LEBANON
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Lebanon
traces its history back to ancient Phoenicia, on the east coast of the Mediterranean
stretching from present day Akkon in the south to Antakya in the north and
inhabited by urbanized fishermen and traders. In the second millenium B.C.
Phoenicia became a part of the New Kingdom of Egypt and the Empire of the
Hittites. In the 7th century BC it was captured by the Assyrian Empire and in
the year 555 B.C. by Cyrus the Great of Persia (559-530 B.C.). Later it was a
part of the Hellenistic empires and of Rome and Byzantium until it became a
part of the Caliphate of Damascus in 632 and of the Ottoman Empire in 1516. In the
Ottoman Empire Lebanon was ruled by a bey from about 1521. It became a
part of Trablusu Şam Eyalet, founded in 1570 and ruled by a beylerbeyi
from about 1585. In the 19th
cnetury conflicts arose between the Christians and Maronites. After the
Druzes had massacred Christians in 1860, an international commission composed
of France, Britain, Austria, Prussia and the Ottoman Empire met to
investigate the causes of the events of 1860 and to recommend a new
administrative and judicial system for Lebanon that would prevent the
recurrence of such events. The commission members agreed that the partition
of Mount Lebanon in 1842 between Druzes and Christians had been responsible
for the massacre. Hence, in the Statue of 1861 Mount Lebanon was separated
from Syria and reunited under a non-Lebanese Christian mutasarrif
(governor) appointed by the Ottoman sultan, with the approval of the European
powers. The mutasarrif was to be assisted by an administrative council
of twelve members from the various religious communities in Lebanon. After the
fall of the Ottoman Empire the League of Nations mandated the territory that
makes up present day Lebanon to the direct control of France. A “Etat du
Grand Liban” (State of Greater Lebanon) was proclaimed on 1 September 1920 as
an autonomous state within Syria. By Art. 1 of the constitution of 23
May 1926 it became a sovereign state. On 8 November 1943, while France was
occupied by Germany, a new government unilaterally abolished the mandate and
proclaimed the Republic of Lebanon. In the face of international pressure, the French accepted the
independence of Lebanon on 22 November 1943. The allies kept the region under
control until the end of World War II. The last French troops withdrew in
1946. |
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As an
emblem of state a cedar (Cedrus libani - Pinacea) was introduced on
coins minted for Syria and Lebanon in 1924. The cedar is a very ancient
emblem of the Lebanon. It is mentioned in the Bible Pslams 92 v. 12: The
righteous shall flourish like a palmtree / he shall grow like a cedar in
Lebanon. A tree, moreover, was a symbol connected with Phoenicia in
antiquity. Some political movements and petty rulers took the cedar as their
emblem in modern times. In particular a white flag charged with a cedar was
used by the autonomous government and governor after 1861. During WWI the
Lebanese Legion of the French Army had a white ensign with a red cross
saltire charged with a cedar. |
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Flag of the Mutessaryflyk of Lebanon 1861-1915 |
Flag of the Legion du Liban, 1915 |
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The
French tricolore charged with a cedar in the middle was adopted as a flag for the autonomous state of Lebanon in 1920.
It was confirmed in the constitution of 23.05.1926, Art 5: Le drapeau
libanais est bleu, blanc, rouge en bandes verticales égales avec un cèdre
sur la partie blanche. (The Lebanese flag is blue, white, red of three equal vertical stripes with a cedar in the
white stripe) By
Constitution of 07.12.1943, also by
Art. 5, the flag was changed: Le drapeau libanais est composé de trois bandes horizontales :
deux rouges encadrant une blanche. La hauteur de la bande blanche
est égale au double de chacune des bandes rouges. Au centre de la bande blanche
figure un cèdre vert dont la largeur occupe
le tiers de celle-ci et qui, par son sommet et par sa base, touche chacune des
bandes rouges. [Article
5 [Flag] The Lebanese flag is composed of three
horizontal stripes, a white stripe between two red ones. The width of
the white stripe is equal to that of both red stripes. In the center of
and occupying one third of the white stripe is a green Cedar tree with its
top touching the upper red stripe and its base touching the lower red
stripe.] The
flag was changed again in 1995 when it was provided that the cedar should be
all green. * The colours of the flag refer to the colours of the Ottoman Empire. In the National Flag the red symbolizes the Kassites and white the Yemenites. These tribes divided the Lebanese society between 634 and 1711, reason why the colours were later interpreted differently. Now red symbolizes the readiness to make sacrifices and white the peace between the peoples of Lebanon. The cedar symbolizes force, sanctity and eternity. [1] |
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Lebanon
has no official emblem of state or coat of arms. When needed a shield is used
of the colours and charge of the national flag: Arms: Gules, a bend
sinister Argent charged with a cedar proper. and after 1995: Arms: Gules a bend
sinister Argent charged with a cedar Vert. The
emblem of the cedar is also on coins. At first it was accompanied by a date
and the name of the state but later versions show a more seal-like design
showing the cedar and the name of the state in arab and latin script as a
legend. In 1968 the legend was changed into: “Banque du Liban”, and the date
was reintroduced. |
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Piastre coin 1924 Cedar
and name of the state, date. |
Piaster coin 1925 - 1940 Cedar
and name of the state.
