Over the years, a burning desire to write the story of Amar entered the hearts and minds of many of her loyal sons and daughters. Sadly, those attempts ended as just attempts, because, quite honestly, the painstaking gathering of facts from far-flung sources and the description of wide-ranging past events, especially when documented historical details are scarce, can be a daunting task indeed.

So, my heart and admiration go to those who tried. By no means do I claim any superior ability or special skill in putting together this book. My biggest consolation and encouragement come from the trust that I am writing for the benefit of brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts from Amar who do appreciate this effort and understand my limitations.

There are going to be diverse views and ideas as to the sequence of certain events or details, and I respectfully accept that. My only purpose is to take advantage of the wealth of personal knowledge latent in the memories of some of our elder Amarians before they depart from us. I have also tapped much data relying on extensive oral traditions and utilizing civil and church records to put together a balanced interpretation of events and an honest effort to tell the story of Amar before these sources are lost to us. It suffices that Amar was destroyed twice and rebuilt twice. We sincerely wish to avoid that kind of fate for her a third time.

So, when the Amarian-American Society of Allentown, Pennsylvania asked me to undertake this difficult assignment, I humbly accepted the honor, fully aware of my limitations and totally conscious of my Amarian compatriots' love, wisdom, and understanding. To them all, I respectfully dedicate this book.

- ELIAS A. YACOUB

The Radar Family: Top of Page
It is said that their forefather was a member of the Clergy. He was a good-hearted, trustworthy individual who had a good reputation. He lost his wife at a fairly young age. Ten years later he was chosen by the church to assume the responsibilities of Bishop for Akkar and its surroundings.

His wife had given him two sons. One settled in the village of Shuwaihed and became a farmer for the Ziebieh clan. The other son settled in Amar, bought a camel, and earned a living transporting crops and goods. After World War I, he brought his cousin, Jirjos Zakhour Raad, and helped him settle in Amar. Jirios is the father of Anis and Habibi Raad. Anis is the father of Mounir and AtefRaad. Habib is the father of George Raad.

The Haddad Family: Top of Page
Their ancestors came from Deir Mama, a village near Misiaf in the region of Hama. Their name was derived from the occupation they took as their means to earn a living. Haddad in Arabic means blacksmith.

They left Deir Mama after a fierce fight that took place after one of the Haddad brothers was set on fire by a group of the Alawiyeen. Three brothers left Deir Mama: one settled in Kafroon; one brother settled in the city of Horns, and one continued on and ended in Amar.

It should be noted here that the following are branches of the Haddad family:
Jhjos Samaan and his brothers; Boutros family; and Hamwi family. The Haddad's built their houses in the upper section of the village around the Presbyterian Church. At that time, apparently, all of them belonged to the Presbyterian Church.

The Shabrouni Family: Top of Page

They came from Mashta. Their forefather Khalil Shahda emigrated to Shabrouniyeh. He was a sheepherder. At some point in the early 18th century, Khalil Shahda came back to Amar with his herd from Shabrouniyeh. From that point on, they became the Shabrouni family. The Shahda family consisted of seven brothers. Their father was Elias Shahda.
We know the names of only four of the seven brothers: Khalil, Saleem, Ibrahim, and Yousef.

The Khoury Family: Top of Page

Khoury in Arabic means priest. In 1790, the priest Musa, the son of Saab, came from Deir Atiyeh. He had two
brothers. Bishop Makarious who resided in Lebanon, and Rizk who went to Rahbeh and established the Rizk family.

The forefather was priest Musa. His son. Priest Nicola, served the church in Amar, wedded a woman from Mishtayeh from the Makdesy family. He was given land by the Khal, Yacoub, and Yowakim families to farm and live on.

Priest Nicola had a son Priest Jirjos.

Priest Jirjos had a son. Priest Musa, who was the last priest in the family.

All four priests are buried in Amar in the Northwestern comer of the yard of the Orthodox Church.

We should note here that Priest Nicola had four sons: Priest Jirjos, Boulos, Eliasand Suleiman. Priest Nicola has a brother, Mitri, who left Amar and settled in Nasra.

