Maalouf

This article is about the surname Maalouf.

Maalouf بنو ألمعلوف

Coat of arms of the Maalouf family.
Pronunciation	ma/ʕaː/-loof
Language(s)	Arabic
Origin
Meaning	Derived from the Arabic Maayuf (معيوف) meaning "exempted" under Islamic rule.
Region of origin	Lebanon and the Middle East
Other names
Related names	Malouf, Maloof, Maluf

Maalouf (alternate spellings: Maloof, Malouf, Maluf; Arabic: معلوف or المعلوف) is the surname of one family that encompasses over 250,000 sons and daughters who share one single ancestor and a detailed family tree for nearly five centuries.

Origins

The Maalouf family belongs to the group of tribes known as Ghassanids that emigrated from Yemen to Houran in modern Syria prior to the collapse of the Marib dam (Arabic: سد مأرب‎) around 102 A.D. The clan governed Houran and large surrounding regions for nearly 500 years until the Islamic conquest in 636 A.D.

After the arrival of the Arabs, some members converted to Islam while others retained their Christian faith. Several prominent leaders received the special if not noble title of Maayuf (Arabic: معيوف) meaning “exempted” or “protected.” When the ruling government subsequently rescinded this title, many clan members retained the surname of Maalouf, or Al-Maalouf (in Arabic, the prefix “Al” means “the”).

File:Douma.jpg

The village of Douma in Northern Lebanon established by the Maalouf family ca. 1526 A.D

Ibrahim Maalouf nicknamed Abi Rajih (Arabic: ابي راجح) reflecting his wisdom was a prominent and rich landowner in the town or village of Upper Damia in Houran. He had seven sons: Issa (Arabic: عيسى), Medlej (Arabic: مدلج), Farah (Arabic: فرح), Hanna (Arabic: حنا), Nasser (Arabic: ناصر), Nehme (Arabic: نعمة), and Semaan (Arabic: سمعان). For political, social and religious reasons, and as a result of a conflict that fell his family with neighboring clans in 1519 A.D., Ibrahim decided to sell his land and leave Houran for the mountains of Lebanon, an area that became known for its peace under the new Ottoman rule.

The family crossed Syria and the plains of Damascus, over the Anti-Lebanon mountain range (also known as the Eastern Mountains of Lebanon) and settled first for a few years in the village of Seriin (Arabic: سرعين) to the northwest of the town of Zahle in the Bekaa Valley. But this stay was short lived due to conflicts with the locals. In 1526 A.D., Ibrahim decided to move from the Bekaa Valley and relocate to Bsharri (Arabic: بشري) high in the mountains in the northern part of Lebanon. The way to Bsharri was rugged. On their path, they stumbled onto an abandoned village up in the mountains, so they decided to settle there. They rebuilt the homes and named the village Douma (Arabic: دوما) in remembrance of their original village in Houran. They erected a church in the name of Saint Sarkis venerated by the Christians of Houran.

The stay in Douma was pleasant as the clan developed friendly relations with their neighbors and the ruling emir. However the murder of a ruler of Tripoli over his desire to marry one of their daughters forced them to depart to the safety of Keserwan District that was ruled by an emir friendly to the family.

Upon arrival to Antelias, the clan decided that the families of Issa, Medlej, Farah and Hanna settle in the high mountains of Keserwan District, while the families of Nasser and Nehme head to Palestine, and the family of Semaan stay at the coast near Antelias. The families of Issa, Medlej and Farah retained the surname of Maalouf, whereas the other branches adopted other surnames, notably Klink for the Hanna branch, Kreidy for the Semaan branch, Laham for the Nasser branch, and Najjar for the Nehme branch.

A panoramic photograph of the village of Kfarakab established by the Maalouf family ca. 1560 A.D. To the far right is the edge of Mhaydse which has become part of the modern town of Bikfaya.

The first four branches settled in the village of Mhaydse(Arabic: المحيدثة) in 1550 A.D. and lived peacefully for several years. From their homes, they observed across a deep ravine an attractive, protected and forested ridge which they often used as a hunting ground. After receiving permission from the ruling emir, the families of Issa, Medlej and Farah relocated their homes and built the village of Kfarakab (Arabic: كفر عقاب) in 1560 A.D. and the main church in 1570 A.D. The family of Hanna remained in Mhaidsse.

Kfarakab become the beating heart of the Maalouf clan and gave the family the opportunity to play an integral role in the social, economical, political and military developments in Lebanon. From Kfarakab, thousands of descendents fanned out across Lebanon and the entire globe especially since the late 1800s as they settled in the United States of America, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Australia. The Maalouf family is now prominent in several Lebanese towns and villages, most notably Zahle where an entire neighborhood is named after the family, Niha, and Chlifa, in the Bekaa Valley.

The Maalouf family’s rich history is marked by a dedication to culture and education. Its sons and daughters excelled in the arts and sciences. It produced lawyers, doctors, engineers, musicians, poets, historians, journalists, military officers and public servants, and ecclesiastics. Fourteen generations separate today’s generations from their ancestor Ibrahim Abi Rajih. When two members of the family meet, they soon discover the blood relationship and find that they share many relatives.

Notable Persons

• Amin Maalouf (Arabic: أمين معلوف‎) (1947–), acclaimed French-Lebanese author
• Judge Albert Malouf (1916–1997), Canadian justice of the Superior Court of Quebec
• Sam Maloof (1916–2009), furniture designer and woodworker in Los Angeles
• George J. Maloof, Sr. (1923–1989), his family today owns the Sacramento Kings
• David Malouf (1934–), acclaimed Australian writer
• Paulo Maluf (1931–), a Brazilian politician and former mayor of Sao Paolo
• Eisa Iskandar Maalouf (1868–1956) , a Lebanese writer and historian who published an extensive tree of the Maalouf family, consequently translated into English under the title "Maloof: The Ghassani Legacy."
• Elza Maalouf, an Arab-American cultural development specialist
• Fady Maalouf (1979–), a Lebanese-German pop singer
• Ibrahim Maalouf (Arabic: ابراهيم معلوف‎), a trumpeter, composer, arranger, and trumpet instructor
• Maria Maalouf (Arabic: ماريا معلوف‎), a Lebanese journalist and political analyst
• Nasri Maalouf (1911–2005), a Lebanese politician
• Nassim Maalouf (Arabic: نسيم معلوف) (born 1941), a trumpet soloist who plays classical and Arabic music

External links

• http://maloofsinternational.org/
• http://www.malooffoundation.org/
• "Origins," by Amin Maalouf, translated by Catherine Temerson, May 2008, ISBN 0374227322 [1]