The village of Ma’rakah is one of the largest Lebanese villages east of the city of Tire in the South Lebanon Governorate. It is about 97 kilometers away from the capital, Beirut. It was called “Morning Star” in the past, then its name was changed to “Ma’rakah” because of the battles and conflicts its land witnessed.
Location and space
The village of Maarakeh is located in the South Lebanon Governorate, east of the city of Tyre, about 10 kilometers away from it, about 97 kilometers from Beirut, and 55 kilometers from Sidon.
It rises from 200 to 285 meters above sea level, and its area is 18,360 dunums (a dunum equals one thousand square metres).
It is surrounded by valleys and valleys on both the northern and southern sides, which gave it a strategic location.
Until the 1970s, Battle was comprised of two lanes: a northern one called “Al-Fawqa,” and a southern one called “Al-Tahta,” connected by a public square and a main street connecting the town to the west of the city of Tire and the east of the village of Joya.
Later, its area expanded and began to extend over the lands of its neighboring villages, including the villages of Tura and Yanuh.
Label
The village was called “Morning Star” in the past, but its name was changed to “Battle” due to the many battles that its land witnessed, the most notable of which was A battle fought by the Arab armies against the Romans during the Caliphate period Omar bin Al-KhattabIt was also the scene of battles during Crusades The days of the rule of the Ayyubid state.
It was also said that the name Battle in Latin means hideout and refuge, as it was a refuge for residents fleeing from Tire and its suburbs to escape the Crusaders, and it was also a refuge for revolutionaries against the Israeli army.
The town was known by several names and titles, including “Battle Coast” when it was one of Jabal Amel’s districts. It was also called “Mother of Villages and the Gate of Liberation,” and “Mother of Resistance” for the role it played in resisting the French mandate and the Israeli occupation.
Economy
Since the beginning of the 20th century, Battle has been famous for its abundant production of olive oil. Its first press was opened in 1910, and it relied on horses and manpower.
In 1936, olive cultivation expanded significantly to match the number of fig vines spread throughout the town.
The people of Battle began growing tobacco in the 1950s, after the Lebanese government granted licenses to villages in Jabal Amel, and the village obtained 97 dunums of agricultural land.
Tobacco cultivation contributed to reviving the local economy and transforming economic transactions in the village from a barter system to cash, which led to improving the urban situation. Residents began changing the roofs of old houses made of wood and dirt and converting them to iron and cement roofs.
Vegetable cultivation flourished in Battle, reaching its peak in 1965, when agricultural lands covered most of the village’s area, achieved great profits, and gained wide fame in the Beirut markets.
Vegetable trucks also began heading daily from Battle to Beirut, loaded with various crops, which contributed to the recovery of the village’s economy. But with the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War and the entry of Israeli forces into southern Lebanon in 1982, agricultural productivity declined.
The village revived again after expatriates returned to it and contributed their capital to reclaim waste lands and turn them into orchards planted with trees and fruitful crops, which supported agriculture and urbanization again in the village.
the date
Archaeological discoveries in the village of Battle revealed the presence of Phoenician cemeteries, confirming that the town had witnessed human settlement since ancient times, which reflected the depth of its cultural connection with the neighboring Phoenician city of Tire.
In the Roman era, the village witnessed development in its infrastructure. Its residents invested in fertile lands to become a prosperous agricultural center, and fig and olive vineyards spread.
Archaeological studies indicate the presence of evidence dating back to the Roman era in the region, most notably Roman architectural remains of columns and stone inscriptions. In the late 1960s, the head of a statue said to belong to the Carthaginian leader Hannibal was found.
Following Alexander the Great’s occupation of the region in 332 BC, the Phoenician cities, including Tire and the surrounding villages, were annexed to the Greek Empire, and it was said that the village was nicknamed a battle in this period, for its resistance to Alexander’s attack on the city of Tire.
In the Middle Ages, with the entry of Islam into the region in the seventh century AD, the battle became part of Islamic geography, and Islam spread there and left clear religious and cultural traces in its history.
With the launch of the Crusades, the village was affected by the battles that took place in southern Lebanon between the Crusaders and the local population, which strengthened the association of its name with the combat events that took place in its lands, and gave it a symbolic meaning expressing resistance and steadfastness.
During the era of the Ottoman Empire, Battle was part of the state of Sidon, which included most of the regions of southern Lebanon. The Ottomans followed a management system based on local feudal lords to collect taxes, which burdened the southern villages, including Battle, with exorbitant taxes that constituted an economic burden on their residents, and pushed them to Rejection of the Ottoman presence.
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1920, Lebanon was placed under the rule of the French Mandate, and the people of Battle became involved in the anti-occupation movements, as an expression of their rejection of colonialism and support for the national liberation movements.
French mandate
With the beginning of the French mandate over Lebanon in 1920, Battle witnessed major political and administrative changes that affected the lives of its residents, as the French authorities imposed a policy of centralization (concentrating power and decisions in the hands of the central government), which had a negative impact on the administration of local regions.
Economically, the village residents, especially the farmers, faced great challenges as a result of the imposition of new taxes and the redistribution and control of land, which increased their suffering, as agriculture was their primary source of livelihood.
Militarily, the French authorities strengthened their presence in southern Lebanon, which led to escalating tensions between the local population and the colonial forces.
Politically and socially, the battle was affected by the emergence of patriotic and nationalist movements that called for independence from the French mandate, and many village residents participated in supporting these movements and demanding freedom.
Confrontations against Israel
Battle was subjected to Israeli military attacks targeting infrastructure and residents under the pretext of confronting Palestinian activities and the Lebanese resistance.
In 1984, the village witnessed the outbreak of the first confrontations between the Lebanese and the Israeli army there.
Despite the deployment of Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa, the occupation was unable to impose its control over the battle.
Starting from the village of Battle, the liberation area expanded to include 6 neighboring villages: Tura, Badiyas, Burj Rahal, Abbasiya, Yanouh, and Tairdaba, which strengthened the momentum of the Lebanese resistance in the face of the occupation.
The role of women in resistance
It was a battle that symbolized steadfastness and defiance against the Israeli presence, and contributed to strengthening the patriotic spirit among the Lebanese despite Israel’s attempts to eliminate the resistance.
The women of the village played a role in confronting the Israeli attacks, as they used boiling oil to defend their homes and neighborhoods from the soldiers who used to break into the homes and harass the residents to impose their control by force.