The Hashwi Family: Top of Page

Their forefather, Ibrahim Hashwi, moved to Amar from Khraibeh. He had two sons: Jorjos Hashwi and Atiyeh Hashwi. They came to Amar at a relatively later date: possibly around the mid-19th century. In Nasra/Khraibeh there is still an olive orchard called Hashwi Orchard.

The Hadeed Family: Top of Page

The history of this family was told to me by a Jordanian called Peter Hadeed. Mr. Hadeed resides in the U.S. in the state of New Jersey. At this writing, Mr. Hadeed was about 96 years old with a large family of over 40 sons, daughters and grandchildren. According to Mr. Hadeed, there are about 50 Hadeed families in the Washington, DC area. The Hadeed family originated in Ramallah in Palestine. They owned land and were prosperous farmers.

It is said that the reason they left Ramallah is as follows: There were two men from the Hadeed family: one was a Christian and the other was a Muslim. They had a strong relationship between them and promised each other to arrange marriages between their children. When the children reached a suitable age the Muslim approached his Christian cousin and asked for his daughter's hand. The Christian consulted with his family and refused to give his daughter as a bride to the Muslim. In order to avoid bloodshed, they left the area.

They came to Amar about 250 years ago. They were rich and prosperous. They traveled with their livestock. When they settled in Amar, the people gave them land from Jib Addawra to Wadi Maswel, Kitif, and Mashhara. Three settled in Amar: Faris, Ishak, and Yousef Hadeed.

The Barshini Family: Top of Page

They are from Basheen. Their original family name was Darweesh. The name Barshini was given after the village they came from. Their approximate history in Amar is about 130 years.

There were three brothers: Salloum, Khalil, and Roufael.

Salloum settled in Shuwaihed and became a farmer for the Zibiyeh elan. Khalil came to Amar and worked with one of the families. He eventually eloped with a woman from the Kassis family and went back to Barsheen. His wife bore several children, but they all died during birth. Despair drove him back to Amar where his wife gave him three sons.

Yousef traveled to the U.S.A. and had four daughters and one son. Elias settled in Amar and married Ajia Kassis and had the following children: Khalil, Abdallah, Salloum, Salma, and Balanda.

Roufael went back to Barsheen and settled there. Salloum moved from Shuwaihed to Amar then continued to the U.S.A. and left no trace in Amar.

The Shalh Family: Top of Page

George Shalh came from the city of Horns. He had two sons: Samy and George. They had a sister named Najmeh, who married someone from the Shahda family. They all immigrated to the U.S.

In 1987, when the cemetery was moved from the church's yard to the new location, a tombstone was found. The name on the stone was Hanna Shalh. The date was 1826.

The Aki Family: Top of Page

They are a branch of the Yaeoub family. Aki was a brother of Shalh. They came from the same mother but different fathers. Aki was the grandfather of Jirjos Yaeoub, who was also known as Jirjos Tabshi and Abu Antoozeh. It is said that he allowed himself to be killed as a sacrifice at Aine Alwaker.

Around 1950, Salloum Zareef, also known as Salloum Tabshi, sold his land and house and moved to Zwaitineh. He was the last of the Aki family in Amar.

The Khanlv Family: Top of Page

Khauly is a nickname. The actual name was Asaad. Their grandfather came from Mishtayeh to Amar in 1880. He married Sophia Alkhal and built a house in the village. He had one son, Ibrahim, and six daughters: Najmeh, Mariam, Sarah, Adia,
Eskandra and Wardeh. Ibrahim married Eskandra Dahoud Alkhal and had two sons and five daughters:
Assad, John, Rose, Mary, Hilaneh, Daisy, Jean, and Gloria. They all reside in the U.S.A.

The Shetavh Family: Top of Page

It is said that they came from the coastal town of Jableh. Some say that they first settled in Aine Arraheb, and some people say that they first settled in Jwar Alafs. At any rate, they finally settled in Amar. There were two brothers: one married the daughter of Tannous Yuwakim; the other brother, Saoud Tiemeh Shetayh, married Adia, the daughter
of Isbir Abdallah, who was the son of Hanna Yacoub.

Yacoub, Alkhal, and Yuwakim Families:

It seems that these three families had spent some time at Dair Mar Jujos before they settled in Amar at or around the same time. There were inter-marriages among the three families and they all resided in the northern part of the village. They owned one-third of the village and farmland.

