As-Saksakiyahn (Arabic: السكسكية) is a municipality in the Sidon District of the South Governorate in Lebanon. It is located 61 kilometres (38 mi) from Beirut and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Sidon. It has an elevation of 100m.[2][1]
The town has multiple archaeological features that can be inferred through the presence of a large number of ancient caves, in addition to an old water-powered mill that dates back to the 1800s.
Name
The name "Saksakiyeh" is said to have originated from the family "Sakasik",[3] who originally traveled from Yemen to Lebanon during the Abbasid Period in 64 AH, and lived in what is known today as Beit Lahia. Who Later moved to Sarafand's fort, then relocated to Saksakiyeh.[4][5][6]
History
In 1875, in the late Ottoman era, Victor Guérin traveled in the region, and noted about the village (which he called Zekzekieh): "This village, sitting on a height, is divided into two districts, one eastern, the other western. To the west of the latter, I am shown the location of an ancient fortress, now toppled from top to bottom, and from where the inhabitants extracted beautiful ashlars."[7]
World War I
During WWI, the Ottomans set up a gallows in the city center to execute deserters who were forcefully enrolled into the Ottoman army. One of these deserters was Houssein Mohammed Kahloun who had fled 13 times before he was caught after his sister who was threatened by death exposed his location. He was taken to the gallow and hanged. The town's Mukhtar at the time Haidar Mohammad Haidar was taken by Ottoman soldiers and forced to witness the hanging.[8]
World War II
In the summer of 1942 during WWII, a group of French soldier were wandering the street of Saksakiyeh when they were asked about their reason for being there, in which one of the soldiers is said to have replying disrespectfully.
Poet Mohamad Ali Wehbe then attacked the soldiers with a stick he was carrying, his friends (Abd al Azim Helmi, Mohamad Dieb Amer, Hassan Asaad Wehbe, Mohamad Chibli Baghdadi Mroueh, and Ali Hassan Dahi) then joined in the attack, forcing the soldiers to flee.
The soldiers reported the incident to Sergent Dawoud, who later visited the town and threaten the town's leading figures (Mohamad Haj Haidar Haidar, Houssien Al Haj Ali Abass, Chibli Baghdadi Mroue, Mohamad Baker Al Ibrahim). The town's leading figures refused to expose the location of the attackers who had to spend about a year hiding in caves until Lebanon got its independence on 22 November 1943.[9]
On 15 July 2006, an Israeli plane destroyed three bridges, one in Sarafand, one in Saksakieh, and one in Loubiyeh. The Saksakieh bridge attack led to death of the civilian Mohammad Hassan Mustapha Haidar.[21][22] It took multiple years for the Saksakieh Bridge to be rebuilt completely.[23]
On 5 August 2006, an Israeli warplane fired two missiles at a two-story residential building in Al-Ghassaniyeh, it led to the death of 7 civilians doing a visit from their town of Saksakieh.[24]
Demographics
The population has grown significantly throughout this last century.
The estimate population was 595 in 1927. All being Shia Muslims.[26] The population increased to reach 1,775 in 1965. And to 2,840 in 1981.[27] And 5,223 in 1997. And to 6,231 in 2002.[28]
In 2014, Muslims made up 99.58% of registered voters in As-Saksakiyah. 98.36% of the voters were Shiite Muslims.[29]
Education
Education in the town only properly started in around 1920, where Shiekh Khalil Helmi (Known as Al-Masri) educated children in one of the town's leading figure's house (Salim Mohammad Al-Arab). He had 45 students at the time including ones from neighboring towns. Education mostly consisted of learning the Quran and basic algebra. He was preceded by Shiekh Youssif Al-Masri who had about 40 students and educated at the same location until he later moved to Haje Chariefe Tawbi's house.
In 1930, Mohammad Baker Al-Ibrahim took over for about 20 years. He was followed by Sheikh Khalil Mahmoud Asaad Yehya.[30]
Schools were constructed later. Currently the town has 3 schools with 1 of them being a private school and the other 2 being public schools.