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25 piastres, 1961 Cedar
and name of the state.
An emblem
of the National Assembly has recently appeared, and probably dates from after
the end of the civil war in 1990. It consists of a cedar surrounded by a
bordure of six five-pointed stars and falcons and is supported by a
phoenician galley. The emblem is on the façade of the National Assembly in
Beyrut. ð See illustration in the head of the essay. The
galley was on coins from the Persian Era (555 - 332 B.C.) and refers to the sea trade
of the Phoenicians. In Lebanon it was reintroduced on coins of the Etat du
Grand Liban |
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Secrity Service |
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The General
Security Directorate (La Sûreté Générale / (الامن
العام al-Amn
al-'Aam) is a Lebanese Security agency was founded on 21 July 1921 and
originally known as the "first bureau". According to Decree-Law No.
139 of 12 June 1959, the General Security is subordinated to the Minister of
the Interior and headed by a Director General, as President. By Organizational
Decree No. 2873 of 16 December 1959 a regional organization of general
security was established which created regional departments, border-,
maritime- and air branches. Its full
name is "General Directorate of General Security" (Direction Générale
de la Sûreté Générale, المديرية
العامة
للأمن العام). |
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Intelligence
Service |
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The Lebanese
General Directorate of State Security (Direction Générale de la Sécurité de
l'Etat Libanais / المديرية
العامة لأمن
الدولة) is
the Lebanese National Security Agency, directly attached to both, the
Lebanese president and prime minister. The General Directorate of the Lebanese State Security was
established in 1985. |
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The Internal
Security Forces Directorate (المديرية
العامة لقوى
الأمن
الداخلي,
/ al-Mudiriyya al-'aamma li-Qiwa al-Amn al-Dakhili; / Forces de Sécurité
Intérieure, ISF) is the national police and security force of Lebanon. The modern
police were established in Lebanon in 1861, with the creation of the Gendarmerie.
Internal Security Force
General
Directorate of Internal Security Forces |
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Emblem |
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Arms: Per bend Gules, Argent and Gules,
a cedar tree proper Supporters: Two swords in saltire proper Garland: Branches of oak and laurel Or Motto: ‘Republican Guard’ in arab script
on a white ribbon crenelé in chief Symbolism
Flag |
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emblem
Flag |
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Emblem
Flag
Roundel |
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The
symbol of the Phoenician realm or empire was a sun. Such a sun was also the
emblem of the Persian Empire of Cyrus the Great which existed from 559-330
B.C.. A rosette in the shape of the Persian sun is preserved in Leiden but is
supposed to date from the Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire. A sun of
the same design is on a silver bowl and may be from the New Kingdom of Egypt
Era in Phoenicia.
