Battle of Ain Darra

The Battle of Ain Dara took place in the town of Ain Dara in 1711 between the Qaysi and Yemeni Druze, with the Qaysis victorious.

Background
Traditionally there had been two Druze socio-political branches living in the Jabal ash-Shuf region: the Yemeni were headed by the Harmouche and Alam ed-Din families and the Qaysi by the Jumblatt and Arslan families. This continued 1100 years of Yemeni-Qaysi conflict in Tunisia, Sicily and Spain, which climaxed in the Battle of Ayn Dara.

In 1711, the Qaysis launched a surprise attack on the Yemenis, who were waiting for reinforcement from the Wali of Damascus and the wali of Akka. They were able to diminish Yemeni power in Lebanon and force them to settle Jabal ad-Duruz, in the Hauran region of Syria.

Effects on the future of Lebanon
Until that time, Lebanon was a feudal region ruled by families that controlled tribes and maintained a power balance. After the defeat of the Yemenis and their banishment to Jabal ad-Duruz, they became more dependent on the Ottoman Empire for support. Conversely, the Qaysis became heavily dependent on their strategic alliance with the Maronite Christians to fight for the Qaysi cause.

The Yemeni Druze eventually lost power in the region with the Young Turks Revolt and World War I, paving the way for the creation of the concept of the Greater Lebanon and the complete influence of the Qaysis over the Lebanese Druze community.