Saksakieh Official School
Saksakieh Official School is an English-based school that opened its doors in 1963.[31]
Originally named Saksakieh Official High School but it changed its name to Martyr Nehme Mroueh Official High School by a municipal decision in decree 763/16 issued on 18 October 2016.[40]
The governmental hospital was built in the 1964 as a schistosomiasis center as part of the Litani River Project. However, it was used during the Lebanese Civil War as a military command center by some Lebanese parties and Palestinian organizations, it was then used a field hospital, and later as a police station by the town of Aadloun. It remained a police station for 7 years when it was later used as hospital under the name Musa Al Sadr Hospital, but that only lasted two-year, as in August 1992 it was handed over to the Ministry of Public Health.[41][42][43]
In 1988, legal decree 5215/88 issued on 16 September 1988 stated that the schistosomiasis center of Property 496 would become a health center in addition to doing schistosomiasis research.[44]
In 1993, legal decree 3379/93 issued on 7 April 1993 stated that the health center on Property 496 would become the Saksakieh Governmental Hospital (described as a middle sized hospital), this is due to the fact that based on 159/83 issued on 16 September 1983 a middle sized hospital with 70–100 beds at least is required for every 30,000 people.Algeria then provided fund to complete the hospital and purchase the required equipment. Dr Ali Jaber was put in charge.[45][46][43]
In 1994, legal decree 5170/94 issued on 25 May 1994 would sets and hospital employees and staff as such:[47]
Salary paid employees:
Position
#
Hours
Head of hospital
1
Full-time
Full-time medical foctor
4
Full-time
Full-time obstetrician durgeon
2
18
Gynecologist, snesthesiology, and reanimation doctor
1
1
General surgery doctor
2
18
Pediatrician
2
18
Ophthalmologist
1
18
Otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat)
1
18
Dermatologist
1
18
Gastroenterologist
1
18
Cardiologist
1
18
Radiologist
1
18
Hematologist
1
18
Dentist
1
18
Pharmacist
1
36
Registered nurse (head nurse)
1
48
Registered nurse (branch nurse)
4
48
Registered nurse
5
48
Anesthesia and resuscitation nurse
2
36
Midwife
2
48
X-ray technician
1
36
Chef
1
36
Hourly paid employees
Position
#
Assistant nurse
20
Druggist
1
Chef assistant
1
Maintenance worker
1
Seamstress
1
Clerk
1
Climacteric
2
Gatekeeper
1
Guard
4
Call
3
Receptionist
10
Car driver
3
Driver assistant
3
Dr. Hani Shgari was put in charge, and the hospital began to receive patients and provide health services. But not even a year had passed when it had to close its doors due to the lack of funding from the Ministry of Public Health and the lack of staff.[43]
In 2005, legal decree 14159/05 issued on 8 February 2005 stated that a general organization is to be established to run the hospital. In article 2, it is stated that a 3-year board of directors of the organization would be headed by Eng. Ali Haidar Khalifeh with both Dr Faisal Mohammad Baghdadi Mroue and Dr Ibrahim Houssien Matar as board members.[48]
The hospital was meant to operate as an independent entity able to fund itself; however that didn't work as it wasn't able to open its doors, even after being given a sum of 2 million dollar by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.[43][49]
In 2007, legal decree 3/07 issued on 20 September 2007 stated that a new government hospital would be established in the neighboring town of Sarafand and would be approved as the Al-Zahrani district's government hospital, the decree also asks the Lebanese Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) to take the necessary steps to implement, construct, and prepare the hospital, the CDR was also given a loan of 10 million dollars to construct the new hospital. In addition, the Saksakieh Governmental Hospital on Property 496 returned to being a health center, as according to the decree the Saksakieh hospital has limited space and beds and can't be considered the district's hospital and the new Sarafand hospital was enough to meet the needs of the citizens in the district.[50]
In 2009, legal decree 1564/09 issued on 26 March 2009 stated that Enayah Ghosn, the head of the Secretariat department at the Ministry of Public Health, would be appointed as a government commissioner at the General Organization for the Management of the Saksakieh Governmental Hospital for a period of one year.[51]
The hospital remained closed until 8 February 2008 when a law degree to transfer it to a public organization by a request from the then minister of public health Jawad Khalifeh.
