Al-Chemor (pronounced ''Ach-Chmorr'', Shammar, Shamir or Shummar in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a 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. E.Watson; Walter ...

الشمرّ) is an ancient noble Christian Arab clan from

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 lie ...

History

The family ruled two sheikhdoms in Northern Lebanon,

Aqoura Aqoura ( ar, عاقورة, also spelled ''Aaqoura'', "Akoura") is a mountainous village in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is 68 kilometers north of Beirut. Aqoura has an average elevation of 1,600 meters above sea ...

from 1211 to 1633 and the Zawyia region of

Zgharta Zgharta ( ar, زغرتا, syc, ܙܓܪܬܐ), also spelled Zghorta, is a city in North Lebanon, with an estimated population of around 50,000. It is the second biggest city in Northern Lebanon after Tripoli. Zgharta is about 150 metres above se ...

from 1641 to 1747. Its lineage traces from King Abu Chemor, a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

Ghassanid The Ghassanids ( ar, الغساسنة, translit=al-Ġasāsina, also Banu Ghassān (, romanized as: ), also called the Jafnids, were an Arab tribe which founded a kingdom. They emigrated from southern Arabia in the early 3rd century to the Lev ...

who gave his name to the family. Its sheikhs were the last

princes to rule until the 18th century. They derived from the Yamanis and left Akoura in the 17th century. Some members moved to

Jeita The is a Japanese trade organization for the electronics and IT industries. It was formed in 2000 from two earlier organizations, the Electronic Industries Association of Japan and the Japan Electronic Industries Development Association. Histor ...

in Keserwan where Sleiman Chemor was a prominent land owner. Other family members left Tripoli to inhabit and rule Aradat and Kfarhata. In 1654 Abdallah Bin Chemor Al Akoury was killed by the followers of the Hamadi Cheikhs after they were assigned to rule Jebbet Becharri by the governor of Tripoli, Mouhammad Bacha Al Koubary. When the aggression of the Hamadis increased, the governor launched two battalions against the

Shiite Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...

renegades, one of them headed by Daher El Daher and one by Youssef Chemor. The campaign met its goals but one of the leaders, Bechara Karam, was ambushed and killed in Meghayri, south of Akoura. The Chemors were related by marriage to the Yaghis of Akoura. The Ghassanids are the largest tribe in the Arabic peninsula. During the 2nd century CE they emigrated from

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and ...

after the Marib dam break to

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

in search of water sources. They established themselves near the “Ghassan spring” from which they took their name. The Ghassanids tribe was Christian and allied to the Byzantines. Abou Choummar Jabla was one of the first

kings, ruling around 500. His son was the most prominent Ghassanid King. He was named “the Great Protector” because he defended the Christians against the barbarians with the help and the benediction of Byzantine Emperor

Justinian Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renova ...

II. His kingdom included the regions of

Houran The Hauran ( ar, حَوْرَان, ''Ḥawrān''; also spelled ''Hawran'' or ''Houran'') is a region that spans parts of southern Syria and northern Jordan. It is bound in the north by the Ghouta oasis, eastwards by the al-Safa field, to the ...

, Mount Hermon, the

Golan Golan ( he, גּוֹלָן ''Gōlān''; ar, جولان ' or ') is the name of a biblical town later known from the works of Josephus (first century CE) and Eusebius (''Onomasticon'', early 4th century CE). Archaeologists localize the biblical ...

, the Jordan valley and

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

. In 635, the Ghassanid kingdom disappeared when the area was conquered by Muslims. The Choummar (from Abou Choummar Jabla) had to flee to Lebanon; their first stay was in the

Christian Maronite The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The current head of the Maron ...

region of Akoura (

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 L ...

) where geological and historical safety was provided. The Choummar inhabited and ruled the rich agricultural region of Akoura in today's Lebanon from 1211 until 1633. They ruled Zawiya from 1641 to 1747 and took Kfarhata near Zgharta as their home town. During this period, many disputes between them and the Daher occurred. One led them to escape the village and take refuge in Beit Habbak, a small hillside village near

Byblos Byblos ( ; gr, Βύβλος), also known as Jbeil or Jubayl ( ar, جُبَيْل, Jubayl, locally ; phn, 𐤂𐤁𐤋, , probably ), is a city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is believed to have been first occupied between 8 ...

, where a big ramification of the Chemor family took place (Gharios, Hobeika...).

Modern era

The houses of Hobeika, Kdeissy, and Gharios are the best known of the descendants with many active members residing in current Lebanon. Kfarhata is still the hometown of the Sheikhs Chemor. They continue to use their titles officially and publicly until the present day. Over generations, the family has spread throughout Lebanon, and its members reside throughout the world.

References

{{reflist, 30em Arab families Arab Christians Lebanese noble families