Mazraat es-Siyad (also transliterated ''Mazraet es-Siyed''; ar, مزرعة السياد ) is a mountainous village in the highlands of the

Byblos District Byblos District ( ar, قضاء جبيل; transliteration: ''Qadaa' Jbeil''), also called the Jbeil District (''Jbeil'' is Lebanese Arabic for "Byblos"; standard Arabic ''Jubail''), is a district (''qadaa'') of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Leb ...

in the

Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate Keserwan-Jbeil ( ar, كسروان - جبيل) is the most recently created governorate of Lebanon. It consists of the districts of Jbeil and Keserwan. Keserwan-Jbeil covers an area of and is bounded by the North Governorate to the north, the ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. The town is away from

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

, and stands at an elevation of above sea level.

Etymology/History

''Mazraat es-Siyad'' translates as "grange of the masters" in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

. It is named after the

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

siyyad (masters) of the al-Husseini family, whose ancestor, Sayyed Hussein al-Husseini was the first person to reside in the area after he restored an ancient monastery. The monastery was bestowed to him by Sheikh Nawfal Ibrahim al-Khoury during the Mamluk era (13th–15th centuries).

Geography

Mazraat es-Siyyad is located in the

in the

Mount Lebanon Governorate french: Gouvernorat du Mont-Liban , native_name_lang = , image_map = Administrative divisions of Lebanon 2017-08 (Numbered).png , map_caption = The governorates of Lebanon, including Mount Lebanon (in pink, label ...

. It is 58 kilometers north of the capital

. It spans an area of and stands at an altitude of above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

. The municipal area of Mazraat es-Siyad includes the

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

of Abboud, Mazraat er- Rmeileh, Sharbineh and Bolhos.

Demographics

The population lives in a total of 220 houses in the town. There were 1,250 voters from Mazraat es-Siyad registered in 2005. The largest families in order of size according to the 2005 election records are al-Husseini, Karkaba, Gharios, Acar, Obeid, Gharios, Zaarour, Barakat, Bou-Salman, Karam, Ziadé and El-Khoury. Other families include some of these families' original last names such as Salamé (to Acar), Oueiss (to Gharios), as well as more families such as Medawar, Maatouk, Bou-Yazbek and Aouad.

Government

Mazraat es-Siyad municipality was established in 2004. The municipal council currently has twelve members. In addition to the municipal council, Mazraat es-Siyad has a three-member mayoral council headed by a ''

mukhtar A mukhtar ( ar, مختار, mukhtār, chosen one; el, μουχτάρης) is a village chief in the Levant: "an old institution that goes back to the time of the Ottoman rule". According to Amir S. Cheshin, Bill Hutman and Avi Melamed, the muk ...

'' (headman).

Economy

Agriculture, namely

pomology Pomology (from Latin , “fruit,” + ) is a branch of botany that studies fruit and its cultivation. The term fruticulture—introduced from Romance languages (all of whose incarnations of the term descend from Latin and )—is also used. Pomol ...

is the main economic activity in the Byblos highlands. Mazraet es-Siyad has many natural water sources, fertile soil and arable land. Residents also depend on permanent jobs, as there are 15 small commercial and industrial companies, in addition to two hotels, the Shangri-La and the Monte Carlo.

Landmarks

Religious buildings

* Mar Abda ( Saint Abdas) Church founded by Gharios family in 1708 and greatly expanded in later centuries. * Mazra’at As-Siyyad Mosque, built in line with a decision by Mutasarrıf Wasa Pasha (ruled 1883-1892). * Saydet an-Najat (Our Lady of Salvation) Church.

Culture

Festivities

Mazraat es-Siyad celebrates the Feast of the Lady of Salvation (''Saydet an-Najat'') on 8 September, and Saint Abdas on 31 August with traditional dinners and festivities.

Notable residents

* Ahmad al-Husseini,

Lebanese parliament The Lebanese Parliament ( ar, مجلس النواب, translit=Majlis an-Nuwwab; french: Chambre des députés) is the national parliament of the Republic of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year term in multi-member constit ...

deputy elected in 1932.

References

{{Byblos District Populated places in Byblos District Maronite Christian communities in Lebanon Shia Muslim communities in Lebanon