The first municipal election took place in 1963 after the Municipals Law of Lebanon 29/63 was issued on 29 May 1963, requesting all town have their own municipality, thus legal decree 1217/63 was issued on 27 December 1963 titled "Establishing a municipality in the village of Saksakieh- Sidon District", and stated that Saksakieh would have 8 municipal members.[53] As such these 8 municipal members were elected:
Khalil Mohamad Haidar (elected mayor)
Hossien Yousif Younes
Mohamad Hassan Abbass
Hossien Abdo Aliahmad
Mohamad Ahmed Nasrallah
Hossien Ahmad Fakih
Fadel Yousif Siblini
Mohamad Chibli Baghdadi Mroue
Little to no record is present of the work done by this municipality.[54]
1998 municipal elections
The second election took place on 7 June 1998 after revision law 665/97 issued on 30 December 1997 (Revising Municipal Act Decree 118 issued on 30 June 1977). 15 Members were elected out of the 34 candidates. 2,383 voted out of the 3,112 eligible voters (76.57% turnout). The members met on 29 June 1998 and elect Mahmoud Ahmed Dahi as town mayor with Mahmoud Ahmad Moussa as deputy mayor.[55]
Rank
Name
Votes
Percetage
1
Hossien Kassem Alloul
1,350
56.65
2
Mahmoud Ali Amer
1,346
56.48
3
Ahmed Abbass Abass
1,328
55.73
4
Mohamed Mahmoud Mashlab
1,321
55.43
5
Ali Youssif Younnes
1,300
54.55
6
Hassan Radwan Nasrallah
1,292
54.22
7
Mahmoud Hossien Badran
1,231
51.66
8
Khalil Mohamad Haidar
1,225
51.41
9
Adnan Mohamad Siblini
1,225
51.41
10
Adnan Nehme Obeid
1,202
50.44
11
Mohamed Ahmed Haidar
1,191
49.98
12
Mahmoud Ahmed Moussa (Deputy Mayor)
1,190
49.94
13
Mahmoud Ahmed Dahi (Elected Mayor)
1,170
49.10
14
Ahmed Houssien Hawili
1,106
46.41
15
Asaad Abed Al Kassem Fakih
990
41.54
2004 municipal elections
2010 municipal elections
The fourth municipal elections were done on 9 June 2010, there were only 15 candidates and thus they won by default, with Ali Salman Haidar as town mayor.[56][57][58]
#
1
Ali Hassan Berjawi
2
Mohammad Najib Fakih
3
Mahmoud Ahmad Ossaily
4
Ali Salman Haidar (elected mayor)
5
Wassim Mustapha Kawtharani
6
Adnan Mustapha Dahi
7
Ali Abd Al Razzak Mashlab
8
Hassan Mohammad Yehia
9
Mohammad Asaad Kahloun
10
Youssef Houssien Younis
11
Hassan Ali Sohiel
12
Youssef Ali Amer (deputy mayor)
13
Houssien Sami Obied
14
Mahmoud Jamil Al Haj
15
Mohammad Ali Bandar
2016 municipal elections
The fifth municipal elections that were done on 6 June 2016 had 25 candidates, 15 of which were elected.[59]
Rank
Name
Votes
1
Mahmoud Ahmad Ossaily
2,028
2
Kassem Ahmed Badran
1,954
3
Adnan Ali Younis
1,910
4
Ali Ahmad Abass
1,862
5
Houssien Kassem Alloul
1,816
6
Ali Mahmoud Darwich
1,783
7
Bilal Ghazi Al Arab
1,775
8
Mohamad Kassem Amer
1,734
9
Houssien Wehbe Alloul
1,519
10
Fatima Nehme Baghdadi Mroue
1,494
11
Mohamed Ali Wehbe
1,483
12
Adnan Mustapha Dahi
1,457
13
Jihad Houssien Siblini
1,430
14
Mahmoud Ahmad Dahi
1,411
15
Ali Hassan Berjawi
1,367
Town mukhtars
The first mukhtar of the town was Mohamed Hossein Amer who was a mokhtar during the Ottoman Rule. Followed by Haidar Mohamed Haidar who was mokhtar during the end of the Ottoman Rule.[60] Followed by (in order):
Abed Al Kassem Fakih
Chibli Mohamad Baghdadi Mroue
Mohamed Kassem Ahmad Fakih (Abo Hasib) (For a short period of time)
Kassem Darwich Haidar (Who later resigned to pass it off to Chibli Mohamad Baghdadi Mroue)
Mohamed Houssien Abbass (Abo Najib), along with Mohamed Ali Moussa Siblini, Ahmed Hassan Dahi, Mustafa Ahmed Obied, and Mohamad Amin Shoumar in 1963
Mohamad Ali Sibini (Selected by the Mayor of South Lebanon) who later resigned
Ahmad Hassan Dahi (Selected by the Mayor of South Lebanon)
