of Djemal Pasha, the Ottoman governor who imposed forced labour and requisitions, and the American relief efforts led by the Syria Mission and the Red Cross. They examine how the famine reshaped Lebanon's sectarian memory, with Maronite and Druze communities blaming the Ottoman Empire, the Allies, or each other. The episode also highlights the silent witness of survivors like Amin al-Rihani, whose writings recorded the horror. This is a story of collapse, resilience, and the long shadow of war on a small mountain society.

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