Silver Phoenician bowl 750-600 B.C. British Museum number 123053 Silver
Phoenician bowl; fragmentary, just over half of vessel preserved; decorated
in repoussée and engraved figures and motifs; in the centre is a rosette
medallion surrounded by an engraved zig-zag band composed of parallel lines
surrounded by three concentric registers of figures: inner one composed of
line of couchant sphinxes wearing uraeous and disk; central register has
figures in Assyrian dress picking from an elaborate palmette or stylised
sacred tree flanked by Egyptian religious figures (Harpocrates, Isis,
Re-Harakhte, Nephthys, scarab etc); outer scene shows the siege of a city
with files of military figures wearing 'hoplite', Egyptian and Urartian gear
with fragmentary chariot entering from right side. Æ See also: Note [2]
Rosette, basalt 63 B.C. 640 A.D. From Tell Balata, Palestine. Rijksmuseum voor Oudheden Leiden |
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Characteristic
Phoenician heraldic devices are from the Egyptian Era. They are most of the
time in the form of an achievement, a central piece of a stylised tree
supported by heraldic beasts. These can
be seen on the silver bowl below and also on several ivories.
Silver-gilt bowl, 725–675 B.C Culture:
Cypriot Dimensions:
Æ16.8 cm; H. 3.1 cm Credit
Line: The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76 Accession
Number: Metropolitan Museum of Art 74.51.4554
Description The
central tondo shows two falcons and a cherub killing a lion with a sword. The
surrounding frieze presents a variety of animal and narrative motifs: bulls,
a horse and a lion. The broad outer band features three achievements of
Phoenician trees, the first with griffins, the second with ibexes and the
third with sphinxes for supporters. In the right upper quarter is an Egyptian
pharao killing a griffin, a warrior slaying his ennemies, before the God
Horus and another man killing another
griffin. Of greatest
importance, however, are two inscriptions. At the top, above the pharao
figure killing a griffin, a Cypriot syllabic inscription reads, "I am
[the bowl] of Akestor, king of Paphos." It was partly obliterated and
replaced by "I am [the bowl] of Timokretes," presumably the next
owner. The bowl is exceptionally significant for its excellent condition,
high quality, and amalgam of Egyptian and Phoenician features. For a
larger picture Æ http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/243823 |
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For a long time
and well into the Assyrian Era the art of Phoenicia was influenced by Egypt.
Famous Phoenician ivories show Egyptian elements incorporated into a whole of
specific Phoenician style. Many such
ivories, preserved in some American and European collections, show a tree
between two creatures, making what we may call an achievement in heraldic
terms. Of some of these achievements only one half has been preserved, the
other half being lost or in other private collections. Nevertheless,
if we complete them by adding a reversed image, a quite impressive series of
(quasi-) heraldic achievements is obtained. As mentioned
before, the central image of these achievements is a stylized tree, usually
called “a tree of life”. Such a tree is a very old symbol of a territory. It
occurs, also as a part of an achievement, in Luristan in about 1250 BC. but
is is also known from 9th century B.C. Assyria (from Salmanassar for example) and from many other places. As the oldest
Phoenician ivories showing the tree are from the Egyptian era we may suppose
that the symbol was adopted in that time and is from mixed Egyptian /
Phoenician origin. As for the
supporters different kinds of creatures are used which can be labelled as
military emblems of rank. The oldest one is of certain Egyptian origin and
shows a lion with the Egyptian sun above his head. Probably
younger, but still of Egyptian origin are sphinxes. A third kind of
supporters are men upright, dressed for war and with crowns on their heads.
These may be high ranking warriors, probably military governors of Phoenician
territories. Other
“supporters” are griffins (Egyptian style) and angels. A hierarchy of
these symbols is suggested in the sequence below. |
Tree
from a Phoenician Ivory [3] |
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Lion supporting a tree, the one on the right the same but reversed Phoenician
ivory, 9th century BC. Coll. British Museum London. The
sun the emblem of the Egyptian Empire, the broad collar an emblem of office. (comparable with the modern Western crown) |
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Griffins supporting a sacred tree Phoenician,
ca. 8th century B.C., ivory, H 10.6 cm (private collection (?)) |
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Sphinxes supporting a tree Phoenician
ivory in the FitzWilliam Museum in Cambridge. A tiny ivory carving. |
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Sphinx, the one on the left the same but reversed 9th-8th century BC; Ivory;
Height: 6.9 cm, width: 7.75 cm; Phoenician style Found at Fort Shalmaneser, Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), northern Iraq;
excavation ID - ME 134322. |
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Egyptian officials supporting a tree. 8th–7th century B.C. Neo-Assyrian Mesopotamia, Nimrud (ancient Kalhu)
Ivory; H. 12.4 cm MMA, Rogers Fund, 1962 (62.269.3) The frieze of Egyptian cobras, Royal emblems, with the winged sun of
Egypt below. |
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Angels
supporting a tree Syro-Phoenician
ivory panel. Nimrud 8th to 7th centuries BC Coll.