3 people were elected as the town's Mukhtars. Three candidates ran for the optional Mukhtar seats thus won by default.[61]
#
Name
Position
1
Mohsen Mahmoud Siblini
Mukhar
2
Amin Ali Shoumar
Mukhar
3
Najib Mohammad Abbass
Mukhar
–
Asaad Mohammad Wehbe
Optional Member
–
Hassan Ahmad Al Houssieni
Optional Member
–
Kassem Hassan Haidar
Optional Member
Mukhtar elections 2016
4 out of the 10 candidates were elected as the town's Mukhtars. One candidate ran up for the optional Mukhtar seat and won by default.[62]
Rank
Name
Votes
Position
1
Amin Ali Shoumar
1,923
Mukhar
2
Hassan Ali Fakih
1,451
Mukhar
3
Najib Mohamad Abbass
1,398
Mukhar
4
Mohsen Mahmoud Siblini
1,245
Mukhar
–
Ahmad Jamil Al Haj
0
Optional Member
Popular families
Some of the popular families in the town include:[63]
Abbass
Al-amin
Al-haj
Al-hussien
Aliahmad
Alloul
Amer
Awada
Badran
Bandar
Barakat
Darwich
Fakih
Faroukh
Haidar
Hashem
Hawili
Hmaidan
Jradi
Kawtharani
Kharoubi
Mashlab
Mroue (Baghdadi Mroueh)
Nasrallah
Obeid
Saghir
Saleh
Shoumar
Siblini
Sohail
Wehbe
Younis
Notes
^n It's also called Saksakieh, Saksakie, or Saksakiye. And also referred to as Alsaksakieh, Alsaksakie,or Alsaksakiye.
References
^ abc"Saksakiyeh". Localiban. Centre de ressource sur le développement local au liban. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
^Fahour (فاعور), Ali (علي) (1985). South Lebanon: The Nature & Human (جنوب لبنان الطبيعة والانسان) (in Arabic). Beirut: Dar el Bahith (دار الباحث). ISBN0000279234.
^ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Muhammad (915). Yar-Shater, Ehsan (ed.). History of the Prophets and Kings: The collapse of Sufyānid authority and the coming of the Marwānids (in Arabic). Vol. XX. Translated by Hawting, G.R. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York Press. p. 59. Marwan then journeyed with the people toward al-Jabiyah and pitched camp at Marj Rahit among the men of Jordan of the Bani Kalb over against al-Dahhak. The Sakasik, the Sakun, and the Ghassan joined him while Hassan b. Malik b. Bahdal rode off to the Jordan district.
^Dawoud Jaber (داود جابر), Ali (علي) (2005). The Lost Piece From The History of Jabal Amel (الحلقة الضائعة من تاريخ جبل عامل: من الفتح الاسلامي حتى السيطرة العثمانية) (in Arabic). Beirut: Dar Al Hadi (دار الهادي). p. 76. و وكانت جبال عاملة الجنوبية تتبع جند الأردن كما عرفت سابقا ، ما يقوي الظن بنزولهم في هذه المنطقة ، ومما يقوي ما ذهبنا إليه وجود قرية يقال لها السكسكية إلى الجنوب من الصرفند ، يقول الدباغ : «السكاسك من حمير والنسبة إليها سكسكي ، طبعت اسمها في قرية السكسكية في الجنوب اللبناني» And in Marwan's Era in the year of 64 AH, Al-Sakasik went to Jordan as stated by Al Tabari. And Jabal Amel Al Janoubia supported the Jordan army (as stated before) which supports this actually happening. Further support of this fact is that there exists a town called Saksakieh south of Sarafand in Lebanon.
^Abd Al Salam Tadmuri (عبد السلام تدمري), Omar (عمر) (1992). Lebanon from the establishment of the Abbasid state until the fall of the Ikhshidid state (لبنان من قيام الدولة العباسية حتى سقوط الدولة الإخشيديّة) (in Arabic). Jarrous Press Tripoli (جروس برس طرابلس). pp. 45–46, 300.
^Guérin, 1880, p. 482: "A huit heures, je monte à Zekzekieh. Ce village, assis sur une hauteur, est divisé en deux quartiers, l'un oriental, l'autre occidental. A l'ouest de ce dernier, on me montre l'emplacement d'une ancienne forteresse, aujourd'hui renversée de fond en comble, et d'où les habitants ont extrait de belles pierres de taille."
^Haidar, Ahmad. Al Saksakieh: Nature and Forefront (in Arabic). Dar Aoun. pp. 31–32.
^Haidar, Ahmad. Al Saksakieh: Nature and Forefront (in Arabic). Beirut: Dar Aoun. pp. 55–57.
