Thread: Thinking about history - 1907 Tikka?

They were Maronite Christians in a village called Aintourine (3 springs) in the Kadisha Valley. Country is now Lebanon, between the Bekka valley and the ports on the coast so strategically important. The Ottoman Empire weren't so happy with the local population and had been smacked a few times. Earlier in the century, the locals had been led by Josef Karam. Karam led resistances between the local Christian, Druze and the Ottomans. In the 1860s, Karam used the cliffs and isolation to bruise much larger Ottoman and Druze militias. His legend endured well into the 1890s, even after his death.

By the 1890s, the people of Aintourine were more and more isolated. Still 'ruled' by the Ottomans, but they were kept quiet with resistance from the cliffs if they tried to bring in any sort of force. The priests were actually the power locally, village elders, and family networks. The houses were built into the cliffs along zig zag roads. The more important you were, the further down the road so you had more time to resist/escape. The doors of the houses were 3 feet high so anyone breaking in had to bend forward and likely receive a sword across the nicely exposed neck. Nowdays the doors have a 90degree wall outside so you don't get shot putting your key in the lock.

So the story goes that my great grandfather and his brother got on the wrong side of most of the locals by bringing outside attention due to leveraging a fine on the odd traveller. They got on a boat to Australia but realised there was more in Australia trying to kill them than they saw in Lebanon. Next stop Wellington.

Terrific yarn, thanks for sharing.