The land was eventually subdivided as the families grew larger and ownership of the land was passed on to sons and daughters. This trend is evident in the location of land owned by the three families. All the lots and fields border each other. This is also evident in the land ownership of the other families of the village where the same pattern was followed to divide up the farmland:

Azar and Younes: one-third

Kassis and Hazeem: one-third

Yacoub. Yuwakim and Alkhal: one-third

The Yacoub Family: Top of Page

They seem to have originated in the coastal area. There is a large Yacoub family in the village of Dwair Taha. Also in Haffeh, which is located to the north ofLatheKieh. In the town of Buka, there are 700 young men from the Yacoub family. They moved to Amar generations ago. It is said that their forefather had two sons Hanna and Elias, and two daughters: Raheel, who married Tannous Yuwakim, and Urn Salloum, who married Deeb Azar. Hanna, Isbir, Abdallah, Isbir, Ibrahim, Elias, Yousef, Ibrahim, Makhoul, Zakhour, Jirjos, and Kamel Ibrahim had: Yousef, Elia, Aziz, and Naifeh. Makhoul had: Nouri, Yousef, Roufaeil, Jabra, Sarah, and Naifeh. Zakhour had: Elias, Aziz, Naufel, Lamia, Jamileh and Mounira. Kamel had: Ibrahim, Antoun, Sami, Zakiyeh, JamUeh, Hilanieh, and Fiddah. Jirjos had no children.

This branch of the family was given the nickname the Khoury, meaning priest, because their grandfather, Yousef, used to wear a hat similar to what priests used to wear. He also traveled with the Bishop and sang in church during services.

The Azar Family: Top of Page

During the 11th Century, the Kura Region of Lebanon was dominated by the Abu Fadel clan. Their leader was Prince Abdul Maseeh. They have been given the nickname the Lantern family. They used to hang a lantern in front of their door to guide travelers in. Abdul Maseeh had a son Abdallah who liad Yacoub and Eisa. Abdul Maseeh had a brother called Azar who was the forefather of the rulers of Kura. The Azar family started in Amar with their forefather Saad Azar who was a
traveling merchant who came to the Qalaa frequently selling household goods. He befriended the ruler of the Qalaa. Khaled Alldlani advised him to go to Dair Hmaira and ask them for a piece of land in Amar to settle on. His request was granted and he brought his family from Lebanon.

The Doumet Family: Top of Page

According to a book by Jabr Doumet, the Doumet family was originally called Deblan family. This name originated from the French term "De Blanc", meaning white. This name was given to the Crusaders who stayed behind and settled the area after their expedition had failed. They settled in Safita and Hosn. Naseeb Musa Hanna Doumet moved from Hosn to Beirut about three hundred years ago.

The Taoum Family: Top of Page

This was a nickname. The original name was Ubaid. Aboud, the son of Ibrahim Taoum, came to Amar and married Franjiyeh Faris. Ibrahim Taoum was originally from a Lebanese village called Sheikh Muhammad. Ibrahim and his family moved to the Syrian town of Shabruniyeh, which was on the border. After his marriage, Aboud moved with his bride back to Shabruniyeh where his son, Aziz, was born. He also had a daughter who passed away during her infancy.

When Aboud passed away, his wife, Franjiyeh, came back to Amar where she raised her son with the help and support of her family.

The Wihby Family: Top of Page

It is said that their forefather was Wihby Wihby, who came from Lebanon with three cousins of his. They left Lebanon after they had committed a crime. They killed someone. They first took refuge at Dair Marjerjos, Hmaira. They contacted someone in Amar and this led Wihby Wihby to the village and ended up marrying Nasta Barbar. They had three children: Ibrahim, Hanneh, and Marroush.

Ibrahim had several children: Yousef, Elias, Zahweh, Adia, Abdallah, Jameel, Aziz, and Suleiman. They all left for the U.S.A. before World War I and they settled in Allentown, PA, with one exception. Suleiman stayed in the village where he raised his family. He had one son, Wahib, and several daughters.

