Khazen

Khazen (also "El-Khazen", and in some cases Al Khazen or De Khazen, Arabic: الخازن) is the name of a prominent noble Levantine family and clan based in Keserwan District, Lebanon, Damascus, Syria, Nablus, Palestine, as well as other districts around the Levant, predominantly in the Galilee. The Khazen family have traced their lineage through DNA testing to Jericho, Palestine (also known as Tell el-Sultan) 8500 B.C. Several members have played leading roles in politics for many generations. King Louis XIV elevated the family to the French nobility and referred to them as "princes of the Maronites" in many letters. Pope Clement X made them Counts Palatine. Most of the Lebanese Khazen branch is Maronite, while other branches are Greek Orthodox and Muslim but are not related to the Mount-Lebanese, which were endowed with these honors.

History

The Khazen Cheikhs can trace back their lineage to the 9th century, when they were mainly located between Houran, Damascus, Baalbeck, and Nablus. They started buying and acquiring lands in Mount Lebanon during the 15th century and, more specifically, first in Jaj (currently in Jbeil District). They continued their exodus to the Keserwan district, where they bought lands from the Shi'a tribes. This caused the Shi'a to move towards what is known today as the South of Lebanon and the Maronites to the Keserwan district.