Legion of Honor Museum of Fine Arts,
San Francisco, California. The
angels are symbolizing a heavenly mandate and sovereignty |
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555 -
332 BC |
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In the Persian
Era the representations of the Phoenician society changed. This can be see on
coins minted in that period. In the first place an emblem was introduced
symbolizing the people. This replaced the former tree, symbolizing the
territory. It consists of a seahorse or hippocampus, in mediterranean
religion the vehicle of Poseidon, the God of the seas. This refers to the
maritime power of the Phoenician tradesmen. A hippocampus is a winged
upper body of a horse with a fish-tail, his wings symbolizing his heavenly
origin. A second emblem
was introduced symbolizing the state. This consisted of a galley, manned with
three armed men, probably representing a triumvirate or archonts: the archon eponymos (president) the archon
polemarchos (supreme commander) and the archon basileus (high
priest). On the
reverse is the emblem of the ruler consisting of a lion attacking a deer. |
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Dishekel or Stater from King Azbaal, ca 350-333 BC. War
galley left with lion’s head prow ornament, zigzag row of waves below, three
hoplites with round shields within; hippocamp left above murex / Lion
attacking deer, Phoenician legend above. |
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Phoenicia, Byblos, silver
1/8 Shekel. King
Adramalek, ca 4th century BC, Galley
with hoplites; hippocamp below / Lion attacking deer. |
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Hellenistic Era |
333-64 BC |
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In this
era, when southern Phoenicia was a part of Egypt again, the representation of
society changed once more. The seahorse was maintained but the galley was
replaced by a men armed with a bow and arrow, probably symbolizing the
military governor. On the reverse are the emblems of the Egyptian king and
commander: a falcon (owl) and the Egyptian crook and flail (nekha and nekhaka). |
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Phoenician Silver
Tetradrachm of Tyre .Ca.
400 BC to 360 BC |
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Phoenician Silver Didrachm of Tyre Ca.
360 BC to 332 BC |
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Attic didrachm, Tyre Melqarth
riding hippocamp R / owl with crook & flail, year 36, (224 BC). |
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64-632 |
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The annexation by Rome of Syria in 62 BC was the
work of Pompeius (*106-†48 BC) who let a number of vassal states exist, only
making a province in the north. To these were added some territories from
East Cilicia. With the Augustean reform it became an imperial province
governed by a legatus with the rank of consul who resided in Antiocha
/ Antakiya. Septimus Severus (193-211) divided the province in Syria Maior
or Coele with Laodicea / Lattakia as its capidtal and governed
by a legatus with the rank of consul, and Syria Phoenice, also
imperial but with a legatus pretorio who resided at Berytus/Beirut.
Around the middle of the 3rd century the short living Kingdom of Palmyra
existed which lasted until the victory of Aurelian (270-275) over Zenobia.
The rank
of Consul was symbolized by an eagle which was printed on coins from Tyre
(Soûr). On these coins the armed man-and-sea horse are replaced by the head
of the legatus pretorio an so the term for the Phoenician people was
abandoned. |
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Silver tetradrachm from Tyre (Phoenicia) 55 BC Head of governor and eagle
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The Province of Phoenicia
and the insignia of its governor From: Notitia Dignitatum, fol 194r. |
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With the reform of the Empire by Diocletian Phoenicia
became a separate province consisting of the Phoenician coast from Balanea in
the north to Dora in the south, the inland with the city of Damascus becoming
the province of Augusta Libanensis. In the Notitia Dignitatum five new
provinces are documented in the the former Imperial Province (i.e. Cilicia I
& II, Euphratensis, Syria, Phoenice) each governed by a Dux
(commander of an army division). The province of Phoenicia is symbolized by a
“map”of the territory in which each city is represented by its gate. The
governor is represented by his insignia consisting of a Liber Mandatorum
(Book of Mandates) and a codicil. On the book of Mandates is written the
abbreviation of Floreas Inter allectos comites ordinis primi (Mayst thou
prosper amongst the chosen counts of the first rank). It contains the
dignitary’s duties and gives the imperial instructions. The codicil is the
official document of appointment of the office-holder. [4] |
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The emblem of rank of a Dux was, according to
Gibbon, a golden belt. [5] |
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Phoenicia
was captured by the Arabs in 632 and from then Phoenicia was under Arab rule.
