Asʿad Wali

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ASʿAD WALI

Wali of the Vilayet of Sidon.

Asʿad Wali is not to be confused with the Asʿad Pasha who was a prominent Ottoman official in Istanbul. In 1843, under Asʿad's rule, as wali of the vilayet (province) of Sidon, the Mount Lebanon region was divided into Druze and Maronite (Christian) sections in the wake of DruzeMaronite conflict. Some historians think that he sincerely tried to reconcile the various religious factions in Lebanon, but the intensity of conflict, not only between Maronites and Druzes but also between Maronites and Greek Orthodox, for example, prevented the establishment of a harmonious political arrangement in the mountains of Lebanon. The government of the Ottoman Empire accused him of bias in favor of Christians and replaced him in 1845. His replacement ushered in an era of more bloodshed and killing.

see also druze; maronites.

As'ad AbuKhalil