''Al Arz'' () was an Arabic language newspaper which was published in

Jounieh Jounieh (, or ''Juniya'', ) is a coastal city in Keserwan District, about north of Beirut, Lebanon. Since 2017, it has been the capital of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate. Jounieh is known for its seaside resorts and bustling nightlife, as well as it ...

Ottoman Lebanon The Ottoman Empire nominally ruled Mount Lebanon from its conquest in 1516 until the end of World War I in 1918. The Ottoman sultan, Selim I (1516–20), invaded Syria and Lebanon in 1516. The Ottomans, through the Maans, a great Druze feudal f ...

. It was in circulation from 1895 to 1916.

History and profile

''Al Arz'' was first published in October 1895. The paper was owned by brothers Phillipe and Farid Al Khazin, who were also its editors. They started the paper shortly after the appointment of Phillipe Al Khazin as an honorary

dragoman A dragoman was an Interpreter (communication), interpreter, translator, and official guide between Turkish language, Turkish-, Arabic language, Arabic-, and Persian language, Persian-speaking countries and polity, polities of the Middle East and ...

by the French consul. The headquarters of ''Al Arz'' was in

, and its publisher was Matbuat Al Arz (Arabic: The Cedar Press) owned by the Al Khazin brothers. ''Al Arz'' was a mouthpiece of the Maronite community in Lebanon and supported

Lebanese nationalism Lebanese nationalism is a nationalist ideology which considers the Lebanese people as a separate nation independent from the Arab world and strives to maintain Lebanon as an independent nation-state. The ideology may consider the Lebanese people ...

. It supported the autonomy of Lebanon, and the Al Khazin brothers published articles in ''Al Arz'' claiming that Lebanon had historical "sacred rights" which should be protected by France. Some editors of the paper were members of a secret group, the Lebanese Renaissance society, which supported the independence of Lebanon as a state. On 6 May 1916 both Phillipe and Farid Al Khazin were arrested and tried by the Ottoman authorities led by

Jamal Pasha Ahmed Djemal (; ; 6 May 1872 – 21 July 1922), also known as Djemal Pasha or Cemâl Pasha, was an Ottoman military leader and one of the Three Pashas that ruled the Ottoman Empire during World War I. As an officer of the II Corps, he was ...

, last Ottoman governor of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, due to their support for the French policies. They were beheaded for treachery in Beirut, and ''Al Arz'' was shut down.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arz 1895 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 1916 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire Defunct Arabic-language newspapers Defunct newspapers published in Lebanon Newspapers established in 1895 Publications disestablished in 1916 Phoenicianism