The Salloum (Jarroui) Family: Top of Page

The information available about this family was somewhat conflicting and contradictory. Most say that they came from Lebanon, from a village in Akkar called Amar Albaikat. Their forefather who came to Syria was Abboud Jarrouj, also known as Abboud Salloum. His brother, Jarrouj, came with him. Abboud had two sons: Hanna and Elias.

Jarrouj had three: Yousef, Abboud, and Nemeh. Hanna, Salloum had three sons: Khalil, Suleiman, and Aziz.

Elias Salloum had two sons: Anis and Wadih.

It is said that Khalil, Abboud Jarrouj's cousin, joined them in Amar at a later date; Khalil Jarrouj had three sons: Fahd (also known as Fahd Akkari), Kharfan, and Amin. Khalil was given a lot to build a house on. His son, Fahd, settled in that house whereas Kharfan and Amin moved on to America. Fahd had three sons: Hazzaa, Ayoub and Radwan.

The Yuwakim Family: Top of Page

They came from Jadideh, a village near Zahleh. Yousef Yuwakim with two sons: Tannous and the other son whose name was forgotten. It is said that the other sons never settled in Amar but went back to Lebanon. Tannous settled in Amar and had two sons: Elias and Jeqos. Elia had Yousef, Tannous, and Ibrahim. Jerjos had Isbir, Makhoul, Faiyad, Mahfoud, and Abboud.

Isbir had one son and moved to Brazil. Makhoul had Milri, Isbir, and Yousef(Buhaleem). Faiyad moved to Brazil where he has a family. Mahfoud had no sons. Abboud passed away before he had any children. Elias'sons: Yousef had only one son, Nakhleh; Tannous Elias, who had Adel; Ibrahim had Yousef, Saleem, Nasim, and Aziz Yousef had: Fayez, Saleem, and Faisal. Saleem had: Kaisar, nasim and Yacoub. Nasim had: Ibrahim and Yuwakim. Aziz had: Saleem, Nasim, Ibrahim, Salem and Yuwakim.

The Kassis Family: Top of Page

This family is one of the original inhabitants of the village of Amar. It is not known where they came from, and out of financial need, they sold most of the land to the families that settled Amar after them. Kassis means pastor or minister. The Barbar family is a branch of the Kassis family. When the son of Hanna Yacoub married one of Hanna Shahoud Kassis' daughters.

He gave his bride's family the land from east of the village to Huwarah and Kroom Shaweesh and also reached Kaim Alarab and the northern land. Beshara Kassis is a famous character according to the legend passed through the
generations. It is said that two men from the eastern region, who heard of Beshara's physical might and strength, came to the village to challenge him to a wrestling match. Since the two men arrived late at the village, Beshara asked them to spend the night at his house and have the match the following morning. During the night, Beshara took the men's shoes, lifted a roof beam off of the roof support, placed the shoes on top of the support then lowered the beam back on the support with the two pairs of shoes in between. The following morning, Beshara left the house early to plow his fields. The two challengers got up later, saw the convincing proof of Beshara's might, followed him to the field, withdrew their challenge, and hurriedly left the village after Beshara released their shoes.

Circumstances forced Beshara to leave the village and settle in the Lebanese village of Dieen. There he became gravely sick. On his death bed, he asked his children to bury him in the land he loved and always longed to go back to. His children did not fulfill his wish and he was buried in Dieen.

The Hazeem Family: Top of Page

They claim that they are one of the first families to settle in the village. Their forefathers were Zakhour and Elias Hazeem. A branch of them resettled in Horns. They were given the last name Amari in
reference to the village. A group resettled in Mishirfeh where they kept the name Hazeem.

The Talda Family: Top of Page

George Takia who was originally from Zwaitineh settled in Amar in the early seventies. He is married to Noor Shabrouni Shahda. They have four sons: Anwar, who has three children; Elias, who also has three children; Mamdouh, with three children; and Khalil, who has two children.

The Shammas Family: Top of Page

Their grandfather came from Yafa in Palestine. He became a deacon at the church in the village. He eventually married Mariam Shetayh. In 1913, they had a son whom they named George.

The Safi. Sabiini and Saba Families: Top of Page

These three families came from Shuwaihed. They moved to Amar during the Feudalistic Period. According to civil records, the Sabiini family still resides in Shuwaihed, although they moved to the village around 1936.