First as a part of the Caliphate of Mekka and later of its successor Empires.
A Christian interim period occurred in the 12th century when the crusader
states of Tripoli and Jeruzalem were founded on Phoenician and Palestine territory. In
today’s Lebanon was the southern part of the County of Tripoli and the
northern part of the Kingdom of Jeruzalem including the cities of Beirut,
Sidon, Tyre and Akkon. |
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From about 1205
until 1291 Beirut was ruled by lords from the House of Ibelin. John I
d’Ibelin (c. 1179-1236), had rebuilt the city, which had been completely
destroyed during Saladin's conquest of the Jerusalem kingdom, and constructed
an opulent palace. Beirut was effectively an independent state under his
rule. John d’Ibelin
had five sons: Balian (†1247), John (1211-1258), Hugues (1213-1238), Baldwin
(†1266) and Guy (1215-1255). His successors
in Beirut were his son Balian († 1247) and his grandson John II d’Ibelin
(1247-1264). |
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The coat of arms
of the House of Ibelin seems to have been: Or, a cross Gules. Some members of
the family probably used other blasons, depending of their office. A shield Or, a
cross potent Gules, is depicted on a thirteenth century icon, today in the
Monastery of St. Catherine, Sinai. The knight bearing this shield has also a
white or yellow banner with a red
cross. On another icon, also from the same monastery one of the riders is
bearing a white or yellow pennon with a red cross.
Icons of the saints Georgios and of Sergios and Bacchos from the
Monastery of St. Catherine, Sinai. These
icons may be a confirmation of the supposed arms of the House of Ibelin. However, as
the family had many male members in the 13th century, we are not able to
determine who actually are depicted on the icons. When the sons of John I are meant, the
icons may have been painted during the Sixth Crusade or somewhat later, at a
time when the fame of John I was at its summit. In 1229 the boys were 18, 16
and 15 years of age which matches very well with the boys depicted. |
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John d’Ibelin |
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In about 1252/’53 the coat of arms of John
d’Ibelin of Arsuf, Count of Jaffa an Askalon was, according to Joinville or, with a cross of gules patté. [6]
This John d’Ibelin (1211-’58) was the second son of John I d’Ibelin.
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Baldwin d’Ibelin |
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A third son of
John was Baldwin d’Ibelin, seneschal of Cyprus. On his seal is a coat of arms
with a black cross:
Seal, 16.12.1261: Arms: A cross patté. L.: DE : IBELIN :
SE[NE]SCHAL : D [...]REAUMQ(U)E : DE CHIP[R]I. Natural wax, the cross black. Æ 45
mm. [7] As the trouble is taken to make the cross of a
different colour (and not of red wax), it is suggested that the arms of
the Teutonic Order: Argent, a cross Sable, are on the seal. The relation of
Baldwin d’Ibelin with the Teutonic Order however, is not known. |
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John II
d’Ibelin |
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John of
Ibelin (died 1264),
often called John II, was the Lord of Beirut from 1247, named after
his grandfather John I, the famous "Old Lord of Beirut". He was a
son of Balian d’Ibelin.
Equestrian Seal, 1261: Knight in full
battle dress, on his coat and shield, and on the clothes of his horse a
cross. L.: X : SIGILL[UM I]O[HANNES DE
Y.]B[ELIN : DOMINI : X BE[RIT]ENSIS :. Orange
wax, (Æ 62 mm.). [8] In 1261, John had
returned from a very large
raid alongside the Templars into Galilee in 1260 on which occasion he had
been taken captive. His ransom was 20,000
bezants. For that reason his ensign may have been the cross of the Templars:
Argent, a cross Gules. |
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© Hubert de Vries, 2011-06-27; 2017-04-06+ 2020-02-13
Heraldry of the World