Al-Kafat was founded in 1870 by Ismaili peasants from Akkar in modern-day northern Lebanon. They initially began farming in the area surrounding al-Kafat, but mostly lived in nearby Salamiyah, the center of Ismaili life in Syria. The Akkari Ismailis of Salamiyah were forced off their land in the mid-19th century on the orders of the Ismaili emir (prince) of the city, who gave the land confiscated from them to his relatives. Part of the Akkaris returned to Akkar, while others went on to eventually establish al-Kafat, which became a prosperous suburb of Salamiyah.[2]
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