^ ab"Ambush for Amal Sidon Joint Committee Representatives". Al-Anwar. 7 September 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 16 February 2022. An ambush for representatives of the joint committee in Saida. Yesterday evening, a car carrying members of the Amal Movement in the Joint Coordination Committee of Saida was hit by gunfire leading to the death of Youssef Siblini, and wounding others.
^ ab"Death and Injury of 50 in Saida. Fights rising again in Beirut". Al-Rai. No. 4000. 20 April 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 16 February 2022. Reports in the South Lebanon report that 20 people dead and 30 other injured during sustained missile attacks by traitor Saad Haddad in Saida
^ ab"Rightist shelling hits 30 in Sidon". Arab News. No. 143. 20 April 1981. p. 4. Retrieved 16 February 2022. At least 30 people were killed or wounded in Sidon Sunday when Maj. Saad Haddad's right-wing Christian militia shelled the center of the town, correspondents reports.
^ abHaidar, Ahmad. Al Saksakieh: Nature and Forefront (in Arabic). Beirut: Dar Aoun. p. 106.
^ abHaidar, Ahmad. Al Saksakieh: Nature and Forefront (in Arabic). Beirut: Dar Aoun. p. 99.
^ abHaidar, Ahmad. Al Saksakieh: Nature and Forefront (in Arabic). Beirut: Dar Aoun. p. 103.
^ ab"Amal Shiites 11 in the region and held a funeral Ceremony". Annahar. No. 17232. 17 January 1989. p. 4. Retrieved 16 February 2022. And Amal arranged a funeral for Rida Siklawi in Dir Kanon – Ras Al Ain, Mohammad Misilmani in Al-Shaaytiyye, Mahmoud Amer in Al-Saksakieh, and Salem Hamzeh in Al-Jmayzme
^ ab"Funeral of 17 militants who fell in Jbaa". Al-Anwar. No. 10024. 17 January 1989. p. 4. Retrieved 16 February 2022. "Amal" and the people of the town of Saksakieh arrange a large funeral for Mahmoud Amer, in which a number of the movement's officials in the south and citizens chanted slogans supporting the Amal movement and denouncing what happened.
^"Diaries of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon: Day 4". Alreaaya. 16 July 2006. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022. The Israeli air force would then return and target the Zahrani Bridge at dawn, but the remarkable thing was that the Israeli planes destroyed three consecutive bridges on the highway of the southern highway between Sarafand, Saksakiah and Ansariyah, which led to its collapse and the martyrdom of a citizen from the town of Saksakiah.
^"Martyrs of Lebanon: 28-7-2006". Khiyam. 29 July 2007. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022. The names of the martyrs of the July war, according to the data of the High Relief Commission / Saksakieh: Mohamed Hassan Haider / Hussien Haidar Amer
^Dahsah, Mohammad (27 July 2009). "Since the Israeli aggression: Al-Saksakiyeh Bridge..destroyed until further notice". Al Balad (Sada Al Balad) (1950 ed.). Archived from the original on 30 July 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2022. The bridge of the town of Al-Saksakiyeh in the Sidon-Zahrani district has become "old news" despite the passage of three years since the Israeli aggression on Lebanon in July 2006.
^"Why They Died: Civilian Casualties in Lebanon during the 2006 War". Human Rights Watch. 5 September 2007. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022. At about 2:25 a.m. on August 7, an Israeli warplane fired two missiles at a two-story building in al-Ghassaniyeh, located about half way between the coastal cities of Tyre and Saida. The strike killed seven persons: Abdullah Khalil Tohme, 58; his wife Fatima Muhammad Mukhaddar, 55; and their son Muhammad, 25; their neighbors Nur Hassan Salih, 19, Muhammad Qasim Hamud, 31, and Sulaiman Qasim Hammud, 25; and Hussain Haidar `Amer, 17, who was visiting from the village of Saksakiyye.
^Al Ayyaf, Mona (May 2008). "Beirut's Message: The Kuwait Fund Signs an Agreement to Finance Development Projects in Lebanon". Kuwait Fund. No. 47. pp. 48–49. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022. Agreement for a project to expand and refurbish the hospital center (Sarfand – South Lebanon) for an amount of US$2 million. The project includes the completion of civil works and providing of the medical equipment and supplies necessary to create 30 beds for the treatment of the disabled in an integrated manner that includes all the aspects required for the rehabilitation of the disabled within the center, according to a detailed medical program that will be prepared at a later time. It is expected that the project works will start in April 2008 and finish by April 2010.