The Assaf Family: Top of Page

They came from Rahbeh in Lebanon. Their grandfather Jerjos Hannawi Assaf moved to Amar. He was a wealthy man and was able to buy prime farmland.

The Younes Family: Top of Page

Their forefather, Ibrahim Younes, came from Lebanon from a town called Tannourin Aljerd. Ibrahim came with a brother of his. Ibrahim settled in Amar, whereas his brother moved on and settled in the city of Hama. There are two opinions about the relationship between Younes and Azar. The predominant opinion is that Younes and Azar were brothers. The other opinion is that there was no blood relationship, but they were united in a powerful coalition.

The Abdoush Family: Top of Page

They came from Am Arraheb before World War II. They earned a living in construction and eventually bought some farmland. There are three brothers: Ayoub, Elias, and Ifram.

The Amari Family: Top of Page

They are a branch of the Kassis family. Years ago they left Ifae village and settled in Zwaitineh, where they worked in fanning and construction. Years later, Zakhour and Mosa Amari came back to the village, but they left behind one brother who is still there.

The Atiyeh Family: Top of Page

There are two different Atiyehs: The first is a branch of the Younes family. Yousef Atiyeh (Al Hajal) was a man who devoted his life to defending the rights of the village. An iron safe was found in Yousef Atiyeh's house. Inside the safe was a deed of all the village's land. The deed was signed by the Turkish Governor in Damascus. The deed contained a clause that urged authorities to preserve the village's land and protect it against claims of strangers and non-residents. The second Atiyeh came from Baino in Akkar Lebanon. Their forefather married one from Atiyeh Al Hajal family and took Atiyeh as his surname. He had three sons: Ibrahim, Jirji, and Elias. Ibrahim had: Hanna, Abdo, and Yousef. Jirji had Jameel. Elias had Anis.

The Sabgha Family: Top of Page

Sabgha is a nickname. Their original surname was Razzouk. Their grandfather, Yousef Sabgha, came to Amar and had three sons: Abdo, Asaad and Aiyoub. He also had two daughters: Naama and Fiddah. Some of them moved to Shuwaihed to farm for the Zubieh. Eventually, the entire clan immigrated to Trinidad, but this family always kept a bridge connecting them with the motherland. Their biggest contribution was the vital role they played in building the Hosn Hospital.

Here is a brief history of the hospital: In 1929, Naseem Ibrahim Tomeh from Mkaabara visited the motherland. During his visit, he realized that the area of Wadi Al Hosn needed a hospital. Upon his return to Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A., he called a meeting of all the immigrants who came from Wadi Al Hosn to discuss building a hospital.

In 1944, the first committee was appointed:

Saleem Nimeh, President

Ibrahim Swaid, Secretary

Habib Hanna Hajal, Treasurer

Abdo Milhim Ibrahim, Member

In 1945, the hospital society had eight hundred members.

In 1948, a branch for the society was established in Trinidad:

Mtanious Lakkees, President

Nemeh Sabgha, Vice President

Eisa Azar, Vice President

Asaad Sabgha, Treasurer

Aziz Yousef Hadeed, Secretary

The Board:

Aziz Elias Hadeed

Aziz Hajal

Jabra Mansour

Abdo Sabgha was directly involved in the building process. At the time, Elias Mousa Younes was the Secretary. Abdo Sabgha traveled to Syria and purchased the site for the hospital. He remained there with his brother, Aiyoub, to supervise the construction. In the early 1950's, the hospital started providing services to the region. Since then, the hospital has been renovated in 1984 and 1991.

The Khal Family: Top of Page

Their forefather had no brothers, but had seven sisters. The Munn family and Dahoud family are branches of the Khal clan. One member of the Khal family moved to Ghazir near Beirut. He was the grandfather of the poet, Yousef Khal. It is said that another member got lost during Cross Day celebrations and ended up in the town of Idleb, where he remained and started a Khal family.

The Nemeh (Dlinn) Family: Top of Page

They originated in Dieen in the region of Akkar. Their grandmother was from the Kassis family.

Aziz Dlini and his wife, Balanda Barshini, children were: Ibrahim, who resides in Barbados; Talal, who is a dentist in AUentown, PA, U.S.A.; Warden and Naifeh.

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