Maanas, Maanids - Lebanese feudal clan and dynasty of rulers in medieval Lebanon . The founder of the clan is Maan al-Ayyubi (12th century). Fahr ad-din I Maan (died 1544), recognizing in 1516 the sovereignty of the Turkish sultan Selim I (reigned in 1512–20), he received from him investor in managing Mountain Lebanon.
Until 1613, the center of the Maan’s possessions was Baaklin, a village founded by the Maanas in 1120. In 1613, Emir Younes, on the orders of Fahr al-Din, who left for Italy, transferred his residence to Deir al-Kamar (Tanus al-Shidiyak, Kitab ahbar al ian Fie Jebel Lubnan, p. 260).
The greatest reinforcement of the Maans dates back to the reign of the large Druze feudal lord Fahr ad-Din II Maan (1590-1633, according to other sources, 1635), when the Maan’s power extended to the whole of Lebanon and an autonomous Druze state was created.
In Palmyra ( Syria ) is located the well-preserved castle of Fakhraddin, which serves as a place of religious pilgrimage for Druze from around the world. Portraits of Fakhraddin are one of the symbols of the Druze, for example, they are often found on vehicles at the place where Christians have the icon, and Muslims quote from the Koran.
Since the 2nd half of the 17th century, the influence of the Maans has weakened. The last of the Maans, Ahmed Mulkhim died in 1697. "Ahmed’s son died while he was still alive, and his daughter was married to the son of a Hasbey sovereign emir from the Shihab’s house. The Druze, sheikhs of the seven districts of Shuf, who were originally assigned the right to elect the sovereign emir, were Diet in Deir el Qamar and was elected to the Lebanese princes Emir Beshir rasheyskogo, nephew on the maternal side of the last Maan. from the marriage of any above mentioned, was still between antilivanskimi Shihab grandson Ahmed Maan twelve Emir Haidar, who in a straight line rinadlezhalo inheritance; but in Asian tribes political legacy permanently adapted to the civil law of property inheritance Elected worthy and capable Sheikhs dispatched from himself deputation in Rasheyu ask the Emir Beshir to rule Lebanon Thus,... Shihab , "accepted the inheritance Maan and moved with him to Lebanon long-standing customs of a kind - family sedition, fratricide, sowing discord in the subjects to strengthen their power, plots and seeks from the pasha, surcharge, bidding and rebidding for overthrowing I rivals. This ensured the great successes of Turkish power in Syria , and the Shihabs themselves condemned themselves to the fate that overtook their offspring in our time. ” ( Basil )
Until now, the representative of the Ma'an clan has played an important role in the life of the Arab countries. Sultan Pasha al Atrash (1891-1982) - the legendary leader of the Druze of Syria - a direct descendant of Fahraddin II Maan. He was the supreme commander of the Syrian forces during the uprising of 1925-1927. After the defeat of the uprising, he was hiding in Jordan , from where he returned after the conclusion of the Franco-Syrian agreement of 1937. After the country gained independence, it actively opposed the coup d'etat carried out by Adib Shishakli , who sent troops supported by bomber aircraft to suppress Druze rallies. He was again forced to flee to Jordan. After the overthrow of Shishakli, Sultan Pasha played a decisive role in deciding on the unification of Syria and Egypt into the United Arab Republic (1958) and was a categorical opponent of breaking the alliance in 1961. Monuments to the Sultan Pasha are installed in many cities of Syria. In 1970, the President of Syria Hafez al-Assad awarded the Sultan Pasha the highest state award for his services to his homeland. Known for his patriotism, secularism and personal courage. He owns the famous words during the unification of Syrian revolutionaries from different mandated territories (actually Syria, the Alavite and Druze states) in 1925 "Religion is for God, and the nation is for everyone."
Prominent representatives of Egyptian music and cinema Farid al Atrash and Asmakhan belong to the Maan family.