Keserwan District (, transliteration: Qaḍā' Kisrawān) is a district (qadaa) in Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon, to the northeast of Lebanon's capital Beirut. The capital, Jounieh, is overwhelmingly Christian, mostly consisting of Maronites. The area is home to the Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve.
Etymology According to the medieval historian Gabriel ibn al-Qilai, the name “Kesrwan” derives from the Maronite muqadam Kisra of Baskinta. During the time of the Crusades, Keserwan was the northern frontier of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Demographics According to registered voters in 2014:
Year Christians Muslims Druze Total Maronites Greek Catholics Greek Orthodox Armenian Orthodox Other Christians Total Shias Sunnis Druze2014 2018 2022 2026
Number of registered voters (21+ years old) over the years. +YearsWomenMenTotalGrowth (%)200945,77843,44989,227201046,028 43,697 89,725 +0.55% 201145,612 43,616 89,228 -0.56% 201245,887 43,774 89,661 +0.48% 201346,428 44,147 90,575 +1.01% 201446,804 44,531 91,335 +0.83% 201547,162 44,831 91,993 +0.72% 201647,503 45,362 92,865 +0.94% 201747,906 45,634 93,540 +0.72% 201848,335 45,875 94,210 +0.71% 201948,700 46,167 94,867 +0.69% 202049,086 46,560 95,646 +0.81% 202149,231 46,709 95,940 +0.31% 202249,481 46,938 96,419 +0.50% 202349,509 46,831 96,340 -0.08% 202449,670 46,902 96,572 +0.24% 202549,817 47,075 96,892 +0.33% 2026 97,292 +0.41% Source: DGCS
Electoral constituency The district is part of the Keserwan-Byblos electoral district, with the district of Keserwan being allocated 5 Maronite seats (and the overall constituency having 7 Maronites and 1 Shi'ia).
Cities, towns, and villages
Aazra Adma Adonis Ain-bzil Ain El Delbeh Ain el-Rihaneh Aintoura Ajaltoun Akaybeh Aramoun Ashqout Attine Azra & Ozor Ballouneh Batha Bekaata Ashqout Bekaata Kenaan Bezhel Bezhel & Mradyeh Bkerké Bouar Bqaatouta (Bkaatouta) Bzoummar Chahtoul Chnaniir Dafne Daher Sarba Daraoun Daraya Dlebta Faitroun Faqra Faraya Fatqa Ghadir Ghbaleh Ghidras Ghineh Ghosta Harissa Harharaya Hiyata Hosein Hrajel Jdaidet Ghazir Jeita Jounieh Jouret Bedran Jouret Mhad Jouret el-Termos Jwar El Hous Kaslik Kattine Kfardebian Kfaryassine Kfour Kleiat Maarab Maaysra Mayrouba Nammoura Okaibe Raachine Rayfoun Safra Sahel Alma Sarba Sehaileh Tabarja Wata El Jawz Yahchouch Zaaytre Zeytoun Zouk Mikael Zouk Mosbeh
Notable families
Assaf dynasty Sultan Selim I assigned the Assafs as his chief agents in the region between Beirut and Tripoli, confirming their control of Keserwan, and awarding them tax farms in the nawahi of Byblos and Beirut. While Emir Assaf had lived in Aintoura in the winter and elsewhere along the Nahr al-Kalb ridge prior to the Ottoman conquest, in 1517, he moved his headquarters to Ghazir. Khazen familyAntoine Khoury Harb, The Maronites: History and Constants, p. 116. Quote: "When Prince Ahmad Maan died, the Shehabs, relatives of the Maan, took over. When the regent Prince Bashir I passed away in 1706, Prince Haidar reigned, and moved the seat of the emirate from Hasbaya to Deir el-Qamar. The Ottoman Wali of Sidon deposed the Shehabi Prince and replaced him by the leader of the Yamani party, Prince Yussef Alam - Eddin. Haidar fled with his two sons and some of his followers to Ghazir in Kisrawan where his allies, the Khazen and Hobeish families from the Qaysi party, were in control. When the army of Prince Yussef Alam-Eddin conquered and burnt Ghazir, Haidar left his sons in Kisrawan and took refuge in Hermel. The sheikhs of the Khazen family offered hiding-places to the prince's family."Matti Moosa, The Maronites in History, p. 283. Quote: "We have also seen earlier that the Maronite community had been placed under the protection of France and that the French kings began to choose their consuls from among the Maronite dignitaries. Through the power and prestige of France the consuls then exercised authority over the Maronite Church and its clergy. The Maronites were so proud to be under the protection of France that some Maronites called themselves, 'the French of the East.' Thus, through France, the Shihabi amirs, who will be discussed shortly, realized the importance of Maronite rule and power, and they and the Maronites became united in a common interest. In 1697, Amir Ahmad died without an heir, and the Druze notables chose his nephew Bashir al-Shihabi as their new ruler. He was succeeded in 1707 by the young Amir Haydar al-Shihabi, grandson of Amir Ahmad al-Ma'ni. Haydar recognized the authority of the Maronite al-Khazins and the Hubayshis of Kisrawan and Ghazir and treated these two families as equal to the feudalistic Druze families." Sfeir The clan legend is that a Crusader King, most likely Godfrey of Bouillon, granted to the Sfeir clan a portion of what is today the Keserwan District of Mount Lebanon, which was the northern frontier of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, as a reward for their loyalty to his reign and bravery in battle.
Gallery
See also Assaf dynasty Kisrawan Mount Lebanon revolts of 752 and 759
Bibliography
Antoine Khoury Harb, The Maronites: History and Constants (ASIN B000B0F6NU) Matti Moosa, The Maronites in History () Richard Van Leeuwen, Notables and Clergy in Mount Lebanon: The Khāzin Sheikhs and the Maronite Church (1736-1840) () Farid el-Khazen, The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon, 1967-1976 ()
Catholic-Hierarchy The sword of the Maronite Prince Origins of the "Prince of Maronite" Title National Geographic Magazine DNA sample from Khazen member An Interview with Cheikh Malek el-Khazen
References