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Concept
Bishmizzine
Summary
Bishmizzine (بشمزين), or Bishmezzine, Bechmezzine, Beshmizzine, Bishmezzine, thought to be neo-Assyrian (Bit Gismeia), is a Greek Orthodox village, in the Koura district of the North Governorate of Lebanon. It is about 275 meters above sea level. Bishmizzine borders the villages of Afisdeeq, Kfar-Hazir, Amyoun, Fi', and B'terram.
Bishmizzine has a huge historical heritage, starting from the pre-historic period. Archaeological evidence covers a period from the Paleolithic/Mesolithic Age to the Bronze Age and Iron Age, up to the late Ancient/Byzantine Age to the Islamic/Middle Age. The name Bishmizzine is thought to be derived from the Aramaic word “Bit Gismeia”, which dates back to the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–609 B.C.). Additionally, one of the several churches of Bishmizzine, Saydeh (Virgin Mary), dates back to the Crusader Era (between 1095 and 1291 AD) and contains the typical ecclesiastical characteristics one would see in Crusader architecture. During the Era of the Crusades in the 13th century, Bishmizzine was called Besmedin. From 1220, it was the seat of an independent rule as a fief of the Count of Tripoli, which was assigned to Lord Bartolomeo Embriaco, a branch of the Lords of Gibelet (modern-day Byblos). The crusaders had developed Besmedin to include a castle or a fortified manor, but no traces of such are preserved today as it is believed they were razed to the ground during the Muslim Mamluk invasion and capture of Tripoli.
In the mid to late 19th century, Bishmizzine relied heavily on silkworms and silk spinning/weaving with 5 large factories each sustaining at least 40 workers.
During World War I, Bishmizzine was one of the many towns in the Mutasarrifate of Mount Lebanon, a semi-autonomous region in the Ottoman Empire and a precursor to modern-day Lebanon, to fall victim to the
Great Famine of Mount Lebanon. Around 200,000 people starved to death in Mount Lebanon, at a time when its population was estimated at 400,000 people. This resulted in the highest fatality rate by population of World War I.
Official source
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