Shihab

Shihab

 

a family and dynasty of emirs in Lebanon. The Shihabs, who traced their lineage to the Quraysh tribe of the Hejaz, became the feudal rulers of the region of Anti-Lebanon in the 12th century; from 1697 to 1840 they were the ruling dynasty in the mountainous part of Lebanon. The best known were Bashir I Shihab (ruled 1697–1707), Haidar Shihab (1707–32) and Bashir II Shihab (ruled 1788–1840 or 1789–1840).

Other Lebanese public and state figures from the Shihab family include the historian Haidar Shihab (1760–1835) and General Fuad Shihab (Fouad Chehab), the president of the Lebanese Republic from 1958 to 1964.