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My mother Elmaza Sabbagh Michael (Jarjous) told this story to me. This is the story of the Sabbagh Family, a family of dye makers in the country Syria. I have chosen to share this story only because someone must. It is a matter of pride and heritage that it is committed to paper. In this way the family history can be preserved and passed on from family to family, so that the surviving families will understand more about themselves and their roots.
The year was 1755 in the city of Humus. Humus was a fairly large town in the southwest quadrant of the country along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. Abdula Sabbagh, my great, great, great grandfather lived in Humus with his wife, three sons and two daughters. Abdula was a dyemaker who was recognized throughout Humus for his skill and for combining ingredients into a dye that was second to none in having fabrics retain their color. It was a tried and tested formula, skillfully made from berries and herbs, combined with a very carefully hidden ingredient that made it colorfast. This dye became the family secret formula that made the Sabbagh Family rather special right from the very beginning.
Abdula and his wife maintained a comfortable living along the eastern side of the Syrian desert. The children helped their father in the business because his employer required long hours and the demands on him were great. Abdula Sabbagh, a God-fearing man, attended church religiously, as did his entire family. As Orthodox Christians, they lived among Mohammedan and other non-Christian groups. Many of the women of that region covered their faces and their bodies were forbidden to be publicly seen. Abdula’s two daughters were young and attractive, and did much of their daily shopping in the town’s market place. Although Christian women were not required to cover their faces as the Mohammedan were, they were just as conservative in their dress as the other women in the area. Because they were very visible and, obviously, very attractive, aggressive men in the town square constantly pursued them during their shopping hours. In fact, the suitors were so bold, they often followed the girls into the Sabbagh neighborhood. This aggravated Abdula and this sons so much, that they attacked the intruders with reckless abandon. It got so bad, that the entire family had to flee Humus in order to prevent a disastrous conflict.
Abdula and his family gathered their belongings and departed the city under cloak of darkness. They traveled southeast by foot until they reached Shiekh m’vdviade, unlike Humus, a very small town. With the reliability of his dyes, Abdula had little difficulty finding work, but the size of the town limited the volume of work available to levels unsuitable to sustain the whole family. As the story goes, Abdula, his wife and two daughters stayed, but the three sons went their separate ways. The oldest brother Abdula, went to Shaktaba. Braheem, the second son, went to Beino. Samuel, the youngest brother and my great, great grandfather, went to Safita. This is where the Sabbagh family tree actually begins. Zabea, the oldest daughter, stayed on in Shiekh m’vdviade with her parents, while the younger daughter Agea eventually joined Samuel in Safita. She will enter the story a little later. Since it is not known what happened to the family members who were not in Safita, the stories of Abdula the elder, his wife, Zabea, Braheem, and Abdula the younger are lost in the sands of time.
By my calculations, Samuel was born in 1785. At 18, the youngest son arrived in Safita with not much more than a little money and the shirt on his back. Entering a new phase in his life in a strange town, he was still a very positive young man. Safita, with a population at that time of about 9000, is about two hundred miles north of Beino and Shaktaba, where his brothers had decided to live. Safita was the seat and is still known for its economic and political influence in the area. Strategically important because of its closeness to the sea, Safita was established as a fortress and used as such by the many conquerors who came to rule the territory. One can readily see the Roman and Turkish influences throughout the city.
(END OF PART ONE) Look to this site for part two, coming soon...